How to work deals

So here is a deal I did at Stop & Shop a few days ago. This was a classic example of finding a great coupon and matching it up with a sale. Stop & Shop had Powerade on sale for $1 each and if you bought 5 you got 2 free. This week I was enlightened to the art of finding coupons at gas stations (thanks sara!) where I found these Powerade $.75 off of 2 coupon. This coupon would be doubled at Stop & Shop.

So what I did was buy 8. The first 5 were $1 each, the 6th and 7th were free, and the 8th was also $1. So that came to a total of $6. I have 4 coupons which would each double to $1.50 each. This also totaled $6. Usually each week there is a deal like this out there. You just have to review the sales flyers and your coupons and find a great deal. Sometimes it's not a free item, but it may be a higher priced item for a really low price.

For example this week at Stop & Shop they have Hebrew National hot dogs BOGO. Also if you buy 2 you get a free Guldens Mustard! Sounds good already, right? Well there is a $1 printable for Hebrew Nationals here and Shaws has a $1 printable for them this week. At Stop & Shop (and Shaws, Target, CVS) you can use both a store coupon and a manufacture coupon on a given item. Competitor coupons are part of that! Also you can use a coupon for each item (even the free one) since you are purchasing the item. So I will use 2 $1 off manufacture coupons and 2 Shaws coupons and get $4 off the one Hebrew National I have to pay for. I will have to check the price of them to see if it's worth it. I have quite the stash already so I don't need to spend more than a dollar or two.

Look for other posts about the other match ups this week. I just search the 2 grocery store circulars I get and find coupons to go with them. Checking HotCouponWorld.com is another great way to find hidden sales and deals!