Yesterday I discussed how to find, organize and coordinate coupons with your grocery list. Today I’ll share what I’m planning to buy this Wednesday (the only day I grocery shop because it’s double coupon day at Pick ‘n Save).
After looking through my coupons and what’s on sale this week, I further revised my list:
- Stonyfield Farm organic milk (I’m going to scour the Web for a coupon!)
- Half and half
- Butter
- McCormick chili powder ($1 coupon)
- Thai Kitchen coconut milk (50 cent coupon)
- Trop50 juice ($1 coupon)
- Ortega taco shells (75 cent coupon)
- Roundy’s organic cereal
- Roundy’s bagels
- Northland dark juice ($1 coupon)
- Del Monte tomatoes (40 cent coupon)
- Emerald almonds
- Roundy’s pretzels
- Purex (35 cent coupon)
- Scotties facial tissue ($1 coupon)
- Turkey tenderloins
- Whole chicken
- Jennie-O ground turkey
- Bananas
- Bell peppers
- Apples
The italicized items are things that I might not buy, but I want to look at anyway. I will check prices during my shopping trip, see if there’s a “secret sale” on any of these items, and decide in the store whether or not to buy them.
The bolded items are on sale this week. As you can see, I try to pair up coupons with as many sale items as I can. Not everything matches up perfectly, but I’m OK with that. My mantra is: The perfect is the enemy of the good.
Sales cycles and panic mode
Sales cycles can run from every other week to once every 12 weeks. Knowing this allows me to avoid shopping in panic mode.
I’ve heard lots of people say they don’t like tracking sales and using coupons because they spend more time and money chasing deals than just buying what they like. I think chasing deals just to pinch pennies is a ridiculous waste of time. Being informed, shopping smart, and knowing where to draw my “frugal line in the sand” is, however, profoundly valuable.
That’s the beauty of understanding how sales and coupons work: You’re able to buy good food with confidence, knowing you’re getting a good price on items you will use – instead of panicking and buying odd things just because they’re cheap.
Next up: Planning the shopping trip, with key tips and tricks to make it go as smoothly as possible.