My friend has been doing a helpful Thrifty Thursday over at her blog and I thought I'd join in!
I really get most of frugal living info over at My Frugal Adventures, but I do have a tip of my own to finally share!
When you are done grocery shopping, be sure to check your receipt before you leave the store. There have been SO many times that I have been overcharged (the computers aren't perfect) or gotten the wrong item to get the sale price (even I'm not perfect!!) and have had to go to the customer service counter to get a refund/exchange. It has taken me so many times and lost dollars (they really do add up!) to finally check my receipt before I leave the store. Just last night I was shopping at Safeway and as I was slowly walking towards the door, I realized that the cleaning items I bought weren't at the sale price (because of my mistake, the third item I picked up to get the promotion wasn't included in this specific promotion). I made a u-turn and returned the items (I was just stocking up because they were at a good price, I didn't really need them, which is an entirely different subject!), and I was on my way again. It would have cost more to buy the 2 items than to buy the 3 items together.
So, most of this necessitates knowing how much you are paying for each item going into cart and sticking to your shopping list (you ARE using one of those, aren't you??). My goal for the next month is to make a price book and really know, rather than just casually knowing, where the best deals are for certain items (I usually get my dish soap at CVS- free-$.75, foil at Walgreens- $.59), yogurts for Matt's lunch-Safeway, $.25-$.35 each, etc.). Costco doesn't always have cheapest items, cereal is one thing that I know I can get cheaper elsewhere.
Have fun living and learning the frugal way of life! It is a game that I like to play and I don't always win, but it is always a challenge!
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9 comments:
Yes! you are so right about this. The other day I wasn't only charged twice for something I bought only one of, but my Safeway club card number didn't process correctly and so I didn't get any of my discount prices! I was shocked the cashier didn't notice. Maybe she was just as distracted by my 3 children as I was :)
Costco's deals are best when they're in the coupon book. Otherwise I'm beginning to find better deals lots of places. But, their coupon prices in bulk stuff usually wins out.
Good post, Sara!
Peter and I have compiled a comparison list of about 40 items and priced them at SaveMart, Safeway, TraderJoes, & Whole Foods. I'll have to get it to you, you'd appreciate it as much as we do :-)
Jessica, yes please!!
Sara, I know you're the hero of bargain shopping--but I want to know your REAL secret...how do you find the time to go to each of these different stores with your 4 kids?
We usually do 3 different stores to find the best deals: TJ's, Safeway, and Costco and I am pooped by the end of it (not to mention my little helpers)!
I have the same issue as Brittany. And now that we no longer live in a cute little town, where everything is 5 minutes away from everything else, it takes up way more gas for me to be driving all over the place looking for good deals. Since we eat mostly organic and local and need to buy that all in bulk to save, I've been finding Costco to be my 1st and best stop. I do have a few items I do not get at Costco, because I don't need them in bulk and because they're cheaper elsewhere.
Shopping with the kids... are you crazy??!! We'll all go to Costco, because it's kind of fun for them and we get lunch, sometimes we go to the park, and they all fit in the cart. But, that is usually our only stop for the day. I do most of my major shopping by myself, sometimes with 1 helper, usually Justus, on Sat. morning or Sun. afternoon and I'm usually planning/shopping throughout the week. I went to Target yesterday with all the kids, at naptime, and definitely won't be doing that anytime soon. It is super convenient that we live so close to Shoppers Corner and Whole Foods, as they seem to have the best dairy prices for the quality. Anyway, hope this helps!
Sara, I've been doing monthly meal planning and just sticking with my main 3 stores-Costco, TJs and Nob Hill or Safeway, which definitely helps save money. But, I find that it's still not enough to stay within my budget (granted, it's likely unrealistically low). I am tempted time and again to try couponing again, but I can't get my dang printer to print internet coupons and I cancelled my newspaper subscription.
I have found that splitting some bulk items form Costco is a great savings. Last week a friend of mine split some produce with me and she got 1 1/2 paper bags of fruits and veggies for $16. She was amazed at the deal!
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