1/17/2011

Prices slashed! Everything on sale!



There are a blue million great coupon and money saving blogs.

This is not one of them.  I have never aspired to that, and I'm not about to start now.

However, I do love a good bargain.  More than most.  But I'm kinda inconsistent about bargain shopping, and occasionally - ok, more than occasionally - choose convenience over cheap.

I clip coupons, dutifully, every week.  Then usually forget to use them.

I refuse - REFUSE - to be one of the crazies dedicated people who stand in line for 89 hours to save $40 off a flat screen tv.

But I also refuse - REFUSE - to pay shipping for anything I purchase online.

Also, I am a member of every membership rewards loyalty card program in America.

Inconsistent, I know.

Try living in my head for a day...

Anyway, over the past six months, I have re-dedicated myself a bit to the whole money-saving venture, and I treat it like a game.  How cheap can I get a pack of t-shirts?  Can I get something at the grocery - GASP! - free?  It's a challenge, and I'm super competitive, and I like to win.

I know.  Clearly I need more hobbies.

But now, you, faithful readers, get to benefit from what I have learned.  Over the next few weeks, I'm going to share with you ways to save money while shopping that require minimal effort on your part.  Pull up a chair, and let me regale you with my wisdom.  Or at least save you $.40 on juice.  Whatever.

Today's focus is on saving money while grocery shopping.

Here goes:

I do a bit of grocery shopping at Wal-Mart (sad, I know) and Meijer's, but 80% of my groceries come from Kroger.  Why?  Well, it's conveniently located, it's well-stocked, and it's usually not crowded.  Those are my top three grocery store criteria.

I have had a Kroger Plus card for years, and always thought it was a bit of a scam... You know, a way to raise prices then make you THINK you were saving money with your card.  I thought that, until I found out that you can load coupons, directly onto your card, from the Kroger website.

Here's how it works.  Go to www.kroger.com and click on Digital Coupons.  You will be asked to create an account with some basic information and with your Kroger Plus number.  Then, click away!  As you click on the digital coupons, they are automatically added to your Plus card.  When you shop at Kroger and swipe your card, the savings are automatically deducted.

For a lazy couponer like me, this is perfect.  I just go onto the website once a week or so, and add coupons to my card for anything I buy, ever.  Then whenever I shop, the amount gets deducted.

It's like magic.

Also, I found out last time I did this that if you have a digital coupon for something, you can also use a paper coupon on top of that, if you remember to bring it with you.  Which I did, that one time.  And since Kroger doubles coupons up to $.50, you can save a bunch of money if you pay a little bit of attention.  Or not.  I got one of those giant bottles of Tide laundry detergent last week for around $6.00, totally by accident.  I know, I'm really lucky that way...

It gets even better.  If you have an iPhone, Kroger offers an app that is free to download and that lets you do exactly the same thing.  Except you can do it from your iPhone, which is way cooler.  Anyway, you register the app to your Plus card, open the app, click the coupon, and Voila! - you save some money.  This is especially cool because you can do it WHILE walking around doing your shopping.

Also, Cellfire is another great website that lets you load coupons directly to your Kroger card.  I haven't used it as much, but my initial trial has been positive.

Ok, that was easy, huh?  Come back later this week, and I'm going to tell you why you never have to pay shipping costs on anything you buy online.  Ever again.

2 comments:

  1. What perfect timing! I have a Kroger about 90 minutes away but I've been ordering coupons for their Mega Sale and I plan to drive there and stock up on tons of things! It helps that MIL lives in the same town so I have an excuse ;) I've heard great things about Kroger.

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  2. Very Helpful Article. Thanks! I heard about a new site at Church. www.mygroceryspy.com It compares prices at the top stores here in Atlanta. From what I’ve read, it updates twice a week and shows where the lowest prices are on a few hundred items. You can print out your shopping list or have it sent to your phone. (I’m not savvy enough for that though). I email them since their not up yet, and they told me they will be up on January 20 in Atlanta and Birmingham AL. then other cities. I can’t wait to try it.

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