Coupons are awesome, but there are ways to save without them. Review methods #1-5 and read on for #6-10.
6. Purchase generic. Yes, you can sometimes get name brand products cheaper with a good sale and coupons. But when there’s no time to wait or fuss, generic does the trick at a much reduced price. My favorite generic store brand is Aldi. No coupons needed for high quality items. (I stock up on the canned green beans, mushrooms, and tomato products.)
7. Buy in bulk. Since we moved from the city, we gave up our Sam’s club membership. One thing I still manage to consistently purchase in bulk, though, is yeast. (I just ask friends or family to pick some up for me.) I pay for two pounds what you’d pay in the grocery store for a 4 oz. jar. Take some time to browse your local bulk purchase store, and do the math. Are there any items that you always purchase in bulk? Please share in the comments!
8. Just Ask. This tip often leaves me smiling as I do my shopping. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount on perishable products if you don’t see a Manager’s Special tag. Just a few weeks ago I asked for a discount on a bag of (perfectly fine) fresh spinach with an immediate “sell by” date. The guy apologized for the inconvenience, crossed out the bar code, and wrote No Charge on the bag. I was shocked, but happy. 
9. Make a list. Stay focused; buy only what’s on your list. (My mom has tried for 36 years to teach my dad this trick.) 
Don’t let the magic powers of marketing persuasion thwart your grocery shopping mission.
10. Take your time. In direct contrast to tip #9, sometimes there are majorly reduced prices on items that aren’t on your list. I always check for red-taped bananas and other marked-down produce, even if I don’t need them on that particular trip. I’m more than happy to adjust my meal plan for inexpensive produce. My grocery store also has a section just for mark-downs. Last week I found two packs (40 count each) of Pampers Swaddlers for $4.89 each. Don’t know why they were there, and we don’t even need them (my baby nephew does!) but at that price I couldn’t pass them up. (The 2- $2 coupons I had were a bonus to the deal!)
Next week: Saving without coupons #11-15
Find more frugal tips at Life as Mom.
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We buy yeast too!
I’ve also gone to buying oatmeal at Sam’s Club, as well as dried fruit and spices.
I cannot even begin to calculate how much money we have saved by buying yeast, unbleached flour, oats and sugar in bulk. Since I’ve been sticking to my list pretty hard core, I refuse to send DH into the store. It’s dangerous!
Thanks for the good ideas, Amy. I don’t have access to coupons. For some reason I cannot print internet coupons. Since I go to town as little as possible–my goal is once a month or less–it is just a big headache to try to watch sales and match coupons. I decided recently to GIVE IT UP! It works for some people, but not for me. So these ideas are very helpful. Aldi and the local bulk food store are what work the best for me (so hopefully I’ll have a little left over to run to the greenhouse and buy Some More Plants . . .) : )
@Maria, I would live in that local bulk store if I could.
I love your practical tips:-)
I love this new series you have. I love the idea of coupons but I always forget what I have and never seem to find the right time to match them to sales before they expire.
While we had to give up our Costco membership when we moved East, we live 10 miles from a Sam’s Club. We save SO much money there, it’s amazing. We always buy baking products (flour, sugar, yeast, chocolate chips, eggs) and especially meat in bulk. Basically, everything we can possibly buy from Sam’s we buy there as long as it won’t go bad before we’re able to eat it all. Thankfully, almost everything can be frozen if it doesn’t have a long shelf life, so we rarely go to the Winn Dixie anymore.
I like to buy canned veggies, cooking soups, milk, and some produce at Aldi. We don’t have any stores that sell in bulk here, I would love that. Good posts.
@Aimee B, i bought my first house with the money i saved by shopping at Aldi. I dearly miss that store, and wish they’d come out west!!! you are lucky to have it.
sam’s and costco don’t hold a candle to Aldi in terms of potential money saved. Costco used to have a $10 target price (eg, the average price of for each item purchased was $10.) A friend who works there told me that now they have a $20 target…and that seems a little high to me but not by much. I don’t buy big ticket items though.
I think Pampers and Huggies changed their sizing recently or something. My Kroger was marking down the midsize packages to clear them out a few months ago – and I cleaned out the clearance bin. With one in size 6 and a baby in size 2 at that time I was able to buy all sizes and stockpile for later. After coupons and esavers came out very cheap! The clerk probably thought I was crazy when I came thru the checkout with nothing but a cart overflowing with diapers. : )
I buy flour and spices in bulk. I can’t believe the money I have saved getting spices in bulk. way cheaper.
I love the tip about buying yeast in bulk. I had no idea you could get it like that.
And I sooo wish #8 would happen to me. It never hurts to ask, huh?
Great post! Thanks for sharing.
In addition to buying yeast in bulk, I also buy baking powder in bulk. At Sam’s it’s not only way cheaper but also aluminum free!
@Laura, Aluminum free? Bonus! I’ll have my aunt check that out the next time she heads to Sam’s.