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One of the biggest parts to saving on groceries is to know what a stock up price is for the products you buy. Prices for each item will vary week by week at the grocery store, and your goal is to only buy them when they are the lowest price the store is going to offer them at. To do this it helps to have a lowest price list (on paper or in your head). When an item is in the price range or lower then you stock up on it!! Sales run on cycles so you won’t see this low price again for 6-8 weeks, get enough to get you through until the next time you see this price.
This is something I’ve shared in the past, but always keep updated.
To help you, here is my current buy price list.
The prices are after coupons, and are for my area. You may find that milk is much cheaper in your city or other items are more expensive. You will also find that sometimes a deal comes and makes these prices seem like retail prices. Those deals are great, but you should not plan your list off the occasional incredible deal or else you won’t buy anything for long periods of time, waiting for all the free deals…
To answer a few common questions:
What about sizes?
We tend to always see the best prices on the smaller size packages. The prices on the buy price list are for those items. It is rare to ever get the big family sized box or cans for the same price, not only because they don’t go on sale but also because coupons are good for any size. So grab a few of the smaller cans at 35¢ each and you’ll save a ton.
Why are there no Brands?
In general all of the major brands have the same price range. We are mostly grabbing national brand items since those actually have decent sales and coupons (you will never get a box of house brand pasta for free). So look for most national cereal brands to $1 or less!
Where are the free items?
Folks that are just getting started tend to glaze over at the list of items that should always be free. They do exist I promise. Most of these items are in the drugstores, so make sure that you are shopping one grocery store and one drugstore to get the best deals.
Make Your Own Buy Price List
If you love certain brands and want to see exactly what a good price is on very specific items then use the price data behind the Item Search to your advantage!
Put in the item you are interested in and a date a few months back and you will see every deal we’ve found over the past few months. This is a very simple way to see exactly what deals (and prices) to expect on that item. If you want to tailor this even more, make sure to set in your profile the stores you shop at, then the results will only be sales in your stores on your favorite items for the past few months!
Note: Prices will fluctuate as manufacturer’s raise prices or as new coupons come out. These just give you an idea to go buy.
See more tips on how to coupon.
