Welcome back to another week of The Teacher’s Salary series. Feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email if you have any suggestions for future topics.
Click HERE to see links to some of my previous posts from this series.
Three weeks ago, I posted about 7 ways we save on groceries and I’ve decided to break down some of those concepts a little further. I talked more in-depth about menu-planning last time. This week is about shopping the sales. They really go hand-in-hand and are the most effective way to save on your grocery bill, before you even clip your first coupon.
Why?
If you are looking to save some major money on your grocery budget, you must begin to change the way you think about grocery shopping. Gone are the days of browsing through the aisles and picking up whatever it is you want to eat that week {or perhaps even just that day}. Shopping that way might be more fun and spontaneous, but it will definitely cost you a lot more than necessary.
Luckily, grocery stores run weekly sales. Aren’t they nice? 🙂 In order to really start seeing some savings on your grocery bill, you must begin to shop what is on sale. {This is why menu-planning is so important since you are shopping for what you will be eating.}
What is a sale?
The first place to start is definitely your store’s sale flyer, which can usually be found online or in the newspaper. You might think that all items in a grocery store’s sale flyer are sale items but unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case. Marketers are smart and they know that an item listed in their sale flyer will get a second look. Therefore, they fill their sale flyers with some great sale prices, some “okay” prices, and others that aren’t really a sale at all.
Typically, the items on the front and back of the flyers are the best deals. These can be items that the stores either break even on or loose a little money on in order to get you in the door. But, don’t let this keep you from glancing through the rest of the ad. There can still be some great sale items listed within the ad as well.
One way to determine a whether something is truly a “sale price” is to create a price book. You might consider picking 20 items you routinely buy and track the prices at your local store(s). After a couple months of doing this, you should have an idea of what is truly a good sale price versus what is a mediocre price.
I have not created a price book for myself, but I keep mental notes on prices when I shop so I’ve learned what I consider to be a good sale price. Some coupon “experts” say it’s not typically a sale until you see 50% off retail. That might be a good ballpark when you are just getting started or if you don’t have the time to create a price book. Click HERE for one blogger’s “buy now” price list.
1. Buy an item when it reaches its “rock-bottom” price
Every item in a grocery store will eventually go on sale. Since the goal of your new approach to grocery shopping is to save money, you must try to buy items when they are being sold at their “rock-bottom” prices. Why pay full retail if you don’t have to?
Produce will typically reach its lowest price when it is in season. This is why we typically eat produce based on when it’s in peak season. If you are a good planner, perhaps you could buy in-season produce and then freeze it {I would like to try this at some point}. Click HERE for a great rundown on how to properly freeze fruits and vegetables.
2. Pay attention to sale cycles
Every item at a store has a sale cycle. If you were to keep a price book, you would probably notice that certain items are always on sale on certain weeks. You would notice certain sale cycle trends. The good news is that these sale cycles are somewhat predictable. In the south, the sale cycle is typically 6-8 weeks, but it can be up to 12 weeks in other areas of the country.
3. Buy enough to get you through until the next sale cycle
Once you are aware of sale cycles, you will have a better idea of how much you will need to purchase of each sale item. There is really no reason to clear the shelves of product {as seen on TLC’s show Extreme Couponing} because you only need enough to get you through until the next sale cycle.
Example: If your family eats 1 box of cereal each week and your sale cycle is typically 6 weeks, then you would need to buy 6 boxes of cereal when it’s at it’s “rock-bottom” price.
4. Don’t forget yearly/seasonal sales
There are some non-perishable items that only go on sale during certain times of the year or during certain seasons. It might go against logic, but stores will often put these items on sale at their peak purchase time. Stores know you will need to purchase these items anyway, so they are willing to mark them down in order to get you into THEIR store rather than another one. For instance, summer is a great time to stock up on all your condiments and the Super Bowl is a great time to buy chips and salsa!
Click HERE for a great list of seasonal items by month.
5. Check out clearance items or markdowns
Don’t be afraid to purchase clearance items or markdowns. Our local store has a special section for marked down items, but they also have some scattered throughout individual store sections. I have no problem purchasing dented canned goods if it saves me some money!
Meats, produce, and breads can make for some great markdown items. I’ve been able to find some great deals on meats because they were about to expire {ask the person at the meat counter if there is a typical day when they do most of their markdowns}. I will either use them immediately or freeze them to use later. I have also found some nice deals on produce such a bagged salad, shredded lettuce or bananas. Marked down bananas can be frozen and used in smoothies or banana bread. Most breads would either need to be used quickly or could be used to make croutons or breadcrumbs. Think outside the box!
For Starters
If you are just starting out, I would recommend picking a store or maybe a couple of stores to try. If you are totally loyal to a particular store, that’s fine, but begin checking their sale flyer each week and keep your eye on their prices and sale cycles.
If you are open to trying out a different store or are willing to shop at more than one store, you might find that certain stores offer better sales than others. I am pretty loyal to Kroger these days because I have found their sale prices to be quite good and they reward my loyalty by sending me coupons, but I have been trying to venture into Martin’s more to get a feel for their sales and prices {and because they are just down the street}.
Don’t forget your big box stores such as Walmart and Target, since most also sell food now. Walmart offers price-matching with a copy of a competitor’s ad and Target has some great store coupons via their website or their Cartwheel app.
Need some more inspiration or specifics on how to get started on reducing your grocery bill? You might consider this great resource from Crystal Paine called Grocery University*. This 2 hour audio course will teach you everything you need to know in order to start reducing your grocery budget.
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Any other tips for shopping the grocery store sales?
Fantastic tips. I'm working on my price book right now and am already seeing a difference. You explained everything so well and I think this article is going to be helpful to a lot of people. I pinned it and shared it on FB with my readers. Thanks for the great post!
I'm glad to know the price book is helping. I'd like to try it at some point, but my main obstacle is finding the time to do it without my kids in tow. Let me know if you have any tips for doing it without it taking up too much time! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing the post!! 🙂
Where I live there are limited stores but I think I will begin a price book on walmart and the hanover down the street. Thank you for explaining all this
It does get tricky with limited stores, but the price book will at least help you get more familiar with prices if you aren't used to paying much attention to them. Good luck and I hope you find it helpful!
I know this is late but I just saw your post. Informative but you should never buy dented canned goods for fear of botulism.
You do bring up a good point, Sarah. From what I've read about it, small dents on the sides are typically okay, but it's certainly better to be safe than sorry!