More Great Tips!

I'd like to add an "amen" to Meg's ranting b/c i wholeheartedly agree...impluse buys suck a budget dry!

Helpful hints from JuJu:
*Carry a calculator. Compare. Compare. Compare!
*Carry a little notebook. i will go to Sam's/Walmart/publix and write down the price of a product, then go to another store (or pay attention to ads) and compare. Then i do a comparison with a coupon (doubled if applicable) and go from there.
*Save ads. Like Meg said, shopping the stores for their bargains is a loss for the stores. They get their money from impulse buys. Stores like Walmart (at least in SC) will honor all competitors ads except for buy one-get one free ads. (Note, Walmart no longer honors Aldi's ads.)
*Pay attention to the time of year and prices. Hot chocolate in the summer is a steal. The price will shoot up in the fall. If you know you will use it, buy it now as long as it will keep that long.
*Pay attention to ads around holidays, too. Great bargains are had around Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, etc. Stock up when the prices are low.
*USE or EAT what you buy. Don't buy it just because it is a good deal. When i say "stock up" i mean on things like washing detergent, coffee, ketchup, tuna, soup, canned veggies, etc.
*carry an ice chest in your car when shopping. nothing is more frustrating than having berries go bad b/c of a hot day in the south and a trip home that took too long. I also keep a paper bag (ice cream bag) and a wool blanket in the back of my car - both are great for insulating cold things for the ride home.
*is it worth the gas or time to go different places? Yes and no. This is one reason comparison shopping is so important. Will waiting in line at the store for one item on sale "pay" for itself? you must know your time budget as well as money budget well enough to decide this.
*at the store, have a plan. For example, i am a walmart junkie b/c i save the most there. (i moonlight at publix when i need certain items.) sooo, i park at the door i will exit out of (cold stuff has less exposure to heat). i make my list from top to bottom in the order items appear in the store from the area i start shopping. i mark on my list if i have a price match ad/the cost/and if i have a coupon. Example: Bananas - Bilo 38 cents/lb. If walmart has them for 35 cents, i scratch the bilo part off my list. then at checkout, i lay all my price match items on the sales ads (with the new prices circled). so if it isn't a better deal, i know not to search an ad for a new price.
*if you purchase a paper just for coupons, make sure that your coupon use pays for your paper. :) coupons are rarely for basic needs items anymore. they are more for convenience foods. if you love to cook instead of purchasing insta-meals, it might not be worth the paper for the coupons. (i've never done coupons online - are these worth it, Meg? or anyone?)

Just some tidbits. One time i calculated that i saved $19 at Walmart by price matching ads there. $19! That really made me smile!

Happy shopping!
Ju