Eat before you go grocery shopping. This will cut down on buying things you "think" you NEED to buy.

About Grocery Stores

Grocery stores typically have a weekly ad, which are most often delivered with the newspaper or directly in your mailbox. Most stores also have a monthly ad pamphlet, which does not get distributed via mail or newspaper, but instead can be picked up in-store. We enter all printed ads for each store into the database, so that you have easy access to both the monthly and weekly ads.

Each grocery store chain has its own policy for coupons. To learn about the policies in your area, check with each individual store — we promise it will save you from any unnecessary headaches in the long run.

Here are the most common coupon policies:

• Face Value – Coupons are accepted at the value listed.
• Double Coupons – Coupons are accepted and the value is doubled up to $1. For example, a $.35 coupon is now worth $.70 and a $.50 coupon is worth $1. If you have a coupon with a face value of more than $.50 but less than $1, the maximum value of that coupon would be $1.
• Triple & Quadruple Coupons – Coupons are accepted and their value is either tripled or quadrupled up to $1.
• Double Dollars – Coupons are accepted and their value doubles up to $2. In this case, a $.35 coupon is worth $.70, a $.50 coupon is worth $1, a $.75 coupon would be worth $1.50 and a $1 coupon is doubled to $2.
• Three Coupon Rule – When a store increases the value of a coupon by doubling, tripling or quadrupling the savings, the number of like-coupons will often be limited to three. For example, if you have a $.35 coupon for Crest Toothpaste, a grocery store will allow you to purchase three tubes of toothpaste and use the exact same coupons in one transaction. If you have a fourth coupon for the same item, the cashier may allow you to use it, but only at the face value of the coupon.

Making the most of grocery stores

To get the most out of your grocery store shopping, keep these tips in mind:

1. Don’t be frustrated by empty shelves. If an item is out of stock, ask for a rain check, which are generally good for at least one month. Attach your coupons to the rain check and redeem it on your next shopping trip.
2. Ask for substitutions. Some stores are willing to substitute a similar product if the product in their ad is out of stock.
3. Watch out for store limits. If you buy more than the limit, you will be charged full price for the additional items. For example, if a gallon of milk is on sale for $1.99 and the ad states there is a limit of two, you will be charged $1.99 for the first two and full price for any additional gallon.
4. Shop different stores. Coupon Sense makes it easy to see who has the best deals each week. If you only shop one grocery store, you will definitely miss out on great opportunities to save.

Things to watch out for

Rock Bottom Sales vs. Phantom Sales – This is an important lesson to keep in mind. Just because an item is on sale and you have a coupon, does not mean it is time to use the coupon. Lurking on every aisle and in every ad is what we call a “Phantom Sale.” These are sales that seem great, but aren’t actually the lowest prices for those particular items. Nearly every item from the manufacturer runs through several “Phantom Sales” before it reaches a “Rock Bottom Sale.” If you wait to use the coupons during the “Rock Bottom Sale,” you can stockpile those items to save you loads of dough at check out!

Sales Cycles – There are a number of ways to track sales cycles. The most obvious method is to simply watch certain items and learn how often each product cycles through “Phantom Sales” before hitting the “Rock Bottom” price. You’ll learn to recognize the lowest price and will become more aware of the cycles. Another way is to build an actual database that tracks each of your most used items through the sales cycle.

Sample deals

To help you better understand the type of deals you can expect to see each week, we’ve listed a few examples below:

Hefty foam plates or bowls 16-50ct are on sale for $1.50 at a store that doubles coupons.

• There is a coupon for $.50 off on package of plates or bowls.
• When you go to the store and purchase three packages of Hefty foam plates, you’ll use three “$.50 off one” coupons.
• The coupons double to a value of $1, which makes the final price for the plates $.50 each.

Birdseye SteamFresh frozen vegetables are on sale for $1.49 at a store that is quadrupling coupons.

• There is a coupon for $.35 off one package.
• Use three coupons and purchase three packages of frozen vegetables for $1.49 each.
• The coupons quadruple in value to $1, making the final price for each bag of frozen vegetables $.49.

Dial liquid hand soap is on sale for $1 at a store that is tripling coupons.

• There is a coupon valid for $.35 off one bottle.
• When you go to the store and purchase three bottles, you’ll use three $.35 coupons.
• Because the coupons triple to a value of $1, the final price you pay for each hand soap is zero. They are free!

Del Monte canned vegetables are on sale for $.45 per can at a store that accepts coupons at face value.

• There is a coupon for $1 off a purchase of eight cans.
• When you go to the store, you’ll use three coupons and purchase 24 cans of vegetables.
• The coupons are taken at face value, so you receive $1 off for each coupon for a total discount of $3.
• With the coupons and the sale, the final price is $.33 each for 24 cans of vegetables.