How to save on groceries

Erin Gifford, a grocery savings expert with Shortcuts.com, chatted with me about how to save more money on groceries. Here are her top money saving tips.

1) Loyalty Cards: If you don’t have one, get one. It’s the single easiest way to save money on grocery items on sale each week. Never leave the store without swiping your card at check-out.

2) Electronic Coupons: Online coupon sites like www.Shortcuts.com allow shoppers to load coupons onto their store loyalty cards for savings without printing or clipping. Just click the coupons you want and they’re automatically redeemed when you use your loyalty card.

3) Buy One Get One Free: These buy-one-get-one sales are great on their own, but you can also use one coupon for each item. So if you get two items, make sure to use two coupons.

4) Printable Coupons: Many coupon sites today allow you to select the coupons you want to print and cut out to use at your grocery store just as you would coupons from the Sunday paper.

5) Favorite Brands: Frequent the web sites of your favorite brands. You can often find money-saving printable coupons right on the site or you can sign up for special offers by mail or email.

6) Coupons for Sale: If you spot a great sale and want to double up on your savings, go online to a site like www.TheCouponClippers.com which lets you order coupons for a few cents each. You don’t pay for the coupons themselves, but for the time spent to cut and send them to you.

7) Stack Coupons: Some retailers offer coupons that can only be used at their stores. You can use these coupons along with manufacturers coupons on the same product for extra savings. By doubling up you can sometimes get products for free or nearly free.

Double & Triple Coupon Deals: Some grocery stores double or triple coupons and often only on certain days of the week. Check your local store and shop the days when they’re multiplied.

9) Rebates & Free-bates: Look for rebates and free-bates which refund you the full purchase price. You can actually make money in some cases when you use a coupon and then get a full price free-bate. The ads for these deals can lure you in so don’t forget to send in the forms.

10) Expired Coupons: If you have expired coupons and can no longer cash in on the savings, don’t forget about military overseas. Military families stationed abroad who shop for groceries at the commissary on their base can use coupons up to six months past the expiration date.