How do you know you are getting a real deal at the Grocery store

When I go to the grocery store price and quality are the two things that matter the most to me.  So knowing that I am getting the best in both areas is really important.  Years ago I took the time to learn how to properly read nutrition labels and I am now confident with my skills in that area.  But what about knowing that I am getting a good price deal?  That one can often be a tricky one because manufacturers have been working for years to fool us with packaging and labeling.  So how do you know that you are getting a good deal, well here is a little trick that might help.  When you are comparing to similar items don't look at the total price, most grocery stores will place in the bottom left hand corner the price per ounce.  This will give you a more accurate way of assessing which is the better buy.  Don't be fooled into thinking you are buying more just because the packaging is bigger.  For example the other day I was buying cheese sticks for packed lunches, the store had their own brand and then there was Frigo a national brand.  Upon first glance it would seem that the off brand was the cheaper buy, it was .50 cents cheaper and had the same number of cheese sticks.  But one glance at the price per ounce and I discovered that the Frigo brand cost less per ounce, which means that the off brand was about 1/3 the size.  The same can happen when you purchase things like bags of chips, often times to protect the chips from being damaged manufactures will put them in a larger bag and fill it with air.  So you think you are buying more when in fact sometimes you could be buying less.  So remember double checking your items will help you know that you are really getting the best deal possible.

Click here for a coupon for Frigo String Cheese

Coupons shouldn't be a thing of the past

When I go to the store, with a fist full of my printable coupons I am sad to say most of the check-out attendants comment that I am the only person that they have ever seen use them.  I feel coupons have often been associated with a negative stereotype in our so society.  This idea of someone cutting coupons out of the Sunday paper gives one the idea of poverty.  But I think this negativity around coupons is unfounded and foolish.  Because if someone gave us a buy one get one free for something like an amusement park we would be the first to jump on it but do the same for a coupon for a grocery item and we aren't likely to use it. 

Another reason why people might not use coupons is that the savings might not seem enough to make a difference.  The amount saved might seem small in our instantaneous society but the long term effects of saving money can make all the difference when it comes to saving for the future and paying off debt.  I can personally attest this as my husband and I were able to pay off several large debts this year.  Nothing changed about our income coming in, the only change we made was to our spending.  And what we saved went to paying off debts.  But the trick for actual savings with coupons is using coupons for something that you would already normally buy.

It may take some effort but there are in fact a large amount coupon resource out there.  One that I have used a lot is Coupon.com, I receive an email every day about new coupons and on every day items I purchase like Windex, yogurt and even lotions.

Another trick I use is when I am creating my meal plan and grocery list I build it from looking at what is already on sale at my local grocery store.  I receive circulars from the grocery stores every week and I use them to build my list. But if you can also use SmartSource.com. Smart Source lets you type in your zip code and displays your local grocery's circulars as well as other manufacturers coupons. Planning your meals around sale items is another way to make sure that you keep your food budget on track.

Also never forget Google search. I have Air Wick brand air fresheners in my house and much to my dismay Glade seemed to be the only coupons I could find.  So I Googled Air Wick coupon and low and behold I found several printable Air Wick coupons. You can also check the companies website.  Most of them have their own coupons on their websites or they will have you sign up to recive emails about future coupons.  If you are concerned about spam what I do is give them an email address I created specifically for my coupons sites so that way I don't get inundated with spam on my business/personal address.  I then have it forwarded to my gmail to a specific folder so I don't have to check multipule accounts but I won't get too much into that as it could be a bit overwhelming.  If anyone wants details on how to do that I would be more then willing to answer it.

And of course I must mention another great resource, the coupon queen herself Crystal Paine of moneysavingmom.com. She is a fountain of information and already has a wide list of printable coupons as well as money saving tips that is well worth a look.

If you are looking for more information on ways to save check out this article, on Makeuseof.com it features the top 10 coupon sites and is well worth a read.  Just remember small savings can add up.