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Cut Your Grocery Bills by HALF:
Eight Essential Techniques for Every Shopper!
by Faye Prosser
Want to Buy Much More for Less? Imagine filling your cart with your
favorite groceries, but only paying a fraction of the total cost. By
mastering the eight essential techniques, every shopper who buys
groceries can get the most out of their hard-earned money.
1. Learn the art of couponing. Smart shoppers know, without question,
that using coupons wisely is the greatest money saving technique when it
comes to buying groceries. They know how, when and where to use those
little pieces of “paper gold” and they know just where to find the best
coupons for the products they prefer to buy. Their coupons are
well-organized and accessible so they don’t ever miss an unadvertised
sale. Smart spenders pay for a good portion of their groceries using
coupons and save more than 50% off their weekly budgets each and every
week.
2. Compare apples to apples. How do you know whether something is really
a bargain just because it is on sale? By developing a Price Book, you
are able to compare the price per unit of one size package to another.
This allows you to compare the 200-ounce box of warehouse club bran
cereal to the 20-ounce bag of the same type of cereal from the grocery
store. Smart spenders know the surprising news that often, the smaller
container is less expensive per unit than the bulk container when used
in conjunction with coupons and sales.
3. Gain leverage from sales flyers. By reviewing the sales flyers that
stores issue every week, you can plan your weekly menu, decide where to
shop, determine what to include on your grocery list, and choose the
best money-saving coupons to use at the store. Smart spenders realize
that the key to the greatest savings is purchasing the best sale items
listed in the weekly flyers and then using coupons for those items.
4. Be a proud card-carrying member. Sign up for the frequent shopper
rewards cards at the stores you shop. Without them, you won’t be offered
the sale prices or special incentives and you may lose out on thousands
of dollars in savings a year. Many stores will even mail great
money-saving coupons to members throughout the year. Smart spenders take
advantage of the sale prices by using their rewards cards every time
they shop.
5. Savor store brand savings. Companies have worked hard to improve
their private-label brands and often the taste is just as delicious as
the national brand. Store brand products are generally 20% less
expensive than the national brands, which means everyone should consider
them as a money-saving option. Smart spenders understand that store
brand items are another effective tool to lower their grocery bills and
they don’t let a little brand name loyalty stand in their way of
savings.
6. Refuse to be overcharged. Many grocery stores carry 30,000 or more
items. It is not hard to imagine that there may be a price mistake or
two at the register. Before you leave the store, thoroughly review your
receipt to make sure you weren’t overcharged. If you discover an
overcharge, head straight to customer service and explain the error.
Many stores have a price scan guarantee, which means that you will
receive the entire cost you paid for the item and get to keep the
product. Yes, this means you will take home the product for FREE! Smart
spenders never leave the store without reviewing the receipt and
requesting the price scan guarantee, when applicable.
7. Enjoy delayed gratification. Yes, it’s just what you were thinking
-rebates. You buy an item that offers a rebate, fill out the form
exactly as required, send in the UPC, receipt or other necessary proof
of purchase and, after a short delay, you get your money back in the
mail. If you are thinking that it doesn’t sound so difficult – you are
right! But surprisingly, many people don’t take advantage of the amazing
rebates available for everything from beef to toothpaste to pies. Smart
spenders recognize that the savings opportunities are huge, if they are
willing to fill out a little form and wait patiently for their
gratifying reward.
8. Stick to your strategy and avoid the tactics. Do you smell the fresh
cookies baking in the deli? Did you taste those free samples of cereal
when you walked into the store? Welcome to the world of store tactics.
Their job is to make money marketing the products they sell. Your job is
to steer clear of the tactics and stick to your grocery list. Don’t be
enticed by the sale signs when you know something isn’t a good deal.
Don’t go to the store hungry and don’t impulse-shop (unless it’s a good
unadvertised buy, of course!). Smart spenders come prepared to shop for
the items that will save them the most money and they avoid the clever
methods designed to persuade you to part with more of your paycheck than
you should.
These aren’t the only money-saving techniques used by the shopping
experts, but they are the basis for the very best buys. With a little
discipline and organization, your grocery bills will shrink dramatically
and your pantry will be overflowing!
Copyright Faye Prosser, 2005
About the author
Faye Prosser is the author of "The Smart Spending Guide", December 2005.
Her mission is to help others become effective advocates for themselves
and their hard-earned money. She teaches people how to budget, reduce
debt, and save tremendous amounts of money on groceries and everyday
purchases. For more information on "The Smart Spending Guide", the Smart
Spending Coupon Organizer or Smart Spending Workshops, visit
www.SmartSpendingResources.com
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