Wonder what I do?? I shop on Sundays. I go buy two papers on Saturday and get my coupons ready! I also make our weekly menus on Saturdays. Even if you’re single and live alone, if you’re watching your budget, I recommend planning an ENTIRE week of food (even snacks). That helps me from going to the grocery store and having no organization to what I’m buying…I used to just throw whatever sounded good in the buggy! Now, I have a plan!
I try and base my menus off of what meat’s on sale. I NEVER thought to price-match meat, but you can really save by buying meat when it’s on sale. A few weeks ago, Kroger had their 1-lb rolls of ground beef for $0.99!! They’re like $2.68 (or somewhere around there) at Wal-Mart. That’s a good amount saved! I wish I would have bought more!!
Anyway, I make my list. Then I write in my notebook which items I may want to price match at Wal-Mart if the price-match is cheaper. When I’m shopping, I compare prices, and I’ll write Wal-Mart’s price if it is higher than the sale at another store. That’s how I keep track of my savings because when I get home, I’ll calculate how much I save in coupons AND by price-matching. I have saved quite a bit by doing both. It’s really pretty awesome. I shop early because people are either amazed by my savings, or they’re annoyed I take up so much time in the line lol!
At Wal-Mart, you can price-match another store AND use a manufacture coupon for an item if you have one. That makes for an even sweeter deal!! I’ll post examples of what could be done once I have time to go through my sale ads for this week. I want to start posting my match-ups that I see on Wednesdays or Thursdays at the latest.
It does take time to plan your shopping trips, but you will notice the difference in your pocket book!!