You Better Shop Around: Getting The Best Deals On Groceries

Posted on August 25, 2007 by Melissa
Filed Under Coupons, Frugality, Groceries, Shopping

I used to get a sort of elation from shopping online. I would get excited about finding new and interesting things. Now that I’ve made the commitment to be more frugal, I get this same elated feeling combing the grocery store deals and finding the best price for tomatoes. That’s something I never expected. Shopping has turned into a game of some sorts now and it is all about finding the best deal. I have channeled the same energy and excitement I would have when buying big ticket items into my quest for sales on the everyday items.

I actually enjoy reading the flyers to identify good offers and I get a good laugh when I spot an advertised “can’t miss” deal when it isn’t a deal at all. Not even close sometimes! Sometimes, the stores will make it hard for you to spot their deception by lowering already inflated prices a bit and making it seem like a bargain. I view it like a challenge. The best deals I have found on groceries are when you get a genuinely good sale price and pair it with a coupon. Here are some tips on how to get the best deal when grocery shopping.

Start a price guide. List the top 20 items that you commonly use in your home. Go to each of the stores that you are likely to shop at in your area and write down their prices on the identical items and the generic equivalents. Adjust the price appropriately (in ounces for instance) if the sizes don’t match. Keep this notebook around for reference. That way, when you see a special on tuna for 2 for $1 you will know if that is actually a good deal. Often pricey stores have seemingly good deals but with a little investigation you might find their specials still result in a higher price than a competitor. I know it may seem like a lot of work but that one afternoon of scouting increased my confidence in knowing when I see a good deal. This tool will help you maximize the “best of the best” deals by helping you see when it’s time to stock up on a good deal.

Get coupons. A lot of people recommend just buying the store brand to lower costs, but often you can beat the price of a store brand by using a good coupon on a national brand and combining it with a sale. I get my coupons from the Sunday paper and also by checking out some online coupon sites . My goal is try and find a coupon or good deal for every pantry item I intend to purchase. Produce and fresh meat coupons are rare but pantry items often have coupons floating around out there.

Drop your brand loyalty. By dropping your brand loyalty on everything but the items you truly feel are superior to the competitors you can save the most. If you are willing to switch to Palmolive instead of Dawn when they have a sale with a matching coupon you will increase your savings dramatically.

Pay attention to the junk mail you get. Nearly everyone gets flyers in the mail for the local grocery stores with the upcoming sales for the week. Our flyers come in the mail on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Study these flyers to see what will be on the sale that week. Many times the items on sale will match up to the coupons you got in the recent Sunday paper. This is when you can start getting the really good deals.

Find the “loss leaders” at the expensive stores. “Loss leaders” are really good sales that the stores use to get you through the doors. Identify these items and if it is something you need AND you have a coupon for, then it’s time to stock up. I only buy the loss leaders at these stores; most everything else is too expensive.

Don’t be afraid to shop at multiple stores. This is a good rule of thumb, as long as they are close by and don’t just add to your gas expense. It is unlikely that one store will have the best prices on everything. By looking at the flyers you can identify good prices on items at stores you might not otherwise patronize. Take advantage of those good deals, especially if you also have a coupon for the item.

Sometimes online is cheaper. See if online stores like Amazon have better deals on non-perishables, especially if it is something that rarely goes on sale or has coupons. For example, we love Inglehoffer sweet-hot mustard. This mustard never goes on sale and I have yet to find a coupon for it. I needed to find a better deal to justify spending more to keep this particular brand allegiance (and if you try this mustard, I think you’ll know why). I was able to find a good price on Amazon and bought it in bulk. We saved a significant amount that we otherwise would have been unable to do because it is specialty item and doesn’t seem to have any discounts.

Overall, the goal should be to avoid paying full or premium prices on just about everything. Sure, it takes a little effort but the payoff is definitely worth it. Not only do you get that great feeling of knowing you got the very best deal on your purchases but you save a chunk of change in the process.

Keep in mind though – there are limits. Your time is worth money, too. It is not such a good deal if you spend 3 hours trying to save $0.25 on a bag of chips. Don’t give up – it just takes a little time to get in the swing of things. Once you establish a price guide, a coupon file, and get a better idea of how to spot truly good deals, saving money will become quicker and easier.

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6 Responses to “You Better Shop Around: Getting The Best Deals On Groceries”

Quit Your Job, Collect Credit Cards, Save With Grocery Deals: My Carnival Picks » Money and Personal Finance Blog In Silicon Valley on September 5th, 2007 7:58 am

[...] for the 90th Festival of Frugality, it was held at Bean Sprouts. Some picks from there included: You Better Shop Around: Getting The Best Deals On Groceries @ A Penny Closer How’s Your Health Been Lately? @ Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental [...]
Tuesday Late Links | Tuesday Late Links healty| Tuesday Late Links > | healty foods | healty diet | healthy food(new comment) on June 27th, 2010 8:58 am

[...] Sprouts: 90th Festival of Frugality Tons of solid food links this week, including a nice shopping-around post from A Penny Closer and a kickass budget/health analysis from Wenchypoo [...]
Tuesday Late Links | Tuesday Late Links doctor oz | Tuesday Late Links doctor oz recipes | Doctor Oz Recipes > Recipes Doctor Oz > Doctor Oz(new comment) on July 22nd, 2010 2:32 pm

[...] Sprouts: 90th Festival of Frugality Tons of solid food links this week, including a nice shopping-around post from A Penny Closer and a kickass budget/health analysis from Wenchypoo [...]
Tuesday Late Links | Tuesday Late Links dr oz | Tuesday Late Links dr oz diet | Dr Oz Diet > Dr Oz Website > Dr Oz Vegan Diet(new comment) on July 23rd, 2010 3:59 am

[...] Sprouts: 90th Festival of Frugality Tons of solid food links this week, including a nice shopping-around post from A Penny Closer and a kickass budget/health analysis from Wenchypoo [...]
Tuesday Late Links | Tuesday Late Links diet doctor oz | Tuesday Late Links diet plan | Doctor Oz Diet > Doctor Oz Website > Doctor Oz Vegan Diet(new comment) on August 3rd, 2010 7:33 am

[...] Sprouts: 90th Festival of Frugality Tons of solid food links this week, including a nice shopping-around post from A Penny Closer and a kickass budget/health analysis from Wenchypoo [...]
Tuesday Late Links(new comment) on November 25th, 2010 11:35 am

[...] Sprouts: 90th Festival of Frugality Tons of solid food links this week, including a nice shopping-around post from A Penny Closer and a kickass budget/health analysis from Wenchypoo ` Bean Sprouts, Budget, Coupons, Doctors, [...]