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Grocery Shopping: Creating your Grocery Lists – Part 3 of 3

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Briana Carter)

Last week, we left off with a printed grocery list from each store. These lists contain all the items that I am considering purchasing. My final decision will be based on how much I plan to spend this week on grocery shopping. As we complete Part 3 of Step Four: Creating grocery lists in our food cycle series, I match coupons and top off the lists.

Matching Coupons

With the available coupons listed on my grocery list, I am able to grab my binders and locate the best coupons.  Yes, I said binders. Not to get too detailed about my coupon organization, but I have two binders. One holds all the food items, and the other houses all the cleaners, toiletries, medicines, and other non-food items. (You have not missed anything. I plan to do a series on my coupon organization method at a later date. 🙂 )

After locating the coupons for each item, I then decide how many of those products I plan to purchase using the same questions relating to the Buy One Get One Free offers. If I do not have coupons or the deal is not as great as I thought it would be, then I just mark that deal off my grocery list.

In my binders, I keep all coupons for free items in a front sleeve. Before finishing my grocery list, I will add any free items to my grocery lists that can be used with this week’s sales or will be expiring this week.

With the coupons gathered, I place them in an envelope labeled with that store’s name. The grocery list is folded and placed in the front of the envelope for easy retrieval at the grocery store.

Topping off the Lists

At this point in the process, I have two envelopes complete with coupons and grocery list. One envelope is labeled Bi-Lo and the other Publix. The last step is looking back at my pad of paper. Are there still items listed? Yes.

Since none of these items were on sale and I need to purchase them, I will choose the least expensive store and shop for these items. In my area, Aldi is my least expensive option. This store does not accept coupons, and most items are Aldi’s store brand.

The remaining items on my list get compiled for a shopping trip to Aldi.  Although Aldi carries most items, there are a few items (e.g., ground mustard) they do not. For those items, I will usually purchase at Bi-Lo or Wal-mart – if a trip is already planned for the week. If I can wait a week or two for some of the items, then I will keep them on the list and continue watching the ads for a sale.

With all three lists created, my coupons gathered, and envelopes prepared, I am ready for a visit to the grocery stores. By thoroughly preparing in advance, I can make smart decisions at the grocery store. I know what I have at home, what I have planned, and what I need to succeed at that plan. Though this process seems long, I have found my rhythm and ways to implement these steps a little at a time. With a 5 minute break, I can complete one or two steps. Just working to improve is making progress!

Question: What is the least expensive grocery store in your area? Please add your answer to the comments.

Grocery Shopping: Savings with and without Coupons

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Kim Smith-Miller)

As I entered the checkout station, I was warmly greeted by one of my favorite cashiers, Miss Daisy. We chatted about the weather, the weekend activities, and upcoming excitements. While conversing, the girls and I unloaded our cart’s contents onto the conveyor belt.

My Conversation

Miss Daisy scanned my two Publix cards (school proceeds and UPromise) and our items. I then handed her my stack of coupons. On this occasion, Miss Daisy paused a moment, then asked, “Are these all your coupons today?”

With a “Yes, that’s all for today,” I rechecked my Publix envelope to be sure I had used all my coupons.

Miss Daisy responded, “This is a short stack for you.”

I agreed and informed her that most of my coupons required the purchase of 2 items and that the sales were excellent without needing coupons. As Miss Daisy deducted the coupons, I watched my savings increase and my total decrease. I love that Publix displays your savings at checkout on a big monitor in front of you.

At the end of the transaction, my total came to $37.51 and my savings rose to $58.01. When Miss Daisy saw my 61% savings and the small amount of coupons used, she was amazed!

My Saving Tips

Hopefully, through this series you are discovering that you do not need coupons to save at the grocery store. Coupons increase your savings, but you can save by shopping the sales. If you are in a season of life where coupons do not fit into your using time wisely schedule, then choose to save in other ways:

  • Purchase enough Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF) items to last your family for the next 3-6 weeks. Everything I bought at Publix was a BOGOF item.
  • Do not purchase more than one of a sale item – unless that item is never offered as a BOGOF option, e.g., lasagna noodles. If you need an item and it is on sale, then purchase one. Keep an eye on the sales. When that item is BOGOF, then stock up.
  • Whenever possible, shop after a meal. Refrain from adding items to your cart because they look tasty. You will tend to purchase more if you shop hungry, so try to schedule your shopping exploits after a meal.
  • Use a grocery list. Having prepared your list, stick to it. Gather your items and go to checkout. Do not pass the bakery, do not spend $200! 🙂
  • Know your budget. By using more money on weeks with great sales and saving money on weeks with little to no great sales, I can adjust my spending from week to week. Keep your goal obtainable, but challenge yourself with your food budget. Saving money becomes a game. Are you ready to play?

With these strategic tips and tricks, you are on your way to saving a bundle on your food budget. You don’t need to clip every coupon or spend hours preparing for your shopping trip. Utilizing these five keys to saving more than you pay can have your cashier amazed as well. Happy savings!

Question: What was your largest savings this week? Please add your answer to the comments.

Grocery Shopping: Gathering your Savings – Overview

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Terra Nova)

As I approached the checkout station at Bi-Lo last week, I chose a short line where the customer ahead was getting ready to pay for her groceries. As I began unloading my cart, the cashier announced her total of $186. Without a visual response, the customer paid the cashier and was on her way.

I watched as she pushed her little-more-than-half-full cart out the door. Wow! I remember making the same type of purchase a few years ago. Back then, I thought I was shopping well. I chose the least expensive store, generic items, and used the occasional coupon.

Having learned the sales cycles, I now cannot imagine paying more than half price to feed my family. You, too, can have great savings success stories. I am sharing all my tips and tricks in my food cycle (for lack of a better title) series.

Thus far, I have taken you through my menu planning process, and we are still covering “the method to my madness” in grocery shopping. To help you see where we have been and where we are headed, here is a sequential overview:

My Menu Planning Process

Step One: Choosing a menu plan

Step Two: Adding meals to your plan from the food you have on hand

Step Three: Continuing to add meals

My Grocery Shopping Process

Step Four: Creating grocery lists

Beginning next week . . .

Step Five: Gathering your savings

    • Part 1 – Entering the store
    • Part 2 – Shopping your list
    • Part 3 – Checking out with confidence

The next set of posts in this series will focus on the shopping experience. I will share my current system, so feel free to share what works for you. I am always interested in your comments, suggestions, and victories. As you plan and shop to feed your family, I trust you are aiming to increase your savings, lower your budget, and stock your shelves. Happy savings!

Question: What additional topics would you like to see addressed? Please add your answer to the comments. I will do my best to answer your questions.

Grocery Shopping: Gathering your Savings – Part 1 of 3

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Natalie Burdick)

If you have been reading my Tuesday series on event planning, then you already know that our school’s fall festival is a little over a week away. As the coordinator of the Kids’ Zone, I am in planning mode with my phone ringing and my e-mail accounts full.

In using time wisely, many of my household duties are on hold: the laundry is clean, but in the dryer; the dishes are rinsed, but still in the sink; and the food is in the kitchen, but my menu plan is empty. Thankfully, there are options in my pantry, and my fabulous husband has come home to fix dinner numerous times this week.

During these busy times, I am thankful for a system where the pantry is already stocked with options because making a menu is not a top priority.

Last week in this series on feeding my family, I gave a brief overview. Today, I will share my grocery shopping tips when entering the store. Remember to customize your shopping experience. I usually shop with my children, so my routine will be different from someone who gets to shop alone. Also, I shop at two stores: Bi-Lo and Publix, and my system is a little different at each store.

Bi-Lo

1. Scan lobby display for coupons. As I get the car cart for my girls, I glance over at the display. I pick up any coupon booklets and additional store flyers with coupons.

2. Retrieve my grocery list. I slide my list out of my Bi-Lo coupon envelope.

3. Go to bakery. While scanning my list and planning my visit through the aisles, we head to the bakery where my kids receive a free cookie. Occupied with their cookie, my children eat while I begin working through the aisles.

Publix

1. Visit the lobby coupon tower. Depending on the store we visit, the Green and Yellow Advantage flyers (complete with coupons) may be located in the lobby. I check the tower and retrieve one copy of each.

2. Stop by customer service. Many stores are keeping these coupons at customer service since some customers grab handfuls of the flyers. By keeping them at customer service, the employees can give one copy of each to customers and have enough flyers to fulfill customer’s requests. Even if I find the Advantage flyers in the lobby, I will still stop by customer service since they have additional coupon booklets available for the asking.

NOTE: Remember the sales run in cycles. It is not necessary to snag 15 copies of the Advantage flyers. You will want the coupons, but please do not swipe all the coupon sheets.

3. Retrieve my grocery list. Publix places many of their Buy One Get One Free items in an area at the front of the store. I will usually park the cart in this area, get my list from my Publix envelope, and gather any items from my list.

4. Go to bakery. We then proceed to the bakery to get the sugar and chocolate chip cookies for my kids. While waiting, I will flip through the new coupon booklets to see if I can save more on this shopping trip. We then continue our shopping through the aisles.

By keeping the same routine, I can quickly take care of the necessities before adding items to my cart. Knowing where to look for store coupons and making those stops prior to shopping helps me know all my options. If I just received a coupon for a buy one get one free item, I can increase my savings and choose to purchase more of that product, if needed. My entering the grocery store system has the potential to increase my savings while  using time wisely.

Question: How does your system differ from mine? Please add your answer to the comments.

Grocery Shopping: Gathering your Savings – Part 2a of 3

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (I-5 Design)

My shopping trips usually land on a weekday. Either I shop with my girls after dropping my son off at school, or I shop with all 3 children after picking my son up from school. If I can, I allow Publix and Bi-Lo to supply the afternoon snack of a free cookie for the kids while we replenish our family’s food supply.

Last week in Gathering your Savings – Part 1, I explained my tips when entering the grocery store and planning the route to take through the aisles. In continuing gathering your savings, I will share in Part 2 how I shop my grocery list. With seven total steps, I will break these down into 3 different posts: Part 2a, 2b, and 2c. Today, I will share steps 1 and 2:

STEP ONE: Knowing the Store

The more you shop at your store, the better you will know where items are located. In using time wisely, I try to move forward aisle by aisle without backtracking.

STEP TWO: Including my Children

We play games throughout the store. One on-going game is “finding the coupons.” Have you seen the blinkie machines in your store? These little machines are small movable devices that dispense coupons. The little red light blinks to get your attention. When you take the coupon, the dispenser waits a few seconds and then partially ejects another coupon. My children have learned to:

    1. Notify me of their find,
    2. Allow me to determine if we will use the item, and
    3. Pull out only the ones we will use.

If I am purchasing the item and need a coupon, then I will use one of these on this trip. Most of the blinkies we take, I save for a future purchase which might be redeemed at another store. These coupons that are dispensed are manufacturer coupons that can be used at any store that accepts manufacturer’s coupons.

By knowing the store and including my children, I can quickly maneuver through the store gathering my savings while using time wisely. Though my children are not always cooperative with the coupon finding, I usually gain a few minutes to concentrate while they snack on their cookies. As I remember where items are kept in the store, my shopping trip times are improving with less roaming and more gathering. Next week, I will share the next two steps of my in-store shopping strategy. Until then . . . happy savings!

Question: How many blinkie coupons do you take from one dispenser? Pop over to Using Time Wisely‘s Facebook page to see my answer.