Read the Store’s Sales Circular to Shop Coupon-Free

It’s always fun to go grocery shopping to:

a) see what great deals are out there

…and…

b) to talk to people who are surprised about all the great deals out there.

sales circular — The sale for the Sunkist frozen fruit bars was listed in the store circular–so is the big bagel and thin bread sale.

Today, for example, I ran to the local ShopRite to grab a bunch of sales that start on Wednesday for the store’s “4 Day Price Break.” While walking around, I spontaneously began conversations with a couple of people. First, a couple of women who literally jumped at the freezer with the coconut fruit bars from Sunkist (.99 cents a box). As I wrote on the TFF Facebook page, the woman actually swooned over them. She couldn’t believe they were on sale, too. The sale was listed in the store’s sales circular.

Another woman and I were reaching for the store brand half-and-half. There were only three quart cartons of half gallons. Why? Because the store put a price lock on the item so it now sells for $1.79 (it used to sell for over $2.00). The half gallon is now $2.99, and it was over $4.00 before the price break. This woman was stunned at the price, then elated, and she took two cartons. But the price is locked in and it was listed in the store’s sales circular.

I’m always surprised by how many people do not read the store sales circular to find out the weekly deals. Many don’t know about the in-circular Super Coupons that both ShopRite and Stop & Shop print in the circulars. I do discuss this during my smart shopping workshops, but I think I’ll spend a bit more time on this aspect of saving money.

ShopRite — Most of this grocery cart (90%) is filled with items that did not require coupons. I read the store’s sales flyer/circular and grabbed four of each item to stock up. I paid $58 (including meat/veg/fruit) for $158 worth of groceries, all because I took advantage of the sales listed in the circular.

Many people say they can’t shop with coupons so they are upset over the amount of money they are spending at the store. Some people quickly peruse the circular when they step into the market, but it’s overwhelming to try to read what’s on sale in the hubbub of a store.

This post is written mostly for the person who may be new to couponing, or who may want to start, but finds it overwhelming. My advice: start studying the weekly store circulars, get familiar with the deals, and go from there. This way, you’ll be able to save tons of money on your weekly grocery shopping trips sans coupons! And when you do start couponing, the extra savings will be the most delicious icing on the cake.

~Marilyn, TFF