Meet Sally. She’s an N.C. State student just like you. She eats, sleeps, goes to class, spends time with her friends and works a part-time job. But Sally spends less money than you when she’s grocery shopping, out with friends and buying textbooks. Sally is a Super Saver, and she’s here to share her secrets.
Sally used to live on campus. She had a meal plan, because $1,000 a semester to eat at Fountain was cheaper than purchasing a parking pass to drive and buy real eggs for breakfast – and was also more convenient.
Now that she lives off campus, she relies on grocery stores for the majority of her weekly food and other household items. Almost all grocery stores have a weekly mailer advertising specials and savings.
Although hard copies are often mailed out and available in stores, Sally the Super Saver also likes to save trees, and prefers to go online to each store’s Web site. By entering her ZIP code, she can check out item information for the stores she usually shops at. She notes all the buy-one-get-one, BOGO, deals and other items on sale. There’s a method to grocery shopping.
There’s a reason why people make lists, sometimes prefer paper to plastic and wake up at the crack of dawn once a week to buy a newspaper.
The $1.50 Sally spends each week on the Sunday edition of News & Observer seems insignificant compared to the savings she receives from the sale flyers inside. She spends about an hour going through the inserts, clipping usable coupons, and matching them with the weekly specials. Once she’s done this, she’s able to construct a detailed shopping list.
People like Sally tend to annoy me when I’m in line at the grocery store.
Scanning each coupon and writing in the face value of items for BOGO coupons really slows the checkout process.
The “Grocery Store Coupons Users” thread on www.thewolfweb.com has a plethora of coupon information, including www.shortcuts.com where people can register accounts for each of their grocery store loyalty cards (MVP for Food Lion, VIC for Harris Teeter, etc) and link coupons directly to the card. At checkout, the card is scanned and the value of the applicable coupons is automatically deducted without the hassle of having to dig through wallets and bags for the paper coupons and eliminating the impatience of the other customers in line.
I took a page from Sally’s book and starting using coupons this summer. I’ve really been amazed at the deals I’ve gotten and how much I truly save every time I shop.
Last week, I paid $19 for $50 worth of groceries because of BOGO offers and using double coupons.
I really encourage you to try this. With all the money you’ve just dropped on textbooks and other class materials, both you and your wallet will be glad you learned Sally’s art of super saving.
Share your saving secrets with Jessie at letters@technicianonline.com.