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23 Sep

A few things to keep in mind before you hit the stores:

* Buying in bulk doesn’t always save money when compared to combining coupons with sales. Be sure to do the math before you shop.

* Check savings sites for freebies & sign up for them. Not only will you often get full-sized products for free, but they will likely include high-value coupons that have long expiration dates. Hang on to them & wait for a sale.

http://hip2save.com/category/freebies/
freestufftimes.com
freebieshark.com

* Brand loyalty will not save you $. Case in point: Tide works great but is expensive & Tide rarely offers high value coupons. There are plenty of other detergents that work just as well & smell great for less than half the price.

* Meal planning saves you $. Try to plan your menu around the items on sale that week whenever possible.

* Procrastination costs $. If there is a great sale on an item you’ll use, buy it now or pay full price later. I recently paid .58 for 2 sticks of the boys’ deodorant. If I had waited, I would have paid full price – $3.49/stick! Um, no. This rule only applies to items you will absolutely use.

* Know a store’s coupon policy before you walk in the store. Even better, print it out & carry it with you. You never know when you may need to refer to it.

* Always check your receipt before you leave the store. I’ve had to go to Customer Service many times due to cashier & register errors. One of my local stores will reimburse you the entire value of the product if an item rings up incorrectly. It pays to check!