Are you always looking for that perfect deal? Want to get the most you can for every dollar you spend? Here are 11 different ways for you to find T.H.E. B.E.S.T. D.E.A.L. when you shop.
T.AKE ADVANTAGE OF DOUBLE COUPONS – Many grocery stores offer double coupons, most of the time up to $0.50 (doubled to $1.00). Cut them out of your Sunday paper and use them!
H.OLIDAY SALES – This is a great time to shop. You can get great discounts many times throughout the year. Look for sales in your paper around these times: Presidents Day; Memorial Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving; and after Christmas.
E.LECTRONICS AND APPLIANCES – You can usually take advantage of some sort of mail-in rebate or gift card rebates with big dollar purchases like electronics and appliances. Check around at your local stores like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Best Buy and Circuit City to get the best deal with rebates. Only drawback – it can take 6, 8 or even up to 10 weeks to receive the rebate.
B.OTS – There are Shopping bots such as Shopzilla.com or Pricegrabber.com that make it easy for the consumer to comparison shop and find the deals.
E.XAMINE REVIEWS BEFORE BUYING – Check out the product reviews online before you spend the money. Often times, they will lead to a discount code, sale or free shipping.
S.TORE CREDIT CARDS – Many stores offer their own VISA or Mastercard sponsored store credit card. You can really take advantage of some great offers and rebates by signing up for one of these cards. Sidenote: try to pay off the balance each and every month and only apply for those cards where you frequently shop (you’ll get the most bang for your buck that way). Example: Kroger (a grocery store) will award points for all purchases made in the store and outside the store using the Kroger Mastercard. These points are tabulated and rewarded on a quarterly basis with gift certificates that can be used as cash in the store (I’ve gotten up to $80 in one quarter). PLUS they’ll give you a $0.15 per gallon discount on Kroger gasoline purchased with the card.
T.AKE A LOOK AROUND – Make sure you do some browsing before jumping on that great deal…there may be an even better one right next door!
D.ISCOUNTS, DISCOUNTS EVERYWHERE – There are always great deals in the: Sunday paper; Val-Pak coupons in the mail; local restaurant coupon deals; and coupon sites such as coupons.com and couponchief.com. Take the time to check these out…it can save you a bunch of money!
E.FFICIENCY IS THE KEY – Many online shopping carts will allow you to combine or “stack” their deals and codes. You can get free shipping, 10% off AND receive a free gift all at the same time!
A.SK AROUND – If you see someone wearing a cute pair of shoes or that new tee you’ve been dying for…ask them where they got it. If they got a great deal, they will be more than happy to tell you about it.
L.OOK FOR USED OR CONSIGNMENT SHOPS – They have great prices on name brand goods and items that have barely been used. There are always hidden treasures to be found in these shops.
When you break it down into a formula, it’s not so overwhelming, is it? Use these steps as a guide to help you find the best deals around. Happy shopping!
Article by:
Tracy Ebert is the owner of: My Special Note (www.myspecialnote.com), an online retail store offering personalized gifts and letters for the special kid in your life; and MomsNiche.com (www.momsniche.com), an online resource for moms looking for recipes, craft ideas, articles on parenting, and organizational tips. Tracy lives in Virginia with her husband and three children.
Showing posts with label coupons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coupons. Show all posts
Friday, January 11, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Grocery Shopping The Healthy Menu Mailer Way
I have to admit, grocery shopping isn’t exactly one of my favorite things to do. In case you can’t “hear” the sarcasm in my voice, let me tell you that I’d rather be doing just about anything other than grocery shopping. I tried delegating it to my husband, but we usually end up eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and potato chips when I do that.
Since I can’t avoid grocery shopping, I found a few things that make it a more pleasant and most importantly a faster process. I’d like to share my grocery shopping tips with you.
1) Make a shopping list and stick to it
Making a list and sticking to it will keep you from buying too much junk. Not only will it encourage you and your family to stick to the new healthy eating lifestyle, it will also save you some money on your grocery bill.
Please apply common sense to this though. If you remember that you forgot to put your baby’s diapers on the list, by all means get them. On the other hand, if you feel tempted to get the new chocolate pie because there is a two for one sale, skip it. You get the idea.
2) Eat a snack before you go grocery shopping
Never go grocery shopping while you are hungry. You’ll be much more tempted to buy junk food and already prepared meals. You’ll also end up buying much more than you really need. Either go shopping right after a meal, or eat a small snack before you go. Even eating a piece of fruit and drinking a glass of water will keep you from feeling hungry while you are in the store.
3) Avoid the aisles with the chips, snacks and candy
Don’t tempt yourself by going down the “junk food” aisles. You’re only human and the candy and snack manufacturers put a lot of money into making their products as tempting and appealing as possible. The easiest way to avoid having those items land in your cart is to skip the aisles entirely.
4) Buy fresh meat and produce whenever possible
Buy your meat and produce fresh whenever possible. You’ll get the most nutritional bang for your buck that way. If there is something you either can’t find fresh, or it just doesn’t look good, go with a frozen version. The only exception to this is tomatoes, especially if you are going to cook them anyway. Tomatoes loose their nutritional value quickly after they are picked. If you are making tomato sauce or are using them in a stew or soup, just stick with canned tomatoes. They are canned immediately after they are picked and contain more nutrients than a batch that has been sitting in a truck for days.
5) Write your grocery list with your supermarket in mind
You will make your shopping trip much easier and faster if you keep the layout of your market in mind when you write your shopping list. Think about the departments and isles you go through first and put those items on your list. Mentally make your way through the rest of the store adding your items to your list as you go. You’ll avoid backtracking for an item further down on your list once you are in the store.
6) Clean veggies and herbs
Unpack and clean your vegetables and herbs as soon as you get back from the store. Loosely wrap them in some paper towels and stick them in a Ziploc bag. They’ll be ready to use when your recipes call for them.
7) To freeze or not to freeze?
Portion your meat out depending on how much each recipe calls for. Keep what you will be using over the next two days in the fridge and freeze the rest. With hamburger meat, you may want to freeze any portions you are not using the day you bought them.
You’ll see that by implementing even just a few of these tips, your shopping experience will be more pleasant and most importantly more efficient. You’ll spend less time in the supermarket and more time enjoying your family.
Susanne Myers, together with Christine Steendahl, owns and publishes the Healthy Menu Mailer, a weekly publication that will provide you with a healthy and lean dinner recipe for each night of the week and a grocery list to go along with it. Members also have access to an ever-growing list of breakfast, lunch, snack and desert recipes and a members’ only forum for additional help and support. Join today at www.healthymenumailer.com
Since I can’t avoid grocery shopping, I found a few things that make it a more pleasant and most importantly a faster process. I’d like to share my grocery shopping tips with you.
1) Make a shopping list and stick to it
Making a list and sticking to it will keep you from buying too much junk. Not only will it encourage you and your family to stick to the new healthy eating lifestyle, it will also save you some money on your grocery bill.
Please apply common sense to this though. If you remember that you forgot to put your baby’s diapers on the list, by all means get them. On the other hand, if you feel tempted to get the new chocolate pie because there is a two for one sale, skip it. You get the idea.
2) Eat a snack before you go grocery shopping
Never go grocery shopping while you are hungry. You’ll be much more tempted to buy junk food and already prepared meals. You’ll also end up buying much more than you really need. Either go shopping right after a meal, or eat a small snack before you go. Even eating a piece of fruit and drinking a glass of water will keep you from feeling hungry while you are in the store.
3) Avoid the aisles with the chips, snacks and candy
Don’t tempt yourself by going down the “junk food” aisles. You’re only human and the candy and snack manufacturers put a lot of money into making their products as tempting and appealing as possible. The easiest way to avoid having those items land in your cart is to skip the aisles entirely.
4) Buy fresh meat and produce whenever possible
Buy your meat and produce fresh whenever possible. You’ll get the most nutritional bang for your buck that way. If there is something you either can’t find fresh, or it just doesn’t look good, go with a frozen version. The only exception to this is tomatoes, especially if you are going to cook them anyway. Tomatoes loose their nutritional value quickly after they are picked. If you are making tomato sauce or are using them in a stew or soup, just stick with canned tomatoes. They are canned immediately after they are picked and contain more nutrients than a batch that has been sitting in a truck for days.
5) Write your grocery list with your supermarket in mind
You will make your shopping trip much easier and faster if you keep the layout of your market in mind when you write your shopping list. Think about the departments and isles you go through first and put those items on your list. Mentally make your way through the rest of the store adding your items to your list as you go. You’ll avoid backtracking for an item further down on your list once you are in the store.
6) Clean veggies and herbs
Unpack and clean your vegetables and herbs as soon as you get back from the store. Loosely wrap them in some paper towels and stick them in a Ziploc bag. They’ll be ready to use when your recipes call for them.
7) To freeze or not to freeze?
Portion your meat out depending on how much each recipe calls for. Keep what you will be using over the next two days in the fridge and freeze the rest. With hamburger meat, you may want to freeze any portions you are not using the day you bought them.
You’ll see that by implementing even just a few of these tips, your shopping experience will be more pleasant and most importantly more efficient. You’ll spend less time in the supermarket and more time enjoying your family.
Susanne Myers, together with Christine Steendahl, owns and publishes the Healthy Menu Mailer, a weekly publication that will provide you with a healthy and lean dinner recipe for each night of the week and a grocery list to go along with it. Members also have access to an ever-growing list of breakfast, lunch, snack and desert recipes and a members’ only forum for additional help and support. Join today at www.healthymenumailer.com
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