Hello Everyone!
This is a quick and easy way to save money on your weekly/monthly budget – Shop at more than one store! I’ve heard that this is useless from so many people it’s not even funny. But those people could not be more wrong. You see different stores offer different sales (and sometimes their sale cycles are a bit different as well).
I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve heard “You spend more in gas going to all the different stores” or something like that. These statements cannot be farther from the truth (unless your stores are QUITE THE DISTANCE from each other). For me I’m lucky enough to have quite the gamete of stores all very close to me. Granted not everyone will have every store close to them (for instance – I really have to want to go to Walmart – or there has to be a great money maker of a deal for me to go there because I do not have one close to me). But if you sit there and think about it – most of the time there are multiple stores in a cluster. Maybe not a ton but generally more than one store.
I’m not suggesting to hit every store in your town every week. What I do is look at what is on sale where for the week – and I plan my trip accordingly. Sometimes I hit 3 stores and sometimes I hit every store it just depends on the sales and coupon match ups for that particular week. I know I always check the ads for Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Target, Kroger, Meijer and Aldi. Those are the stores that I will hit during the week depending on the sales they are having.
Here is what I have gathered from the stores around me:
The drugstore rewards programs alone often create some great Freebies or Money Makers that are hard for me to pass up. I generally get Household Items, vitamins, and personal care items from them. This is not an every week thing although I generally hit at least one of these drugstores at least once a week. You can always check out my stock up deals section of the blog to see what the great deals I’m excited about are.
Aldi is just a decent store for cheap prices in general – although I will admit I don’t shop here every week – more like a once a month kind of deal (I hate that I can’t use a credit card there and I’m all about reward points) I will say that many of the Apps that pay you allow for cash back on produce – so if you hit a sale and use one of the apps you will likely save just as much as you would at Aldi.
Target is a great place to buy household items and personal care items – this is the store I generally shop at for those kind of items as well as boxed groceries from time to time. They often times have mobile coupons for fresh produce and meat but from my experience places like Meijer and Kroger end up being cheaper for those kind of items.
I go to Kroger for their discounted meat – I’ve saved so much money buying discounted meat in bulk (right when it gets discounted) and freezing it. Meijer is another good place (at least where I’m from) to find discounted meat.
When it comes to fresh produce I generally get that from a farmers market (if it’s not too cold and they are still going on) or from Meijer or Kroger.
Although my favorite sale is when Meijer has the mix & match 11 items for $10 – because you pair those items up with an App that Pays You and/or coupons and you end up saving so much money!
What I would suggest for someone who wants to start doing this is quite simple:
- Make a list of the stores near you
- Find the ads (you can find them onine) and see what items you need/want that are on sale
- Stop by my blog and see the Coupon match ups for the top deals this week here
- Think about the time you actually have to do the shopping
- Print your coupons and plan your route (you don’t want to be driving back and forth around town – make a loop).
The different sales will allow you to save the most money – plus some of the items you can Stock up on depending on the price for your stockpile!
By doing this I am able to save at least $25 a week and working with the 4 weeks a month assumption we will say you can save $100 a month by shopping at multiple stores.
Saved with this methods $100
Total Saved: $1,804
If you Missed any part of the Series be sure to Catch up:
1. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #1 Use Coupons
2. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #2 wash clothes in cold water
3. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #3 Buy Meat in Bulk When It’s On Sale or Marked Down
4. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #4 Have A Garage Sale
5. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #5 Shop at a Farmer’s Market
6. Over 50 ways to save Over $50: #6 Canning
7. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #7 Make Your Own Baby Food
8. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #8 Make Coffee at Home
9. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #9 Movie Night At Your House
10. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #10 Use Gas Rewards
11. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #11 Shop With a Credit Card
12. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #12 Swagbucks
13. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #13 Shop Holiday Clearance
14. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #14 Use an App That Pays You
15. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #15 Put $1.00 Away Each Week
16. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #16 Turn Electronics Off When You’re Not Using Them
17. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #17 do Your Own Nails
18. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #18 Shop Consignment
19. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #19 Stockpile
20. Over 50 Ways to Save Over $50: #20 Pack a Lunch