Last week we learned how to save money on phone calls. This week, we'll learn two methods for saving money on groceries and other regular goods like shampoo and soap.
#1
In a previous post, I joked about how my family of four eats on $1,000 a month because I had read a number of stories about how families larger than mine ate on as little as $60 a month (and here's one on a family of five eating on $250 per month). It's astounding to me how these folks do it. In short, it takes a methodology that I'm quite sure nobody in my family will ever master. But the families profiled in these stories have a plan, they stick to it, and they're extremely serious about their shopping. They use coupons and store "bonus bucks."
I strongly suggest you read both of the stories above. They offer numerous tips on how to save money on groceries and other necessities. One of the stories even goes into detail about Tip #2: The Drugstore Game.
#2
The Drugstore Game. It sounds like something a meth addict might do, but it's not. It is a serious use of in-store incentives, manufacturer's coupons, and shopping skills. I'm not even going to try to explain it, but I think I might try it.
Here's one example from a shopping outing at CVS:
Adidas deodorant was $4.99 and if you bought it, you'd get back $4.99 in Extra Bucks. They also had some toothbrushes that were $3.99 and you would receive $3.99 back in Extra Bucks. "By splitting it up into several transactions, I can take the extra care bucks I get and use it to pay for the next (items)."She rolls the savings of one transaction to the next, to the next, and so on. Amazing. This is ingenuity at its best.
Don't forget, Crissy also had coupons for most of these products. "That's the best when they have anything that's free after the Extra Care Bucks because when you have a coupon you're basically getting paid to buy the product."
Here are a few posts on how the "game" is played.
Creative strategies for coping with rising costs - Part Two: The Drugstore Game
New to The Drugstore Game? You're in luck!
Super Savings Saturday at MSM
Play "The Drugstore Game" to Cut Monthly Bills (read the commnets)
So, try your hand at the Drugstore Game. It looks very promising, if not fun.
That's it until next week. I hope your shopping improves after you implement some or all of these tools.
