February 19, 2008

Coupons and Sales

After of week off from discussing food shopping, we are back for the third and final part of the food shopping series. This week I wanted to address whether a deal was really a deal.

Coupons

Coupons are a good deal if you already use that brand or if using the coupon gives you a lower price than the brand you usually buy. For example, say you have a coupon for $.50 off the brand name cheese, but you usually buy store brand cheese which is regularly priced $1.00 cheaper than the brand name. In this case, the store brand is still cheaper than using the coupon with the brand name. Overall, I have found that coupons are best for things you usually buy. Don't buy something you wouldn't normally buy just because you have a coupon.

Sales

Sales are usually great and I am so happy when I find one. However, here are a few things to remember about sales. First, if the sale is 10/$10, you don't have to buy 10 items to get the sale price unless it states you need to buy 10. Most of the time, this type of sale will allow you to buy one item and calculate the sale price based on one. However, 1/$1 does not make an appealing sign, so that is why they put 10/$10. On these sales, watch for the fine print.

For sales that are buy one get one free, make sure you can use the items. If the items end up spoiling, you did not really save any money. Watch the fine print on these sales too. Sometimes they place a limit on how many items you can buy.

Lastly, know the average prices of items you buy frequently. What is the regular price for an item, what is the best sale price you can get the item for, and what is the average sale price? For example, at an average grocery store, grapes are regularly priced $3.99/lb. The best price I have seen is $.99/lb. when they are in season. Throughout the rest of the year, they do go on sale between $1.99-2.99/lb. Armed with this information, you can decide when you want to buy grapes. To me, $2.99/lb is not a very good deal, even though it is technically on sale.

I hope you have enjoyed this mini series on shopping. Remember, the more information you have before you go shopping, the better experience you will have and hopefully the more money you will save.

Posted by Jennifer McCaffrey at 3:38 PM |