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Do Coupons Really Save You Money on Your Grocery Bill
Strategic Shopping
People are always asking me, Do coupons really save you money on your grocery bill?!?
I respond with a resounding, YES!
I like to do my coupon grocery shopping at my local Price Chopper.
This week I got $163.32 worth of groceries for $38.50!
Last week, I got $108.15 worth of groceries for $44.11!
Was this just a fluke?
Did I just happen to hit the store at the time?
Nope!
This was planned out.
I call it Strategic Shopping.
Reasons People Give For Not Using Coupons
People tell me all kinds of reasons why they can’t use coupons.
There aren’t coupons for anything except junk food.
I can’t print coupons off from the internet.
I can’t afford the Sunday paper.
It’s too much work!
I don’t have time.
They are a waste of time.
I don’t need to save pennies and quarters.
Coupons mean you’re a cheapskate.
People who are using coupons are ripping off the stores causing the prices to go up.
I’ve heard it all.
Everyone thinks something different when it comes to coupons.
It’s even pronounced differently, but the bottom line is coupons are cold hard cash.
They are money. Best yet, they are tax-free money!
Ways to Save on Groceries without “Clipping Newspaper Coupons
One of the biggest complaints I hear is there is simply no time to become an extreme couponer and clip all of those coupons.
Strategic Shopping is way more than just clipping coupons in the newspaper.
The good news is you don’t have to! Here are ten ways you can save on groceries this week!
Produce Coupons Right in the Store
Whenever I enter a grocery store, I make a beeline straight for the produce section.
I especially like the organic produce. Our grocery stores are full of a variety of produce, but not all of it sells as quickly as the store managers hope.
Since they don’t want to throw all of this produce away, they mark it down while it is still good.
I love to take advantage of these awesome deals!
I look for coupons right on the products and normally find some amazing deals.
Many times I will bring home large bags of lettuce and salad mixes for 50 cents a package!
I just bring them home and serve them up for dinner.
Any coupons found on these packages are typically considered store coupons, so if your store stacks coupons, and you have manufacturer coupons, then be sure and use them together for ultimate savings.
You can use every store coupon stuck on the product. If there are three $0.50 coupons, then you will get $1.50 off!
I also watch for other produce marked down, like fruit.
Whatever we don’t use, I chop up and throw onto my dehydrator, or freeze them.
Meat Coupons Stuck to the Actual Packages of Meat
When I am finished in the produce section, I head straight for the meat department.
I don’t have much of a hunter’s eye, so I walk up and down the meat section quite a few times searching for coupons stuck right on the packages.
The same concept that was used in the produce section applies to the meat department.
They would rather give you a deep discount on the meat while it is still good rather than wait for it to spoil, then have to throw it all away.
This is how I afford to feed my family steak for dinner so often!
It is not unusual for me to find manufacturer coupons to match up with this already discounted meat.
But even without manufacturer coupons, this is a great way to save on meat.
Bakery Mark-Downs
My next stop is the bakery department. I’m sure you have seen cakes, cookies, pies, rolls, and bread marked at rock bottom prices.
Bakery items don’t typically have store coupons stuck on them.
Rather, the stores just slash the prices starting at 50% and up.
The stores need to move all of these perishable items out before they spoil. We get the benefit of it!
Dairy Discounts
Are you beginning to see a pattern here?
You can go into a grocery store without a list and without coupons and still manage to save a lot of money.
You just need a strategy. That strategy is to hit every aisle that carries perishable products.
I almost always find yogurt marked way down. I also watch for coupons on milk, juice, and eggs.
Coupons dot com is always offering some kind of yogurt coupon. You can also get butter coupons, or any other Real California Milk product coupons OVER HERE
Ask the store department managers which days and times they typically mark their produce, meat, and dairy down.
Blinkies, Coupon Angels, and More
Watch for coupon boxes attached right on the shelves. Take as many as you like.
You don’t have to use them during this trip.
Watch for coupons left by coupon angels.
Some people decide not to use their coupons for one reason or another, so they leave them beside the right products for you. We call them coupon angels.
Shop the sales
Make sure you take advantage of the stores’ sales each week.
If you never used a coupon, and only shopped the sales each week, you could easily cut your grocery bill in half.
This is a no brainer, but you don’t want to pay $1.99 a pound for chicken next week because you didn’t buy enough when it was 99 cents a pound this week.
Watch for stock up prices, then buy as much as your budget allows.
I was able to get Kellogg’s cereal for $0.49 per box this week.
Did I need cereal?
No.
Why did I buy it if I didn’t need it?
You buy at these rock-bottom prices so you don’t pay full price later.
I definitely prefer to pay $0.40 rather than $4.00 per box!
That’s a 90% savings!
So, shop the sales, and where possible, add coupons to the sales for ultimate savings.
Rain checks
If your store runs out of the sale items, ask for a rain check. With so many people becoming strategic shoppers, this is happening more and more.
Even if you are the one to take the last of the items, you can go back the next day and get a rain check as long as there was no limit on the quantity purchased.
Unfortunately, many stores have stopped giving out rain checks during the pandemic.
Upload Digital Coupons
Many people tell me that they just don’t have time to clip, organize, and carry all of those coupons to the stores.
Most stores have caught on to this dilemma and are now offering digital coupons.
Many digital coupons can be uploaded right to your stores’ loyalty cards.
You don’t even have to remember that you uploaded it, but when you buy that item, the coupon discount will come off automatically when your loyalty card is swiped.
The best part is you can load the coupons right in the store while you are shopping.
Stop scrolling through Facebook while shopping, and tell the kids you can’t text them right now because you are going to be using your phone to get the deals.
Pull up your grocery store’s app and search it for digital coupons.
Be aware that digital coupons don’t typically double, so if your store’s policy is to double manufacturer coupons don’t expect them to carry this policy over to their digital Q’s.
Email Companies for Coupons Your Family Actually Uses
The previous savings suggestions don’t require you to clip, organize, or carry any coupons into the stores with you.
Although you could save even more if you did!
This suggestion will get you the coupons your family will actually use.
Open up your refrigerator, pantry, and freezer.
Check to see which brand-named items you use, then email those companies and simply ask them if they could mail you some coupons.
You can also write an actual letter or make a phone call.
Companies like to hear from their customers.
It doesn’t seem to matter if you are writing to praise them or writing to criticize them.
Many of them are more than happy to send out coupons.
Not every company will say yes though.
Some may say no.
Others may say, yes, but we have reached our coupon distribution limits for the month.
And still others will say yes, and send you coupons.
Don’t be discouraged with the no’s.
The ones that say yes make up for the no’s!
Go HERE to read about some coupons I received from companies, like Juicy Juice, Ken’s dressings, and Turkey Hill ice cream.
Earn Cash Back with Rebate Apps
Are you interested in earning money back on the purchases you already plan on making?
There are so many awesome rebate apps out there.
I don’t try to use every single rebate app available. I just choose a few good ones and stick with them. Trying to use them all just becomes too overwhelming.
I make pretty good money through these three apps.
Just click on the links below to sign up for your FREE accounts.
Please consider using my referral links when you sign up. It won’t change your account at all, but it will give me a small reward for sending you their way.
Some of my all-time favorite rebate apps include:
Ibotta makes it pretty easy to earn money fast by purchasing things you already planned on buying anyway!
My Ibotta referral code is: moxsrwj
Checkout 51 – Just add the app to your phone. Watch for the deals, go shopping, take a pic of your receipt, and get cashback!
Fetch Rewards is by far my favorite digital rebate app!
They make it super easy to earn cashback! There are no hoops to jump through!
My referral code is: R1UMC
I either have my rebate deals written out on my regular shopping list, or I quickly scroll through the apps to remind myself which deals I planned on grabbing while I’m right there in the store.
The digital world makes it super easy to save without taking up too much time or energy.
Many times I don’t even look up deals. I just scan my receipts when get home.
Do you use digital coupons and digital rebate apps? Which are your favorites?
Where Can I Get More Coupons
Store Coupons
You can get the store coupons from the store’s ad in the Sunday paper.
Many times, the ad found within the store will not have the higher valued coupons found in the Sunday paper.
Print coupons off from the store’s website .
Make sure you read the dates carefully on their website coupons because they tend to add in more than one week’s coupons.
You can also just clip the coupon in your store’s digital coupons found on their website and in their app.
You can not use both a digital store coupon and a printable store coupon on the same item.
Some stores, including Price Chopper, will mail you store coupons that your family will actually use because the coupons are sent in accordance to your shopping history attached to your store card.
That means, if you typically buy eggs, cucumbers, and lettuce at that store, then there is a good chance you will get store coupons for eggs, cucumbers, and lettuce right in your mailbox.
And, of course, like we talked about earlier, you can find many store coupons stuck right on products, like meat, produce, dairy, and bakery items.
Newspaper Coupons
I get the majority of my manufacturer coupons right out of the Sunday newspaper.
You can read the predicted Sunday newspaper coupon insert schedule over here.
I find manufacturer coupons right on products and inside of packaging, like cereal boxes, etc.
Manufacturer Websites
Many manufacturers offer printable coupons right on their websites.
There are no strings attached. You just go to their website and print the coupons.
Most coupons are able to be printed twice from one device. You can print multiple times using the same computer if you switch to a different device.
You can also check the manufacturer’s Facebook pages for coupons.
Printable Coupon Websites
There are three major coupon printing websites.
Company Email Newsletters
Sign up for your favorite store and manufacturer coupons and they will periodically send you special offers and printable coupons right in your email.
I like to sign up for restaurant newsletters too.
Sign up for the Texas Roadhouse newsletter and get a free appetizer coupon!
Do Coupons Really Save You Money on Your Grocery Bill
Do coupons really save you money on your grocery bill?
Yes, coupons work!
Are you using coupons? What’s stopping you?
I am an affiliate
I hope you love the products I recommend! Just so you know, I may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Thank you if you use our links, I really appreciate it!
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