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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.

$4 Chick-Fil-A Family Lunch with Playtime to Boot

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On the way to pick up my son from school, my daughter kept asking if we could go to Zaxby’s and eat lunch with Daddy. I was surprised by my daughter’s request since we were not close to Zaxby’s when the pleading began. By the time we reached the school, the requesting was subsiding.

Upon entering the car and sitting in his booster seat, my son asked, “Can we go to Chick-Fil-A for lunch?” (I’m guessing that the cool, rainy weather brought on the wish for comfort food like chicken.) Since I needed to make a stop at the credit union which is close to Chick-Fil-A, I responded with, “We’ll see.”

After completing our business at the credit union, I searched my restaurant coupon file from the glove compartment to see if I could put a deal together for under $5. I found 2 coupons for buy a medium sweet tea, and get a 4-count chicken strip entrée. Knowing that I could work a deal for under $5, I announced that our next stop was Chick-Fil-A.

The kids were really excited. The rain had stopped as we pulled into the Chick-Fil-A parking lot. We quickly unloaded and entered the restaurant. Armed with my 2 coupons, we waited in line. At our turn, I handed the cashier my coupons. He confirmed that I wanted 2 sweet teas with each of the 4-piece chicken strips. (When a Chick-Fil-A coupon states a specific beverage (i.e. Sprite), most cashiers allow you to substitute for any comparable beverage.) The cost was 2 orders of chicken strips at $3.99 each for free and 2 teas at $1.49 each. I then ordered 4 buns: 3 toasted and 1 plain at $.15 each. My total with tax came to  . . . $3.87. (If I had purchased 4 chicken sandwiches, I would have spent over $10!)

The kids and I went to a table chosen by my daughter. The cashier brought our food to the table, and I begun to put our meal together.

  • I stopped by the condiment station and picked up a knife, napkins, mayonnaise, ketchup, and placemats.
  • I returned to the table and attached the placemats to each of the kids’ eating area. (I love these placemats. They work great, especially for the baby who is used to eating on the tray of her highchair.)
  • I took out a bun, added requested condiments, and 2 strips of chicken. Next I cut the sandwich in half and placed in front of my daughter. I then made my son’s sandwich, then the baby’s, and finally mine. I was able to make 4 great chicken sandwiches with the food purchased. My son and daughter shared a sweet tea, and the baby and I shared the other one.
  • After completing our meal, I cleaned up, and the kids went to play on the indoor playground.

When I returned home, I checked the receipt of my great restaurant deal. In addition to my purchase, my receipt had a survey invitation in the center section. After taking the survey on-line, I received a validation code which I can now redeem for a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich. I guess we will be planning another visit to Chick-Fil-A soon. Maybe this time Daddy will be able to come with us.

By thinking outside of the box, using some of the options presented in the 10 Ways to Cut the Expense of Eating Out series, and setting a budget, the kids and I gained nourishment and exercise for under $4 on a spontaneous family activity.

What creative ways have you used to save money on a spur-of-the-moment change of plans?

Grocery Store Customer Surveys

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Last week I shared how I review each receipt after purchase to be sure I was charged correctly for the items I purchased. Another reason I review my receipts is to locate points, surveys, and sweepstakes.

Periodically on the bottom of my grocery store receipt, I will find a survey opportunity for a chance to win $250 in free groceries. Each time I receive an invitation for a survey, I act upon it. The survey usually takes about 5 minutes to complete.

Upon completing last week’s survey at Bi-Lo, I found a coupon for a free bag of Southern Home pretzel twists. (Southern Home is the Bi-Lo brand.) After printing my coupon, I placed it in my Bi-Lo envelope. When I shopped the sales this week at Bi-Lo, I cashed in my coupon for the free bag of pretzels valued at $1.25.

You may or may or not receive a coupon for your participation, but giving the store feedback will help improve your shopping experience. I’m willing to spend a little time to help the store and am thankful for the coupon which helped me save another $1.25.

Do you take advantage of the survey opportunities, or do you pass them by? I hope to report to you one day that I won free groceries. In the meantime, I will take the surveys and look closely for extra coupons.

10 Ways to Cut the Expense of Eating Out – Part 1 of 5

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If your family is like ours, then spring is a busy season. With sports games, school plays, and other activities falling on school nights, I am faced with time constraints for feeding my family. Sometimes the best option is eating out. Having someone else prepare, serve, and clean up can be a huge blessing on busy days. The cost of taking a family to a restaurant can quickly eat up the food budget. With a little planning and knowledge, the restaurant option can be worth your time and money.

In this series of 5 posts, I will share 10 ways to cut the expense of eating out. I will share 2 options each week. You may not be able to use all 10 of these options at once, but incorporating even one idea can save you money as you feed your family.

OPTION 1:     Use Coupons.

Many companies provide coupons for buy one entrée, get one free, $5 off a food purchase of $25 or more, etc. If you know which restaurants you plan to visit in advance, then spending a little time searching for coupons could pay off for your family. Here are some places to look for coupons:

  • Check the advertisement section in the phone book for local coupons.
  • Signup for free publications that contain local restaurant coupons (i.e. Clipper magazine).
  • Consult your local newspaper.
  • Subscribe to online newsletters, mobile/text, or e-mail notifications to your favorite restaurants.
  • Visit the website of restaurants for specials and coupons.
  • Purchase discount coupon books (i.e. the Entertainment book).
  • Browse a search engine (Swagbucks, Google, etc.) for “the restaurant name” coupons.

OPTION 2:     Skip the beverage selection and drink water.

When our family chooses to drink water instead of taking advantage of the carbonated beverages or tea options, our total bill can be 10-15% less than when we drink the Coke and tea. Our family does splurge on drinks occasionally. But when we need to shave the excess off our total bill, we will opt for water.

Not every option will work in every situation. Our family uses coupons regularly, but some of our favorite restaurants do not offer coupons. When we visit establishments without using coupons, we use some of the other ways to save money. Sometimes we choose to drink water and save on the cost of a beverage. Before making that choice, we check to see if a drink is included with our meal.

During your busy spring season, I wish you lots of time with your family. I hope eating out is a solution to your time constraints, and that these options help you save money as you use your time wisely.

Using BOGOF Coupons Wisely

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Question: If a $4 item is buy one get one free (BOGOF) at both a drugstore (i.e. CVS) and a grocery store (i.e. Publix) and you have a BOGOF coupon and a $1 off coupon, then where do you use the coupons to get the best deal?

A.      The drugstore

B.      The grocery store

C.      Same deal at both the drugstore and the grocery store

What do you think? Are the deals the same? Because both stores have the same product on sale, does that mean that both deals are equal?

If you went to the drugstore and purchased 2 BOGOF items, the cashier scans both items. The first item rings up at $4, and the second rings up $0 (free). You could then use your BOGOF coupon on the $4 item and the $1 off coupon on the free item. You can use the second coupon because you purchased two items. Since you can use a manufacturer coupon on each item purchased, you can use both coupons for this transaction. You would need an additional item in this transaction to absorb the $1 overage since stores will not give you money back. The result of shopping at the drugstore would be gaining $1 in overage: $4 item – $4 BOGOF coupon + $0 item – $1 coupon.

If you went to the grocery store and purchased 2 BOGOF items, the cashier scans both items. The first item rings up at $2, and the second rings up $2. You could then use your BOGOF coupon on the $2 item and the $1 off coupon on the other $2 item. Since most grocery stores’ BOGOF deals do not require you to purchase both items, the stores charge half of the price for the first item and half of the price for the second item. The $4 items that are BOGOF rings up $2 for the first item and $2 for the second item. You can then use a manufacturer coupon for each item purchased. The result of shopping at the grocery store would be spending $1: $2 item -$2 BOGOF coupon + $2 item – $1 coupon.

As you can see from this sample scenario, the answer to the question is definitely A. The drugstore since the result is gaining $1 in overage. Though the deals look the same, the answer lies in how the store handles the sales. Knowing the stores’ coupon and sales policies will help you use your coupons wisely, maximize your savings, and stretch your dollars.