One thing is for sure, I have been doing a lot of shopping this week. I thought I would share with you some of the reason/tips I am using to shop this week.

• Most coupons site, tell you that sale cycles are every six weeks. They are very direct in saying you need to buy only enough to last for that six week cycle. I disagree, my best example is the Quarter Back Sale at Food Lion. I have been shopping and loving this sale for at least six years with my first blogging about it here. Initially this sale ran in January and June, things have definitely changed with it only occurring once last year. So I am taking advantage of it.  I made a list of all the items I remember purchasing in the past, checked to see if we had a year’s supply of and then made my shopping list.  If the sale occurs again this year, I will only need to restock items that I am low on.  For example I did not buy onion soup mix or taco seasoning this time because I have enough for at least a year. I did purchase 12 ketchups and 10 mustards.  For this sale, I try to stock up for a year for most other sales, I plan to stock for 3 months at a time or stock depending on storage space.  When we start to get low on items I start checking for sales and usually am able to grab the items before running completely out.
• ALWAYS scan your loyalty card and read the coupons when it is an option. This week, I received a BOGO coupon for any soda at Food Lion. The next trip I received a coupon for $1.00 off any Dole Salad. I checked the prices on salad and actually picked up a small bag for FREE. I did not need the salad and would not have purchased for free is always for me. CVS gives out different coupons to different customers but it still is nice to check out the deals. I was able to combine my coupons and a red machine coupon to purchase Easter candy.
• My final secret is simple sounds but probably the most important one. Have a basic idea of what things cost and if you find at or below that price grab up as many items as you have coupons for or as many as you can easily store. Here are my simple rules I always use:
  • Less than a dollar usually is a great deal, except for toothpaste. This week I found 2L Diet Cokes for $0.79 this is an awesome deal, so far I have purchased 30 at this price  but am out of room to store.
  • I will only buy toothpaste when it is twenty five cents or less. Most of the time I grab the free stuff.  I always make sure to grab free toothpaste even if it is the only item I get.
  • Toilet paper should only be bought when it is less than 40 cent a roll. To figure this out simple divide the price of the package by the number of rolls.  I don’t count double rolls in this because really I am not paying by the sheet!
  • I check on SouthernSavers.com if it is listed on her site, I will consider buying just because it is at least 40% off.