Good morning, Ladies! It’s Friday Frugalista! Each Friday, we’ll be bringing you ways to cut spending for your family. Our focus to begin with will be primarily on groceries, but we’ll be looking at other areas to cut spending in the future too. Saving at the grocery store can seem overwhelming at first (I’ve seen episodes of “Extreme Couponing” too. Yikes!), so we’re going to focus on realistic ways you can incorporate some cost-cutting practices into your life. Let’s start with grocery sales!
The first step is understanding the grocery sales and prices at each of the stores you normally shop. Let’s start with Kroger and Publix, since they’re both fairly popular in our area. Did you know that you don’t actually have to buy ten of those items to get the 10 for $10 prices? If you just buy one, it will ring up for $1 at the cash register. The same is true for both Kroger’s and Publix’s popular Buy One Get One sales. If you just buy one, it’s going to ring up half price. You don’t actually have to buy the second one to get the savings (in Georgia). No hoarding necessary!
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However, there are some special cases where you do have to actually purchase the specified quantity to see the cost savings. Soda prices are one example. If the sale says “3 for $10” in regards to soda 12-packs, you must actually purchase three of those to get the rate. They will otherwise ring up full price. Another example is Kroger’s Mega Events. You may see price tags at Kroger for participating items of a Mega Event that say “Buy 10 get $5 back.” In that case, you will not see the discount without purchasing 10 of those participating items in the same transaction either. Keep a tally on a scrap piece of paper or on your phone as you shop to make sure you are buying the right amount of items for the discount.
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Basically, the rule of thumb is to read the fine print carefully. The soft drink deals are typically set up so you have to buy the specified quantity. In most other cases (unless specifically stated otherwise), you are able to just purchase one of the items to get the discounted pricing. Of course the stores love it when you buy more! Happy shopping!
Are grocery sales this week not featuring the produce items you typically purchase? Don’t forget to use our helpful spreadsheet to compare prices when you shop for produce items. Use Kristen’s meal planning steps, beginning here, to cut your family’s food budget even more!
