Smith's is where I shop for groceries.
Quitting my job forced me to look around at how I could save more on groceries. Over time I figured out some things that I will share with you.
1) Get a Rewards card Simply ask the cashier for one and clip it on to your key chain.
2) Register your Reward card ONLINE. This is a must!
Smiths has a lot of coupons online...
-Manufacturer Coupons:
Smith's has a disclaimer saying "digital coupons may not be combined with paper coupons" meaning, you can't stack a paper manufacturer coupon with a digital manufacturer coupon for one item.
But you can stack digital manufacturer or paper manufacturer coupons with some digital coupon exceptions that I'll explain in more detail.
-Super Savings Coupons.
This is a STORE coupon used during a promotion; they would say something like "Super Sale-Use up to 5 times in one transaction" You can stack them with the manufacturer coupon; digital or paper.
-Best Customer Exclusive.
A digital coupon just because Smith's loves you. It will be a coupon for an item you usually buy or might have an interest in buying based on the history from your previous shopping trips. I also think you get them when you fill out the periodic surveys online from your receipt. You can stack them with the manufacturer coupon; digital or paper. This is also a store coupon you can stack with a manufacturer coupon. I got a dozen free eggs from that. Who else gives free eggs? No one!
-Free Friday Download:
As a benefit for registering your Rewards card online, each Friday and only on Fridays you have 24 hours to download a coupon for a FREE item. Usually it's a new product to the store. It's good because it's like getting a free sample at no loss on your part. Some items I've gotten for free:
3) Review the circular that comes in the mail on Wednesdays. It is also available online. I use this while making my grocery list and plan my trip. If an item is on sale and it's something I know I will buy but don't need it right away, I enter the information in my price book app.
4) Use the "Buy 5, Save $5" promotion to your advantage. In the circular they will mention some of the items in the promotion, but not all of them. You need to go to the store and see!
Example of items in the B5S5 promotion from the circular and stacking them with coupons:
This week until Tuesday March 25, 2014 at midnight:
Minute Maid Orange Juice: $3.99
On sale for $2.99. With the B5S5 you can get it for $1.79
There is a manufacturer coupon* floating around for $1.00 off Minute Maid Juice.
That means you can get a 59 oz orange juice for .79
Magnum Ice Cream Bars $3.99
With B5S5 it's 2.99
There's a coupon* floating around for $1.25 off. It made the bars $1.74
*I download the Coupons.com App on my iPhone, iPad, and Dave's iPhone. You have a 2 coupon max limit on each electronic device, and do not close your device while printing! You will lose the coupon and reach your print limit. I don't use my computer for the Coupons.com App because it never works to print. The coupons I mentioned are from Coupons.com. In addition, I check out the Redplum in the mail and my MIL gives me her coupons from her Sunday paper. That's it.
Pampers Swaddler Diapers. $9.84
The ice cream bars and the juice sale price were mentioned in the circular but not the diapers.
With B5S5 they would be $7.99 instead of 8.99 on sale.
I had a customer exclusive coupon for $1.50 off and a manufacturer coupon for $1.50 off.
$7.99 minus $3 would make the diapers $4.99 a pack! That's a very good price for a pack of diapers no matter the brand.
I like orange juice. I like ice cream. And I need diapers for my baby. As a result
Two 59 oz of OJ $1.58
Two boxes of ice cream bars $3.48
One pack of diapers $4.99
= $10.05.
If they weren't on sale they would be roughly $25.80. Just for those items I saved 61%!
I once got a customer exclusive coupon to get a FREE box of Cheerios, selling at $3.29 a box. I still used a .50 off Cheerios manufacturer coupon; that was neat because it was like getting 50 cents back to apply it to another item.
5) Identify manufacturer coupon loopholes* when clipping and/or downloading coupons. I'll use Secret deodorant as an example
*I am not encouraging coupon fraud. But I have done this and it has worked without any problem. If it is illegal I will revise my post and admit my mistake and promise to never ever to do it again.
Another example:
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| I do not own the image, it belongs to Smith's and all of its producers |
Quitting my job forced me to look around at how I could save more on groceries. Over time I figured out some things that I will share with you.
1) Get a Rewards card Simply ask the cashier for one and clip it on to your key chain.
 |
| Yes your grocery cart will literally fly with savings after reading my blog post |
2) Register your Reward card ONLINE. This is a must!
Smiths has a lot of coupons online...
-Manufacturer Coupons:
Smith's has a disclaimer saying "digital coupons may not be combined with paper coupons" meaning, you can't stack a paper manufacturer coupon with a digital manufacturer coupon for one item.
But you can stack digital manufacturer or paper manufacturer coupons with some digital coupon exceptions that I'll explain in more detail.
-Super Savings Coupons.
This is a STORE coupon used during a promotion; they would say something like "Super Sale-Use up to 5 times in one transaction" You can stack them with the manufacturer coupon; digital or paper.
-Best Customer Exclusive.
A digital coupon just because Smith's loves you. It will be a coupon for an item you usually buy or might have an interest in buying based on the history from your previous shopping trips. I also think you get them when you fill out the periodic surveys online from your receipt. You can stack them with the manufacturer coupon; digital or paper. This is also a store coupon you can stack with a manufacturer coupon. I got a dozen free eggs from that. Who else gives free eggs? No one!
-Free Friday Download:
As a benefit for registering your Rewards card online, each Friday and only on Fridays you have 24 hours to download a coupon for a FREE item. Usually it's a new product to the store. It's good because it's like getting a free sample at no loss on your part. Some items I've gotten for free:
- A cup of 5 oz yogurt
- Liter of soda
- Clear and Clear shampoo
- Granola bars
- Smoothie mix
- Colgate toothpaste
- Gatorade protein shake
3) Review the circular that comes in the mail on Wednesdays. It is also available online. I use this while making my grocery list and plan my trip. If an item is on sale and it's something I know I will buy but don't need it right away, I enter the information in my price book app.
4) Use the "Buy 5, Save $5" promotion to your advantage. In the circular they will mention some of the items in the promotion, but not all of them. You need to go to the store and see!
Example of items in the B5S5 promotion from the circular and stacking them with coupons:
This week until Tuesday March 25, 2014 at midnight:
Minute Maid Orange Juice: $3.99
On sale for $2.99. With the B5S5 you can get it for $1.79
There is a manufacturer coupon* floating around for $1.00 off Minute Maid Juice.
That means you can get a 59 oz orange juice for .79
Magnum Ice Cream Bars $3.99
With B5S5 it's 2.99
There's a coupon* floating around for $1.25 off. It made the bars $1.74
*I download the Coupons.com App on my iPhone, iPad, and Dave's iPhone. You have a 2 coupon max limit on each electronic device, and do not close your device while printing! You will lose the coupon and reach your print limit. I don't use my computer for the Coupons.com App because it never works to print. The coupons I mentioned are from Coupons.com. In addition, I check out the Redplum in the mail and my MIL gives me her coupons from her Sunday paper. That's it.
Pampers Swaddler Diapers. $9.84
The ice cream bars and the juice sale price were mentioned in the circular but not the diapers.
With B5S5 they would be $7.99 instead of 8.99 on sale.
I had a customer exclusive coupon for $1.50 off and a manufacturer coupon for $1.50 off.
$7.99 minus $3 would make the diapers $4.99 a pack! That's a very good price for a pack of diapers no matter the brand.
I like orange juice. I like ice cream. And I need diapers for my baby. As a result
Two 59 oz of OJ $1.58
Two boxes of ice cream bars $3.48
One pack of diapers $4.99
= $10.05.
If they weren't on sale they would be roughly $25.80. Just for those items I saved 61%!
I once got a customer exclusive coupon to get a FREE box of Cheerios, selling at $3.29 a box. I still used a .50 off Cheerios manufacturer coupon; that was neat because it was like getting 50 cents back to apply it to another item.
5) Identify manufacturer coupon loopholes* when clipping and/or downloading coupons. I'll use Secret deodorant as an example
*I am not encouraging coupon fraud. But I have done this and it has worked without any problem. If it is illegal I will revise my post and admit my mistake and promise to never ever to do it again.
- You have One manufacturer coupon that says "Save $1 when you buy two Secret deodorants"
- In addition you have Two manufacturer coupons that say "Save $2 when you buy one Secret deodorant"
- Result: Use all 3 coupons, buy two packs of deodorant and save $5.
Another example:
- You have one manufacturer coupon that says "$2 off any fragrance Secret deodorant"
- In addition you have one manufacturer coupon that says "$1 off powder fresh Secret deodorant"
- Result: Use both coupons, buy one powder fresh deodorant, save $3.
Some pictures of my receipts with savings. Look at "Total Savings" not the "TODAY YOU SAVED..." for a more accurate amount of what you saved on.
2/8/2014
15 items
$45.67
30% savings of $18.60
2/14/14
22 items
$58.75
32% savings of $27.34
2/18/14
6 items
$5.75
66% savings of $11.15
3/20/14
22 items
$56.53
40% savings of $36.42
Instead of paying $260.21 in four shopping trips, I spent...$166.70. About $40 average spent.
The $93.51 savings is worth about two grocery trips!
With time and practice of knowing when a sale hits for a certain item I will get even better!
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