Pinching Your Pennies

Pinching Your Pennies is a great resource that I like to use for finding each weeks grocery deals. I want to explain how I use their site. The link I've given you will take you directly to the state forums page. Now you just scroll down to your state, click and then you choose which store's ad your interested in checking out. On this page you will be given tips and links for printing coupons to use with their sale. If more than one form of viewing the ad is offered click on one and decide which works best for you.

There are five columns. The first one rates how hot a sale item is. If the stars in this column are red then these are stock up items. Black and decreasing numbers of stars tells me that I won't be stocking up on this item.

The next column tells me the name of the product on the ad.

Next is the ad price on each item. If you see something like; 2.50/2.00, it is telling you the first number is the ad price and the second number is the cost when you have combined it with the instant savings they are offering. This offering with be in a header explaining the extra deal. For instance this week in the Albertson's ad they are offering a Darigold promo: Save $2 instantly when you spend $10 on participating products. Following this header it tells the items that qualify for this bonus deal.

The fourth column will tell you if there are any coupons for this item that they are aware of and where to find them. Some have links to print your coupon others come from the Sunday newspaper. RP means Red Plum, SS stands for Smart Source, P&G is Proctor and Gamble, and occasionally they will have others like Unilever. A date will be by the code like SS-5/3. This tell you that your coupon can be found in the Smart Source coupon pack from May 3rd's paper. When you get your Sunday paper pull out the ads and with a sharpie write on the front 5/3 and put it where you keep your coupons and don't worry about searching for the coupon you need.

The last column tells you your final price if you use the deal combos and coupons.

I go through the ad determining what my family needs and searching for the stock up deals that I can not pass up on. Previews of ads can happen as early as a day before you or I get the ad in our mailbox or newspaper. I like to check them as early as possible to get my coupons ordered on ebay to insure I have them before the ad ends.

Ebay? What? I will post how I do that my the next posting.

Please give me feedback in the comments if I have not been clear. I've been doing this a while and it may seem understandable to me and not to a newbie. Also if anyone else has a way that works better for them please share.