The BudgeX Blog

DISCLAIMER: Shopping is something that can be very person-specific, and my suggestions are geared for a more universal saving approach.  If you have additional personal tips that you find helpful while you shop, please leave a comment about them below.

If you live in a house you probably get a weekly shipment of supermarket ads in the mail.  Don’t throw this stuff away! Spending just 5 minutes browsing these ads will save you enough money to make it worth your while, and I’ll show you how.

Just Because an Item is for Sale in the Ad Doesn’t Necessarily Make it a Good Price

If you recall from my earlier article on bargain hunting, Rule #3 states that you should “develop a price index for the items that interest you.”  This also applies to shopping.  As you sharpen these indexes, you will be able to see through the b.s. that some ads try to print.  Here’s a true example: a few weeks ago, Safeway had a big ad for chicken breasts on the front page for $3.97/lb.  “Oh,” you think, “looks like chicken is on sale.  I’d better get some!”  WRONG. Another local supermarket’s ad had the same chicken breasts for $1.99/lb—and it was even  closer than Safeway.

Choose the one supermarket with the better average prices and go there

Even though you are playing these ads against each other, even though one store might have a few items you need for cheaper than another, at the end of the day, you only need to go to one.  Why all of this searching and comparing if we’re just going to one store, you might say?  Think about gas as well.  Only if there’s something that’s really worth it at a different supermarket should you go out of your way and make two grocery trips.  Of course there are exceptions to this rule, so use your best judgment.  If the external factors aren’t an issue for you, by all means cash in on the savings by going to the places with the cheaper prices.  But eventually you’ll just be pocketing pennies.  This blog is about helping you save dollars, and hundreds of them.

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