I shop at Pick ‘n Save in Oconomowoc, just off Highway 16. I don’t grocery shop anywhere else. It’s close, it has good deals (yay for double coupon Wednesdays!), and I know the store. I’ve spent the last eight months or so learning how to shop the deals there, so I know what’s a good price and what’s not.
I’ve tried to chase good prices around town at Piggly Wiggly and Sentry, but it’s just not worth it to me. Saving a buck or two by going to a new store is not time well spent for me. I like to save money, but I don’t want to go crazy doing it — and running around town like that drives me crazy.
Pick ‘n Save sales run Thursday to Wednesday. This means that sales start on Thursday and end on Wednesday. The printed sale fliers usually come in the mail on Wednesday, and the online version is ready on Thursday. I am subscribed for weekly special emails, which sends me an email when the online weekly ad is available. I love that!
Today’s to-do list
Today is Thursday, so I’ve already checked out the online flier to see what’s on sale for this coming week. I have to admit that this week isn’t all that great for me. I don’t see anything that really trips my trigger, so it will be a small trip.
It’s important to remember that the online weekly ad is not comprehensive — it doesn’t include many personal care and home items that are on sale. The printed flier includes these items, but there are always good deals in the store that aren’t advertised anywhere. That’s why it’s so important to take all your coupons with you, so you can take advantage of unadvertised sales with whatever coupons you have.
This week, my list includes:
- Yoplait yogurt
- Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers
- Roundy’s organic cereal
- Kashi TLC crackers
- Roundy’s bagels
- Northland juice blends
- Del Monte tomatoes
- Emerald almonds
- Purex
- Borax
- Roundy’s pretzels
- Scottie’s facial tissue
- Turkey tenderloins
- Roundy’s whole fresh chicken
- Hormel pork tenderloin
- Jennie-O ground turkey
- Beneful dog food
- Bell peppers
- Braeburn apples
- Bananas
- Organic milk
- Half and half
- Butter
Everything but the last four items is directly from the weekly ad. I almost always buy these last four items, whether they’re on sale or not. But everything else is on my list solely because it’s on sale and I know I’ll use it at some point. I stockpile items when they’re on sale and store them in my basement. That way, I never have to buy something at full price, and I always have something good for dinner.
(I’ll post more about stockpiling later, since it’s a key element of my shopping routine — and it also explains why my grocery bills are higher than what you might expect. About half of the food I buy is what we use on a weekly basis. The other half goes into my well-organized stockpile.)
This list is bound to change over the last week, but it is my starting point. It helps me comb through my pantry/stockpile to see if we really need what’s on sale this week. I know that many items on this list are already in my stockpile, so there’s a good chance I’ll remove many of them before I shop next Wednesday night.
Next up: Add (or subtract) items as the week progresses. This includes assessing my stockpile, looking through my pantry, and taking stock of what we’ll eat in the upcoming week.