Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half! with Stephanie Nelson, The Coupon Mom
As Seen On:

"Strategic Shopping" is not about changing the way you eat, it is about changing the way you buy the food that you like.  Learn how your store's savings policies work and combine them with coupons for big savings. 

• Plan your meals for the week using the featured sale items at your store
   
• Be brand flexible.  Buy the least expensive brand or the store brand.
   
• Wait until an item goes on sale before using the coupon.
   
• Get the most coupons by checking various sources:  Sunday newspaper (75% of grocery coupons come from the Sunday paper), printable coupons, electronic coupons, home mailers, checkout coupons, coupons from in-store kiosks, coupons mailed by manufacturers when requested.
  
• Use the 5 minute rule.  If it takes less than 5 minutes, do it yourself to save (such as washing lettuce, soaking dried beans, peeling carrots). 
  
• Change your shopping mentality: instead of buying your items when you run out of an item, watch for bargain prices on your items and buy them when they are on sale.
   
•  Plan your list  by finding out what your store's best deals are before you leave home.  Find your store's Best Deals list at CouponMom or use your store ad to plan your menus and list before you leave home.
  
• Get the store discount card.  Not only do you get the sale prices automatically, but you may be mailed good coupons to your home that match the types of items you buy.
  
  
  
• Shop at a store that doubles coupons, if available.
  
  
  
• If your store doesn't double coupons, ask about other types of savings policies such as store coupons, price matching, competitor coupon policies
  
  
  
• Buy more than one copy of the Sunday newspaper during weeks with coupons you use to be able to stock up on your key items when they are on sale.  You can preview your newspaper's coupons to see the upcoming coupons in the Coupon Database section of CouponMom.com.
  
  
  
• Get organized:  Buy a coupon organizer to manage your loose coupons, such as the Coupon Mom Organizer. To save time, use the "No Clip" system of saving and dating the entire coupon circular to save hours a month of clipping and filing.  Learn how the "No Clip" system works in the How to Coupon section at CouponMom.com.
  
  
  
• Ask the store for a raincheck if the sale item is out of stock.  You will be able to buy the item at the previous sale price in a future week when it is back in stock (and back to full price for the other shoppers without a raincheck).
  
  
  
• Check the store flyer to see if there are in-ad coupons available that week.  In-ad coupons usually do not show up on the store's website circular so be sure to check the ad when you get to the store.