Don't Buy in Bulk! Busting Down the Myths of Bargain Shopping and Coupon Clipping

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

We all think we “know” how to save: Buy in bulk, buy generic, and you can’t go wrong. And, of course, you can only save on things that are really, really bad for you. Well, guess what? Everything you’ve heard about saving money at the store is wrong! Here, some realities behind common bargain shopping myths.

Always buy in bulk

It seems to make sense: Bigger is better, so buy pallets full at the warehouse store. With a little strategy, though, you can save so much more buying smaller items at regular grocery and drug stores. Here’s why:

You can’t use coupons at warehouse stores. Sam’s Club and Costco don’t accept manufacturer’s coupons, one of the biggest ways to save.

Warehouse stores don’t have sales. Even big box stores have fewer big sales than grocery or drug stores -- where everyday prices are higher, but sale prices much, much lower. Be patient, and the best sale prices at grocery and drug stores beat the everyday prices at big box and warehouse stores.

Using coupons on smaller sizes gives a higher percentage of savings. Save 10% when you use a $2.00 coupon to pay $17.99 for a $19.99 box of diapers. Save 20% by using the same $2.00 coupon to pay $7.99 for a $9.99 bag of diapers. Or, save 25% if you wait to use that $2.00 coupon until the bags go on sale for $7.99, and pay $5.99 each.

Grocery and drug stores often offer money-back coupons. Check Walgreens and CVS weekly ads for offers like “buy three packs of Huggies diapers, get $5.00 off your next shopping trip.” Sales combined with money-back offers and coupons usually get diapers down to $.15 each -- instead of $.30 or more at big-box stores. Get other things better than free: When they advertise toothpaste at $3.00 with $3.00 back, use a $1.00 toothpaste coupon to make $1.00 by shopping!

Match up coupons with sales, use coupons on smaller sizes, and watch for money-back offers to save 50% or more over big-box prices. Stock up on lots of small bags of diapers at significant savings, not one huge box at everyday prices. Get toothpaste for free instead of paying for a six-pack at a club store.

Always buy store brands

People who hear I’m a bargain shopper picture shelves of old black-and-white generic boxes. Nope! My little stockpile of groceries and drugstore items is all name brand -- and all cheaper than the store brand, sometimes even free. Here’s how:

Use coupons. You don’t see a lot of coupons for store-brand items -- but you do see a lot of coupons for national brand items.

Shop sales. While generic items have low everyday prices, sale prices on name-brand items almost always beat those. Be sure to match those sales to coupons! Stock up on name-brand items on sale, and you won’t need to buy store-brand items in-between.

Look for loss leaders. Grocery and drug stores always put a few items on super sale. Most people come in for that one thing, then do the rest of their shopping at the normal high prices. Smart shoppers just grab super-saver items -- your $.99 box of cereal or your $.10 apples -- and get on out. “Cherry pick” the best deals to do better, even factoring in time and gas. Match coupons with loss leaders to often get things for free.

Look for money-back promos, usually on name-brand items -- buy X$ of a product or X number of items, get a coupon for X$ off your next shopping trip. Since money-back promos trigger on pre-coupon prices, they can make for great deals!

If you compare everyday, non-coupon, non-sale prices, buying generic wins. Just a little shopping savvy, though, lets you do much, much better on name-brand items by stalking sales and using coupons strategically.

You can only save on bad-for-you overly processed items

The last major myth? Coupons are only for “junk food.” But, you can see significant savings even if you eat organic or have dietary restrictions. Here’s how:

Look for organic/natural coupons. Visit company websites like Stonyfield Farm, Earthbound Farms, and Horizon for printable coupons; sign up for mailing lists for more. Print organic/natural coupons on sites like Mambo Sprouts (http://www.mambosprouts.com/), and print Whole Foods coupons off their website (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/coupons/).

Email companies for coupons. Drop your favorite brands a line and tell them how much you like their products. Include a mailing address, because many companies send out coupons for compliments.

Check the major coupon sites and coupon inserts. On Coupons.com today, I found coupons for Cascadian Farm, Muir Glen, and So Delicious products. Always look before you shop. And, coupons for conventional products work just fine on that company’s organic versions.

Shop deals at multiple stores. Instead of shopping exclusively at Whole Foods or another high end store, save those trips for items you can’t find elsewhere. Pick up other organic and natural items on sale at the grocery store. One of mine recently sold organic Santa Cruz lemonade for a dollar (around $3.00 at Whole Foods); another put out stacks of $1.00 coupons for any store-brand organic product (I got free organic pasta and carrots!). Be a savvy shopper by comparing prices.

Look online. Amazon.com often runs sales on organic, natural, and gluten-free items. They recently sold 2 packs of organic coconut oil for $10.00 -- about half the normal price.

Use savings elsewhere to offset food costs. Get toothpaste and razors for free by matching up coupons with sales with money-back offers? That’s money saved to buy organic milk, meat, or produce. Saving elsewhere lets you reallocate dollars toward your family’s priorities.

Shop farmer’s markets. Small local farms can’t afford the expensive USDA organic process, but may have acceptable practices -- plus, buying local is a bonus. Talk to the booth staff and ask about their farms.

Being a savvy healthy shopper means shopping strategically. You can find ways to save with just a little time and effort. Take the time to plan, and save much more than by sticking to the common myths.

Rachel Singer Gordon is the author of Point, Click, and Save: Mashup Mom’s Guide to Saving and Making Money Online. She blogs money-saving tips at MashupMom.com.

Carol saves tons of money! heres the site she uses. Heres an example:

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/2009/07/albertsons-101-how-krazy-coupon-lady.html

Edited June 11, 2010 by Col. Lingus

[one...two...tree 2,762]

We'd use coupons if they'd offer them for caviar, mineral water and cognac.

[Marilyn. 340]

i always want to use coupons but I always forget I have them ..lol

[^_^ 5,021]

We'd use coupons if they'd offer them for caviar, mineral water and cognac.

Did you forget about your "medicinal" MJ?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Did you forget about your "medicinal" MJ?

MJ?

[^_^ 5,021]

MJ?

marijuana, mmmkay

[one...two...tree 2,762]

marijuana, mmmkay

We don't self medicate. That's what doctors are for.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

i always want to use coupons but I always forget I have them ..lol

Some coupons are available through your cell phone.

Here you go:

Digital Coupons. No Clipping. No Printing. No Forgetting.

http://www.cellfire.com/

Edited June 11, 2010 by El Buscador

[^_^ 5,021]

We don't self medicate. That's what doctors are for.

You depend on doctors for medication?

I guess personal responsibility is too much to expect from a librul.

/spits on ground

[Ban Hammer 13,395]

You depend on doctors for medication?

I guess personal responsibility is too much to expect from a librul.

/spits on ground

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Carol and I raided safeway and got 15 boxes of raisin bran for -15.00. in other words got paid for them Cashier looks at the register with confusion and says "I dont think I can do that" I lmao! So we went and bought 15.00 worth of stuff bringing the total to 0.00. For you corporate haters out there you would love this!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

This sounds pretty good...

LemonMobile

Registration at LemonMobile.com is super quick. First, text the word "OFFERS" to 84070. Then select your money saving offer and use it either in the store or online to save big. Deals include things like Burger King Whoppers or Subway sub of the day for just $1.99. Plus they promise never to spam you or text you junk.

[SMR 368]

Using coupons on smaller sizes gives a higher percentage of savings. Save 10% when you use a $2.00 coupon to pay $17.99 for a $19.99 box of diapers. Save 20% by using the same $2.00 coupon to pay $7.99 for a $9.99 bag of diapers. Or, save 25% if you wait to use that $2.00 coupon until the bags go on sale for $7.99, and pay $5.99 each.

The article has some good points but this paragraph leaves me very skeptical of the wisdom of trusting the author. Sure, the percentage of savings is higher. But you're not saving more money by buying the smaller size. You're still saving two dollars. Don't get your pants in a twist because you saved 20% instead of 10%.

If you can buy another small package also for $2.00 off, this is good advice. But usually you only have one coupon.

[Ladylethal 12]

I avoid buying stuff I don't need just 'cus they're on sale, and that to me spell savings as well, especially since a lot of the stuff on sale are junk food or completely superfluous anyway. I usually check the specials for cleaning products and meats, but I noticed that I buy a lot of ####### to try and get the sales, so I actually leave the house with a list of what I need, and shop the fresh veggies depending on what looks good or has a good price that day.

I never use coupons but then again PR isn't as big on coupons as I imagine US is. Maybe once me and hubby get moved around I might watch out for some of those, although I'm not sure they're valid in the commissary.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

The article has some good points but this paragraph leaves me very skeptical of the wisdom of trusting the author. Sure, the percentage of savings is higher. But you're not saving more money by buying the smaller size. You're still saving two dollars. Don't get your pants in a twist because you saved 20% instead of 10%.

If you can buy another small package also for $2.00 off, this is good advice. But usually you only have one coupon.

Good point. I've all but given up using coupons for shopping. It just doesn't seem worth the time combined with the fact that I'm being persuaded to buy a particular product I probably would not normally buy.