How many ways can you think of to save money at the grocery store? As an experienced retiree and even more experienced shopper, immediately, you come up with several: Use coupons. Shop the weekly specials. Choose a store with less frills and lower prices. Buy generic or store brands. Buy simple and avoid over-processed foods. Not so hard, you say. You are already a thrifty shopper. Chances are that you can refine your skills even further and save a few pennies–or dollars–more.
Let’s start with coupons. How many places do you look for coupons? Is the Sunday paper the extent of your search? True, there are many coupons in those weekly flyers, and many papers print things such as Save $106.87 with today‘s coupons! But are you beginning to find fewer and fewer coupons you can use?
It seems about half the coupons are now for cosmetics, health and beauty aids, or cleaning supplies rather than for food. True, you need cleaning supplies, but you don’t need that new mop kit with disposable cleaning pads. What a disaster for the environment! What a disaster for your budget! A mop, a bucket, a general purpose cleaner, and some old t-shirts for cleaning rags are all you need. No matter that the kit is free to start with; you will end up paying dearly for all those disposable pads you buy in the future.
Where else can you find coupons? Now that you are retired, spending some of your time searching for new coupon sources is a worthwhile venture. Weekly ads for chain stores are one place. The coupons are good only at that specific chain, but some offer substantial savings. National drugstore chains now have small food sections with limited variety, but they offer coupons for those products on a regular basis, and some are good savings, indeed. If you get a credit card from some national chains, such as Target, you get monthly mailings with coupons and other unadvertised specials.
The Internet is a gold mine of coupons. Almost all grocery stores now have websites where you can access the weekly specials, as well as online specials you can find only on their site. Coupons also can be found on any number of websites devoted 100% to couponing. Many sites offer tips or links to places where coupons can be found. Some sites are dedicated primarily to free items, while others offer opportunities to trade coupons you don’t need for those you can use.
In addition to store and coupon sites, try manufacturer websites. Betty Crocker, for example, allows you to print coupons for General Mills products almost at will. Dozens of other major food producers offer similar services. Look for websites on labels of your favorite products and join their emailing list to learn of current money-saving offers.
Occasionally you find coupons or rebates that allow you to purchase any product you want from a specific brand name, such as Del Monte. In cases like this, think outside the box. Consider all the different products under the brand name. Even though they might picture canned vegetables in the ad, they might manufacture other items that rarely offer coupons, such as condiments, pickles, or jarred or bottled sauces or dressings. Use the offer to your advantage to save on staple items you usually purchase at full price.
Remember that once you begin collecting all these coupons, you should have a way to organize them. A 4 x 6 recipe box with indexed product tabs is a great help for this project. Also remember that a coupon is a saving only if you would have bought the item in the first place. Many coupons are for pre-packaged foods, unhealthy processed foods, convenience foods, and just plain junk food that you shouldn’t buy at all. Coupons can offer substantial savings on your weekly food bill, but use coupons carefully. Don’t clip just because it offers a big dollar figure. Genuine value, and genuine savings, happen only when the product is something you use regularly.
