Talking Turkey

By Ellie Kay
Financial Columnist and Book Author

CBNMoney.com – As we made our way toward the grocery store checkout, my eleven-year-old son, Jonathan, said, “Can I go through the line with my stuff by myself?”

I looked at our freckle-faced boy, his eyes lit up with excitement. He was buying groceries for his sister and her new husband as the newlyweds set up the pantry in their first home.

“Sure, son, I’ll be here when you’re done.”

After a few minutes, I heard a commotion in Jonathan’s lane—the store manager, the checker, and a sacker were excited.

When Jonathan finished, he was holding three grocery bags and I asked him, “Honey, what happened over there?”

He smiled broadly, “Well, my total before coupons was $28.60, but afterwards it was only $1.80! They had a hard time believing I could save that much!”

If an eleven-year-old can learn to save that much green in the grocery store, then so can you. Our family saved over $8,000 last year on food, toiletries and cleansers. That is the equivalent of $13,500 earned on the economy!

Savings on food items are especially good during the holidays. So when you’re shopping for turkey, be sure to save on everything from canned corn to cream cheese. The following is a list of “Savings Factors.” The more of these factors you combine, the more likely you are to get items for pennies or for free.

Store Cards

These are sometimes referred to as “clipless coupons.” Sign up for the card at the customer service desk and as it is scanned at the checkout, you will receive all the store’s special values for the week.

Sale Ads

The store’s weekly sale ads either come in the mail or are a part of the mid-week newspaper inserts. Match up the sale ads with some of the other savings factors listed and you’ll soon find yourself with products for pennies.

Manufacturer’s Coupons

These are traditional coupons issued and reimbursed by the manufacturer. If you
read the fine print of the coupon, you’ll see the manufacturer’s name and mailing address. Here are a few places to find these coupons:

FSIs - (Free Standing Inserts) Most of these are found in the Sunday paper.
Blinkers – These are the blinking dispensers in the grocery store aisle that disperse coupons for your convenience.
Products – Some products have coupons right on them that you can tear off and use immediately. Others require that you purchase the item to find the coupons inside of the box or cut out from the packaging.
Electronic – These coupons are issued at the checkout after you’ve purchased your groceries. They are usually competitor coupons that are automatically issued as a result of your choices.

Double Coupons

Some stores offer “double” coupons. This is where the coupon is worth twice the face value—so a .50 coupon is now worth $1.00. There are limitations issued by the store, such as “only double up to $1.00” so check the customer service desk for details. Go to the links page at elliekay.com to find a link listing all the stores that double coupons in your state.

Unadvertised Sales and Clearances

Check the store aisles for sales and clearance tags. As much as 50% of the weeks’ sales are not advertised.

Web bucks

When items found at www.valuepage.com are purchased, you will automatically get coupons good for cash off your next shopping trip. When I shopped on the show, “Good Morning, Texas,” the total before coupons was $127. After coupons, I paid $22 and received $20 in web bucks that could be used on my next trip—now that’s a lot of green!