As an avid couponer, I was so excited when Extreme Couponing first aired. A whole show devoted to couponing...what could be better than that? However, after tuning in for a few episodes, I quickly discovered that this show does not depict the real world. Why on earth would anyone bring home 200 bottles of Tabasco Sauce??? Who needs an entire closet full of toothpaste?? I don't care if they are free or even money-makers. It just doesn't fit the way that most people shop. My house is not large enough to store items that my family doesn't need. On the other hand, my budget is not big enough to pay full price for the items that we do need. Here are some tips to seasonal grocery shopping that I have learned in order to get the best deals.
Create a Useful Stockpile
Your stockpile does not have to take over your entire basement and you don't need to store items under your child's bed. However, it is helpful to know when items generally go on sale and buy what you need in order to avoid paying full price. Calculate how much of a particular item your family will use until the item goes on sale again. For example, the best deals on cold cereal are late summer, early fall. We go through a lot of cereal in our family, so I make sure to stock up on as many boxes as I can while the prices are at their lowest. Pairing coupons with sale prices, I usually won't pay more than $1.00 per box. Whereas, when cereal is on sale later in the year, prices are not as low.
Organize Your Coupons
In order to get the lowest prices on seasonal items, it is imperative that you have a method for organizing your coupons. There are a number of subscription websites that can help with tracking coupons and matching them to sales. However, there are also many free websites that can help with this as well. I personally just cut out all of the coupons for items that my family may use and sort them in a binder using plastic sports card sheets. This way I have all of my coupons with me anytime I go grocery shopping. You never know when there may be an item on clearance or a sale that was not advertised. The binder method of organizing coupons can be time consuming, but it allows you to have access to all of your coupons so that you don't miss out on great deals while shopping.
Plan Your Shopping Trip
Whatever your method for organizing your coupons, it is important to plan out your shopping trip so that you take advantage of the best sales. If you use a subscription website, this is where your dues pay off. Planning a shopping trip can be far less time consuming when you can look up information from multiple stores at once to determine the lowest prices. However, you can get this same information by reading the store ads that come in the Wednesday newspaper. I look at the ads to determine which store has the lowest prices on the items I need for the week. I generally only make one trip to one store each week. I don't have time to hit every store for every sale.
List of Items by Season
Here is a list of common sale items by season. While these items may go on sale at other times during the year, the lowest prices can usually be found during the seasons listed here. Make sure to stock up when prices are at their lowest by using coupons paired with store sales.
Summer
- Frozen treats (i.e. Popcicles, ice cream)
- Bottled water
- Condiments (i.e. ketchup, mustard, barbeque sauce, mayonnaise)
- Salad dressing
- Bratwurst, hot dogs, ground beef, steak
- Hamburger/hot dog buns
- Paper plates
- Ziplock bags
Fall
- Cold cereal
- Crackers
- Juice
- Granola bars
- Paper, folders, glue, Crayons, markers
Winter
- Baking supplies (i.e. sugar, spices, flour)
- Canned goods (i.e. soup, broth, vegetables)
- Cream cheese
- Hot cereal (i.e. Malt-o-Meal, oatmeal)
- Hot drink mixes (i.e. hot cocoa, tea bags, apple cider)
- Pam cooking spray
- Slim Fast
- Batteries
- Cough drops/cold medicine
Spring
- Air freshener
- Dish soap
- Anti-bacterial wipes
- Dishwasher detergent
- Toilet bowl cleaner/bathroom cleaner
Stocking up on items when they are at their lowest prices is critical to saving money on your grocery budget. Knowing when items typcially go on sale is important in order to get the best deals. By keeping track of what your family uses, and how much, you can arm yourself with valuable information to stretch your grocery dollar.
Stephanie Hill - Dr. Stephanie Hill is a school psychologist with over 15 years in the field of education. She is a fitness enthusiast who enjoys running ...
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