Saving without coupons

Some of you may be wondering, what if I don't want to use coupons? Or what if I can't find coupons for the items that I buy? You can find coupons for alot of items, but you may not find them for everything you buy. So here are some ideas.

1. Pick out a grocery store for your basic grocery needs. This is the one you will use to fill in the gaps around what you don't find with coupons. My personal favorite is Aldi. They do not accept coupons and most of their products are their own store brand (although they do have special buys on name brand products from time to time). A couple of things you need to know about Aldi's. Take a quarter. You will use it to get a cart outside the front of the store and you will get the quarter back when you put the cart back. They do not accept checks, they take cash or debit cards. You will be bagging and carrying out your own groceries. Take your own bags or you can buy bags there. 6 cents for paper, 10 cents for plastic (these are big heavy plastic bags, not little thin ones like Wal-Mart). I have a child care provider friend who takes all the totes that we get at child care conferences and uses them for her groceries.

Now, that being said, when my kids were little, trying to go to grocery stores where I had to bag and carry out my own groceries was way too stressful. So I chose the cheapest store that bagged and carried groceries out for me. LOL.

2. Watch the sale ads. Whether or not you use coupons, you can watch the sale ads and find your favorite products when they are on sale.If you use coupons, then it's a double bonus because you're getting it on sale with a coupon!

3. Look for clearance deals. I have found some great deals on clearance products. A couple of notes, check the expiration date. If it is expiring in the next day or two, you may want to freeze it. Look at the product. Does it look okay? If I see something that looks questionable, I don't care how good of a bargain it is, I don't buy it.

Some good clearance deals I've found:
Years ago, I found packages of smoked sausage at Jumbo's for 50 cents a package.These were regularly $6!! I bought several packs and froze them.
A few years ago at Wal-Mart, I got plastic water bottles on the clearance aisle for 25 cents. I still use these with the daycare for when we go outside to play or on long walks.
Last week at Aldi's, they had frozen shoe string French fries marked down to $1.19 per bag. I stocked up on a few for my freezer.
Lady Speed Stick deodorant at Walgreen's, on the clearance aisle for $1 each. I had a coupon to buy one, get one free so I got two of them for $1.

4. You don't have to be brand loyal. Try something new if it's on sale for a good price. You might find you like it! Our family has used nothing but Jif peanut butter for years. Recently, Planter's came out with a peanut butter. I bought some for the family to try and they loved it! Since it was a new product, I have been able to find some really good deals on it and stock up.

5. Shop around. You can usually get the best deals by picking up the best sales at different stores around town rather than doing your shopping all in one stop. Yes, it can take a little more time, but the savings can be well worth it. In Enid, we're pretty lucky that most of the major stores are within a mile or so of each other. That makes it easier.

6. Once again, know your prices! That way you know a good deal when you see it!