Free Groceries?

Pin It

Yesterday, I told you about how to eat out for free. Today, I’ll focus on how you can go shopping for groceries for free.

We all know how the prices seem to be climbing higher and higher on the grocery store shelves.  Those prices are really putting a pinch on some people.  It doesn’t have to be that way though.

By utilizing 3 simple things, you can actually walk out of that grocery store with:

1. More items in your bags and
2. More money in your pocket.

So are you starting to wonder what those 3 simple things are?

Ok, I won’t hold you in suspense any longer.

1. Sales Ads
2. Coupons
3. and Rainchecks

You may be asking yourselves how can those three things net you free groceries.  Well allow me to explain.
Many people glance at the sales ads for the items on sale that they will use for this week’s menu/grocery plan.  Sales ads are great tools to use when making up your menu/grocery plan but so many people do not use those ads correctly.

Sales ads are a mere method that stores use to get people to come into their store. Those items in the sales ads are priced to lure people in so that they will hopefully buy other things while in the store.  The items on the front and back of the sales ad are the items with the biggest price reduction usually.

Now here is where you really need to listen up…

Don’t buy all your groceries in ONE store!  Seriously.  If you were to do that, yes you would save time but not money as other stores in your area probably have the items at a lower price and may even be on sale there.  So shop around.

I will hit the stores up for their sale items, use coupons on those items to make the price even lower, and then move on to another store to do the process over again. It may take a little more time but I end up with a lot more groceries for less money. Yes, you may become known as a “cherry picker” but it’s my money and not theirs. I would prefer to hold onto as much of it as possible.

Remember, if you go in for the sale items and the store is out of it, get a Raincheck!  Rainchecks are essential to a smart shopper.  Stores will issue rainchecks for the amount you wish (up to any limits the store may have) so that you can get the item when they are back in stock at the sale price.  This will save you money overtime.  Plus you can gather coupons to go along with the raincheck later as well.    Stockpiling or Stocking up when there is a sale benefits you in the long run.  See my stockpile videos here: http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2009/02/woohoo-my-new-stockroom-is-done.html

Now that I briefly touched on the sales ad + coupons + raincheck, allow me to delve a little further.

There are many people who not only use the sales ads wrong but there are some people who don’t even utilize the coupons out there for those sale items.  Either they have been misinformed that you can’t use a coupon on a sale item (which is false), or that you can’t get good deals with coupons (which is false again), or they never can find coupons for items they use (false again).   If you use shampoo, you can find a coupon.  Oh sure, it may not be on the brand you are accustomed to, but that is your downfall… you’re brand loyal.it’s not that you can’t find coupons for stuff you use, it’s just not the brand.

I’m going to be brutally honest here. Being brand loyal is not going to save you money. Being brand loyal is going to keep you in the same ol’ rut at the grocery store and thus you can forget about getting free groceries and having more items in your bags for less money.

So decide… is it going to be save money or have your brand loyalty?   If you want to start taking control of your wallet, start making changes in your debt and paying it off, you’re going to have to let go of the “brand loyal mentality”.

Now I’ve given you insight on the sale ads, let’s talk about the coupon usage.

Coupons can and do save our family a lot of money.  How much money you ask?    Well I knew someone would ask that (it has been asked in the past). Since January 1st of this year, I have been keeping track of what I have saved with coupons, buying things on sale vs. paying regular price, etc.  So far this year, I have saved $8,390.31!!!  That is a compilation of coupons, rebates, buying things on sale/clearance vs. paying full regular price, etc. So you tell me if coupons save money?

Another misconception that people have about coupons is that they will cause you to buy something you normally don’t use.  I will say that yes they can, but you have to have willpower to either not buy that item (you don’t buy denture cream if you don’t have dentures) or  if you do buy it you should do so only with the intentions of donating to a shelter or giving it to a relative or friend (many coupon users will do this as they get the item for free after coupon and then will donate it to a shelter, a relative, friend, or neighbor who is in need).   BUT… don’t buy the item just because you have a coupon for it.  Actually either have a use for it whether for your family or for purpose of donating it.

When you do find a good deal with the sales and coupons, stockpile some. What I mean is buy enough to either last you for a month or until the next sale comes around.  More on that later.

Ok, so you’re reading all this wondering when I’m going to tell you how to get free groceries right?  Well I won’t keep you in suspense any longer.  It is actually possible to do the above three things mentioned and get free groceries.  How you ask? 

1. Study the sale ads.
2. Match up your coupons to those items.  If you are just starting out with coupons, you can order multiples of coupons from ebay,Coupons and Things By Dede
   The Coupon Carry-Out
   The Coupon Clippers
   The Coupon Master
   Cents Off and a few other places.   You can also find coupons in most Sunday Papers, many magazines, printable online (right here on Laura Williams’ Musings is a printable coupon option to the left hand side), as well as in those little red machines on many store shelves that couponers call “blinkies”.
3. Buy in bulk when you find a great deal.

Example of free groceries recently acquired:

Bi-Lo grocery store in this area recently had their Del Monte vegetables on sale for Buy One Get One Free (“bogo”). When they do BOGO offers, the sale price rings up 1/2 and 1/2 for the items. This is done so for those people who don’t want two of something when it’s a bogo deal (which has really never made sense to me… why would you just want one if the other one is free?).  

Just a week or two prior to this sale, there were “blinkies” (those little red coupon machines) in many stores that were for either .30/1 50% less salt Del Monte vegetables  and others were finding .55/2 coupons for the same thing.  Those particular veggies were included in that bogo deal.

The above blinkie coupons said DO NOT DOUBLE but since many of them started with a 5 in the set of numbers on the back (called a upc), the registers still doubled those coupons.  If the number starts with a 9, it will not double at all, so keep that in mind.  The Bi-Lo in this area doubles to .60. I know many others across the states that either don’t double or double for amounts other than that.  Just check your store(s) to be sure what their coupon policy is on doubling.

By combining those existing coupons out there for those Del Monte vegetables, many people walked out of the store with either totally free cans of vegetables or some paid only .05 a can.

So if you see a coupon in those blinkie machines that is for an item (notice I didn’t say brand) that you do use, go ahead and get a few of them. You may not be able to use them immediately but put them away in your coupon organizer and save them for when  that great deal comes around on them (and it usually will either a week before that coupon expires or the week of it expiring).

Now here’s another scenario of a free groceries – non food item this time.

Kroger stores in this area sale the 4pk of Kleenex Cottonelle Toilet Paper for .99.   In month’s past, there have been .50 off any 1 pack of Cottonelle Toilet paper.  Kroger here doubles to .50 thus making that regular 4 roll pack… FREE!  You better believe I gathered a few extras of that coupon to get some free toilet paper.  In a household our size, it’s a necessity to keep extra packs of t.p. on hand. 

Don’t have any of those coupons right now?  You can print a couple of coupons for this t.p. at www.cottonelle.com as well as play the uncover game http://www.cottonelle.com/uncover_comfort.aspx  for another coupon. Each coupon is printable twice (just hit your backspace button three times for it to print again.)

In recent months, I have walked out of the stores (whether grocery store or store such as Rite Aid, CVS, or Walgreens) with free items such as shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and yes, food items. Kmart has been having double coupons lately as well thus netting me and other couponers free makeup, free food, free cleaning supplies, and more.

And here’s how to make a little money when you get a free item too:

Free Cottonelle Wipes Refill and make .25
Cottonelle wipes refill packs 10ct are .99 at Publix *daily price
Use the current .50/1 Cottonelle Fresh or Cottonelle for Kids Flushable Moist Wipes that expires 3/15 (from the Sunday Paper on 2/1/09) 
and get them FREE

THEN  Go to caregiversmarketplace.com, sign up, print out the form for this year.
When you accumulate at least 5 receipts mail the form in.
Well Cottonelle Wipes are on that form... the 10 count will net you a .25 refund for each one you buy.

Thus you make .25 per each free pack you pick up at Publix!

So yes, it is possible to walk out of the grocery store with legitimate free items at no cost to you other than tax and/or walk out paying a lot less money for a lot more items.

And don’t forget to contact the companies with a compliment, complaint, or just to ask about the possibility of receiving some money saving coupons!  I have been sent cents off coupons as well as coupons for totally free items.  It pays to contact them! Print this post

Posts May Contain Affiliate Links, Read my Disclosure Policy