Shopping Wisely with Grocery Coupons

Not terribly long ago, savvy grocery shoppers could take a pile of coupons to the grocery store and trim a whopping 15-25% off their bill, and even more on double coupon day.

Those days are long past I'm afraid, at least in our community. Double coupon days have gone the way of the Dodo bird, and the manufacturer's coupons I can really use seem to be nonexistent. Most of the coupons turning up in the Sunday circulars these days are for over priced convenience grocery items that a scratch cook wouldn't consider buying. Is clipping coupons still worth the trouble?

How to use a grocery coupon to your best advantage

Our family clips the Sunday coupons for the groceries we use on a regular basis, and take them with us every time we shop. In our community, local grocery stores often put those promotional items on sale in hopes of luring customers to their store. When these store sales are combined with the manufacturer's coupon, the savings can be terrific. The secret of course, is making sure that between the store sale and the discount, the item is still priced less than a comparative brand.

As far as the other coupons? Stay away from the convenience foods but for most non food items, these are usually worth clipping. Coupons for personal care products, detergents, cleansers and nonfood items are often in that $1 to $2 off range and can be paired up with a store discount for incredible savings.

Where to find the best grocery coupons

The best coupons are the ones you find in a store circular. Many grocery stores have special coupons on what I call "scratch" groceries, but these are usually tucked away somewhere in that store ad. Get in the habit of grabbing the circulars on the way inside the store, since these coupons are often not advertised elsewhere. The circular is where a shopper can find coupons for house brands, produce, dairy items and meat products and those "unadvertised specials."