Over the last few weeks our grocery shopping habits have evolved – not so much due to choice but due to a change in coupon policy at select retailers. .. starting tomorrow, coupons will be accepted at FACE value at Safeway.

Since many have been accustomed to shopping with them, it was (and may still be) difficult to adapt to these changes. It’s definitely not impossible to get great deals – it just takes a little more effort to find them, and the willingness to adjust our shopping methods.

Over the last few weeks I put my mind at work to help put some structure into possible questions – How can I save? Will I be able to save? Where do you recommend I shop?

We are fortunate that we have several avenues to complete our shopping here in the Valley – although we can drive around to different stores, it’s not always cost effective either.  I have earmarked my steps and stores to help us plan better trips – here are my tips below.

Do a Pantry Inventory & Take Note of What you Buy Regularly

You can take a quick glance in your stockpile, and write down the things that you buy regularly – make a list of those items and keep it in your binder .. or on your fridge.

Price Compare the Things you Buy

Once you have a general understanding of what you purchase regularly, try to get a good comparison of the price of those items at various stores.

To do this you may need to keep a list or a spreadsheet of those items.. and know what you will pay as an everyday price at each store that is in your area.

Determine the Best Store

Once you know what items you purchase regularly and you have compared prices, determine which store is the best fit for the things you need.   If you know that you need Flour, Walmart Brand is $1.68 on a daily basis – you may not need to wait for a sale.. pick that up on your next trip.

If you are in the Phoenix area… remember that you have the following options:

• Target: Is a great way to save with Gift Card offers, and they allow you to stack Cartwheel offers with Manufacturer coupons and store coupons.
• Walmart:  Is great if you need to price match sales items from other stores, including produce specials – you can also use coupons to save even more
• Albertsons:  Generally has great meat prices… almost every week, they run a sale on Chicken, Beef or Pork. They won’t double coupons.. and their sales prices and prices on regular items tend to be higher than most other stores.
• Safeway:  They won’t double coupons, but they do have personalized Just 4 U offers that can be stacked with Manufacturer coupons. Although their everyday prices can be high, their sales prices can be incredible deals when stacked with manufacturer coupons.
• Fry’s: Won’t double coupons, and their every day prices tend to be slightly higher than Walmart.
• Bashas: Doubles coupons up to $1.00 and has personalized prices as well.
• Costco: Can be great for bulk purchases – with many items just as cheap if not cheaper than the regular stores, without the need to use coupons.

Pair Coupons with Sales

Follow the blog to track the best prices on your items each week – as the new ads begin, take note at what items are a stock up price and grab enough of those items to hold you 6-8 weeks until the next sales cycle comes around.

Pair those GOOD sales with coupons to get a bigger discount – remember that most of your savings comes from waiting for the right time to use that coupon – your best bet is to hold onto a coupon until that sale price rolls around.

Price Match at Walmart

Remember that the fuel you use to drive to 10 stores can also add up – with that in mind, try to slim down the trips you take, and price match produce, and dairy items at Walmart to save time.

Find Additional Ways to Save

There are many other ways you can save without having to extend too much effort… here are a few that may help:

Try FREE Rebate Offers. Take note of any FREE offers & use those to capture new products you wouldn’t normally have purchased.

Shop at Costco or Sam’s. Use the monthly shopping list for each store to determine the best deals for that month. AND remember that you can also score a meal plan for those of you who do shop Costco.

Try Store Variety. In some cases, store brand will actually be much less.  You can pick up a box of Kroger Variety Tea Bags for just $.99.. versus spending $2 – $3 on the brand name, even after coupon.  

Shop Amazon for Toilet Paper or Organic Products.   You can grab some great deals on toilet paper if you can arch them at the right time – even better, no fuel is required .. toting kids is not needed.  See how you can save money on Toilet Paper each month.

Shop for Organic items through Green PolkaDot Box.  They carry Non-GMO, and Organic Items – they are an online service that caters to a small populous. We find it a great way to stock up on meat for periods longer than 1-2 months.

I always try to remember that coupons are available to help you save on items you can reasonably use – enough to get you through the sales cycle onto the next – you should, in that case, aim to stock up for a period of 6-8 weeks.