The Puget Sound Grocery
Guide is a shopping list that tells you exactly what
to buy at Albertsons, Fred Meyer, and Rite Aid each
week to optimize your grocery savings by combining
store sales, coupons mainly from the Sunday Seattle
Times, All You magazine, and some online
coupons sources, and the Pantry Concept. Couponing
is easy when someone tells you when and which ones
to use!
How much does
the Grocery Guide Cost?
Your first 4 weeks of the
Puget Sound Grocery Guide are FREE! At the end of
your 4 week trial, your subscription is just $1 per
week! You'll probably have saved enough at the end
of your 4 week free trial period to pay the
subscription -- probably for the entire year!
How much can I
expect to save with the Grocery Guide?
My goal is to always try to
save at least 50% on your weekly grocery bill.
Sometimes this amount will be more and sometimes it
will be less. I will not even list an item unless
it is at least 40% off its retail price. Remember,
when you first start to build your pantry, you will
still have a lot of "need now" items on your list.
After you have used the Guide to stock your pantry,
you will find those "need" items are already in your
pantry. Please also remember that is you are not
already saving coupons from the Sunday paper, it may
take a while before you have every coupon listed in
the Guide. Most of the coupons listed on the
current Guide will be from either the current month
or the previous month. The first thing you will
notice is that you are getting a lot more groceries
for the same amount you've been spending prior to
the Guide. However, after a few, weeks your pantry
will be stocked and your grocery bill will decrease.
What
Geographical Area does the Puget Sound Grocery Guide
Serve?
There are Albertson's and
Fred Meyer stores all throughout the Pacific
Northwest. I have created the Puget Sound Grocery
Guide to serve the same area served by the Seattle
Times/PI – the Puget
Sound Region/Western Washington. If you live
outside the Puget Sound Region, please
email me so I can research the sales at your
local supermarket to see if they match the other
Puget Sound stores before you subscribe.
Do I have to
shop at Albertson's or Fred Meyer to use the Guide?
Yes. The Guide is specific
to either Albertsons, Fred Meyer and Rite Aid. If
you don't currently shop at these stores, but there
is one in your area, I would encourage you to give
it a try. If you don't have an Albertson's nor a
Fred Meyer close to you, unfortunately, the Guide
won't work for you.
Do I have to
purchase everything on the list each week?
No!! In fact, please
don't! The list has lots of great deals, however
your needs are different from other people's needs.
(i.e. if you don't have a baby, you don't need
diapers.) When the new list comes out, take a few
minutes to cross off or delete the items you will
never use and add your few "needs" for the week.
Please consider adding back in a couple of great
deals such as diapers or canned goods to donate to
your local food bank or shelter.
Where do I find
the coupons mentioned in the Guide?
The majority of the coupons
listed in the Guide are directly from the Sunday (or
the early edition available on Saturday)
Seattle Times/PI. A few are found in the
All You
magazine and occasionally there are printable
coupons from
www.boodle.com,
www.nwsource.com/shopping/coupons.html,
www.smartsource.com,
www.pillsbury.com,
and
www.bettycrocker.com.
There are usually 2-3
coupon inserts in the Sunday Seattle Times
– Smart Source, Valassis, and
monthly Proctor & Gamble. There are usually no
inserts on major holiday weekends. If you are
buying the paper at the store, be sure to check it
to make sure the inserts are in there before you
leave.
How should I store my coupons?
Don't clip your coupons
until you need them! (How many coupons have you
clipped, lost – in the house or
within the stack, and then found after they have
expired!)
Buy an
accordion style file folder or nice plastic hanging
file folder box with 13 pockets or hanging files
labeled January through December and one for
miscellaneous extras. Then, as you get your
inserts, date the front cover and number the pages
with a thick Sharpie type pen, and file them in the
current month. When referencing a coupon in the
Guide, it will be listed by the date the insert came
out, name of the insert, and the page number. How
is that for easy? Remember – clip them when you
need them!
I have a large
family. Would it be a good idea to buy two (or more)
newspapers for the coupons?
Personally, I love coupons
so much that I do buy extra papers each week. Since
I don't drink lattes, I think of it at my "latte"
for the week. I find that it saves me time and is
worth having the extra inserts that haven't been
pilfered by my well meaning neighbor.
I do recommend that if you
have a friend, neighbor, or relative who are not
using their Sunday coupons inserts, that it won't
hurt to ask them to set them aside for you. Most
people enjoy feeling like they are helping others.
You might offer to be on the look out for a great
deal on a favorite product of theirs. Another place
to look is in the newspaper recycling bins at
apartment complexes.
When the stores advertise
"Buy 1 Get 1 Free," and you use two coupons (you are
buying 2 items), you will see some amazing deals.
So yes, having multiple copies can be a big plus!
Will the Guide
really save me time, too?
Absolutely!! I try to
group items by department so you can find them
easily. And since you've clipped the exact coupons
you need just prior to your shopping trip, you won't
be fumbling or searching for those either. It's so
easy you might be able to send your husband or
teenager to do the shopping! And, with your well
stocked pantry, you won't have so many last minute
trips to the store either!
What if
the store is out of something on the Guide?
Rain Checks! Circle the
item in the Guide and remember to ask the cashier
for a rain check. If your coupon is close to
expiring, ask to have the coupon validated/extended
to the expiration of the rain check. Remember to
put this item on your list for next week. Fred
Meyer's rain checks are valid for 2 months and
Albertson's rain checks are good forever!
(Personally, I think of Albertson's rain checks,
especially on meat, as a space saver for my
freezer!)
Couldn't I
just buy in bulk at Costco and get a great deal, too?
Careful!! I'll admit that
Costco is fun – unless it is on
a Saturday just before Christmas! And I'll admit,
that when I'm out of frozen veggies, oatmeal, or
generic Advil, Tylenol, or Claritin, I will pick
those items up there. I have also found
prescriptions can be less expensive there, so I do
keep a membership. However, I'm very careful to
check the price per pound or pill and compare those
to recent deals in the Guide. The vast majority of
my family's groceries (including diapers) come from
Albertson's or Fred Meyer.
What does
the Guide look like?
The Guide is a
chart.
It has a description of the item, the advertised
price, the coupon (if any), and the final quantity
and price to get the best possible price per item.
Couldn't I
just figure all that stuff our myself?
Yep! I get all my
information from the newspaper ads from the grocery
store and the manufacturer coupons from the Sunday
Seattle Times. It takes quite a bit of time to put
the information together and crunch the numbers to
arrive at the list. I spend several hours per week
on the list (and maintaining the website) so you
don't have to!
Is it really
worth it? Don't you really only save a few bucks
anyway? I buy things on sale at the store all the time
without looking at the ads.
Did you see my receipt on
the home page? In
2006, I personally saved over $2000 on groceries by
using the Guide. Subscribe, track your savings
during your free trial period as listed at the
bottom of your Albertson's receipt, and if you
haven't saved enough to pay for an entire year's
subscription, then the Guide is not for you.
Nope! I'm just a happy
customer. I think these stores have great prices
and great sales and there are a lot in our area, so
they are pretty convenient.
My family has a
very particular diet. Would the Guide still work for
us?
That depends. If you find
yourself mostly shopping in the special diet section
of the store, you probably won't find many of these
items on the Guide. However, many of the items on
the list will be non-food items. It may be worth it
for you to subscribe to the Guide just to save more
money on these items. And you will access to the
current list of coupons. Take the trial offer and
check it out!
We are usually
pretty picky about the brands we buy. Would the Guide
still work for us?
With the Guide, you will
find yourself buying more brand names items for less
than the generic brands, however, the Guide works
best if you are not picky as which brand names you
buy. Sometimes stores will have unbeatable offers
on their own brand names that may be well worth it
for you to try it once.
I have heard
that you can actually get things for free if you use
manufacturer coupons. Is this true?
Yes, on occasion. While it
is rare for an item to be completely free, Rite Aid
has a program called the "Single Check Rebate"
program. Although the savings are not instant, Rite
Aid promises to issue single rebates within 2-3
weeks. You can go online to apply for your rebate
at the end of each month. No Postage! I have found
that through Rite Aid's program, you can get some
things for free (plus tax). Therefore Rite Aid
specials are included in the Guide.
I have heard
about internet companies that clip coupons and will mail
them to you for a fee. Is this worth it?
Although this is an older
question, the answer is no, it's not worth it.
Also, there are legal issues involving that small
print on most coupons that say "non-transferable."
Did you know that there are a minimum of 900 valid
coupons right now from the Sunday Seattle Times?
Just follow the Guide, and you will save money.
Are you
available to speak at MOPS groups, personal finance
classes, etc.?
On occasion, I have been
asked to speak at a MOPS group in the Seattle area,
and I know that the material I present would fit
nicely with a personal finance class. Please
email me with specifics.
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