I don’t always clip coupons, but I’m a dedicated user of the Publix “buy one, get one free” promotions. Nothing annoys me more than stocking up on something only to see it go BOGO the next week.
Watching TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” makes me realize that there are times it pays to clip coupons. I would never buy 100 bottles of mustard of stock up 30 years’ worth of toilet paper, but I don’t mind amassing 10 boxes of granola bars.
When I started paying closer attention to BOGO sales and trying to match them with coupons, I realized that both come in cycles.
Certain items going on sale every three months and others every six months. Once I learned that, I started waiting to stock up.
I can almost always get a BOGO deal on cereal, tea bags, granola bars, salad dressing, snack crackers and frozen dinners. Other frequent sale items include canned tomatoes, name-brand toilet paper and paper towels, soda and ice cream. Meat also has predictable sales cycles.
Want to match your coupons with sale items? Hold on to your coupon supplements, because many items for which you’ll find coupons in Sunday’s paper will go on sale about a month later.
Really dedicated bargain hunters keep a price book to track how often their favorite items go on sale and at what price, so they know what bargains to wait for.
If you’re looking for coupons, be sure to check our Free Samples and Coupons page and our Printable Grocery Coupons page. Those pages are updated frequently as new coupons become available.
— Teresa Mears, Miami on the Cheap
