Money Saving Tips Part 2: The Coupon Phenomenon and the Discount Grocery Store
|
October 13, 2008
| By:
Comments (
1
)It seems lately everyone is trying to save money. One way that has been around for quite awhile is clipping coupons. The Coupon Council says 89% of consumers clip coupons to reduce their grocery bill. So in my quest to save money, I decided to see how much I could save clipping coupons.
For this experiment I picked out some basic (ok very basic) grocery items. I first made a list (never go shopping without a list!). Then I scoped out the Sunday paper and clipped some coupons. It took me about 45 minutes to sift through the ads for items on my list. I normally shop at the local discount grocer (in this case WinCo Foods) as much as possible. To get an idea of the savings, I also did a price check at Safeway, which has chains across the country. (Just so you know, I compared the same brands/sizes at each store to get a good comparison.)
The Savings Breakdown:
• WinCo: $93.52 total
• Safeway: $157.66 total ($121.41 with a club card)
• Coupons: $2.40 off
So, was taking 45 minutes to scour the paper and clip coupons worth the savings? I'd say not this time.
I could have clipped store specific coupons and drove to those stores, but with the price of gas, I wanted to make as few stops as possible. I also will probably start a coupon box--clip coupons for all kinds of items and save money when it comes time to buy them.
Another option is online coupon sites. Some of these sites combine coupons with store sales (determined by ZIP code) to get even better deals. It depends on just how much time you want to spend
Other Money Saving Shopping Tips:
• Make a shopping list and stick to it
• Don't go shopping hungry--you're more likely to buy impulse items
• Look for what is on sale
• Plan meals ahead of time
• Try store brands
• Buy in bulk
• Try using coupons
What really saved me cash was shopping at the discount grocery store (more on that coming soon!).
In case you are curious, here is my very simple shopping list:
• Bananas
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Apples
• Turkey lunch meat
• Bread
• Cookies
• Spaghetti
• Rice
• Campbell's Chicken noodle soup
• Tuna
• Cereal
• Chicken breast
• Ground beef
• American cheese
• Cheddar cheese
• Eggs
• Milk
• Margarine
• Frozen corn
• Ice Cream
• Soft Drink
• Juice
• Peanut butter
• Jelly
• Coffee
• Canned cat food
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Trash bags
• Pain medicine (Advil)
• Laundry detergent
Related Content:
Share this Article:
« What You Should Know About Business Insurance and How to Save on Coverage | Main | What Cars Do the Candidates Drive? »
I always wondered how much I could be saving with coupons. I have a friend who works for a Nugget grocery store and he loved to toot his horn about the prices being the same if not less expensive than Safeway for the same packaged items. I was skeptical but to my surprise, my favorite bag of Beef Jerky was in fact the same price at the nugget as it was at Safeway.