The Grocery Game Challenge #5 Sept 30-Oct 6, 2013: Is it really a reduced cost or blowout price?
The Price Blew Me Away Alright
Last night while I managed to get my wife out of the house after her surgery we decided to go do a bit of grocery shopping. It was a great time to stock up on a few items like eggs which were a great sale price and grab some milk. Ya, you will see we came out with more than we anticipated going in for and it’s so incredibly hard to stop doing.
It’s common to see the “It’s a BLOWOUT” black and yellow tags in No Frills and Zehrs but this one particular reduced price tag caught my attention.
How to reduce cost so we will buy it?
Do they really think that a $0.25 discount is going to jump-start the engine of consumers and have them clear the shelves? It seems like the word “Blowout” for a mere $0.25 savings might not have been the appropriate word to use for this sale.
I know I say that savings is savings and money is money but when I see a $0.25 with such a powerful word such as “Blowout” I just question the way they market the sales and the product they want to move.
The worst I’ve seen is for a “Blowout” special discount of $0.10.
I don’t know about how you feel but the wife had to hold me back, the thought of saving $0.25 on Apple Sauce was just too great. Of course we bought the grand total of zero and saved ourselves even more.
It almost feels like those bizarre markets you get in North Africa where every vendor says “for you sir, special price” when you already know you being taken advantage of.
A walk up a few feet and we see a block of Cracker Barrel cheese on sale, no fancy Blowout sign and it states on the tag Save $2.50 as if it were no big deal.
Of course, unless the regular price is inflated as it is and the sale price really isn’t a big deal on their end because they make us think we are getting a huge savings when in fact we may not be.
The apple sauce on the other hand may be very close to cost for them and the price reflects it so when they drop it even by $0.25 that is really a “blowout price” because of it being so close to cost for them.
I’m just speculating and throwing my opinions out there with no marketing and product pricing experience whatsoever but I would love understand how they think behind the pricing schemes in the grocery store.
If you know your prices as well as I do then you know that you can likely get the cheese cheaper somewhere else and if it goes on sale you can get an even lower price if you can just wait.
Not everyone can wait but I’d like to think that if a product is on sale and you are saving $2.50 it’s FAR MORE superior in savings as opposed to the “Blowout” savings of $0.25 on the Motts Apple Sauce.
Pricing strategy
I’m wondering if the grocery store actually put the “Blowout” tags on sales throughout the store that were actually blowout prices whether or not they would sell more of that product as opposed to a boring ‘sale sign’ that they currently use.
Most if not all of us love to save money at the grocery store and if I was to walk by a product that told me I was going to save a whopping $0.25 I might not give it a second look UNLESS it was a product that I purchase every single week.
I thought to myself if I was marketing products to move them out of the store fast because of date codes that were coming up how would I want to market that product to get it moving off the shelves?
I can only tell you from a consumer’s point of view that seeing the higher savings price is much more attractive than $0.25 savings but you also need to consider what the product is and does it go on offer often?
I often see pricing strategy on new products because they want you to buy the product and taste it so they have some ridiculously high price and then offer a deep discounted price so you jump on it.
I wonder if that is what happened with our Simply Free Sausages that we bought this week? The regular price was over $9.xx and they advertised them on sale for $3.99 and the date codes were long but they also had the “blowout” sign in front of the product.
The hard part was trying to justify whether it was a great price or one that I should just pass up because of the pricing strategy they are using.
If you want to compare product pricing you need to know the prices of the same products at other stores. That is the only way you will know whether it’s worth it or not to you, even if it is only $0.25 savings.
In that even the $0.25 means lots to you so you don’t want to pass that savings up. The problem I am having is saying it’s a blowout price when in reality it’s not as much of a savings as you think.
Would you buy a product that boasted a “Blowout” savings tag if you were only saving $0.25 or even less in some shops? If you need the product how would you approach that blowout savings? Could you justify $0.25 if you know you can get it for cheaper at Food Basics at regular price?
September Grocery Game Challenge Posts
I will post the previous week’s grocery game here for ease of finding them each week if you need to go back and post your shops for the month.
- The grocery game challenge Sept 2-8, 2013 #1: Back to school treats for kids
- The grocery game challenge Sept 9-15, 2013 #2 : Using the produce scale
- The grocery game challenge Sept 16-22, 2013 #3: Would you pay for personal grocery shopping services?
- The grocery game challenge Sept 23-29, 2013 #4: Does size really matter?
Grocery saving tips
Free Money Saving Downloads is lists that were created to get us on track to work towards reaching our budgeting goals. Get organized with a freezer inventory, meal plan, shopping list, price comison list and much more all for FREE.
NEW!! You can now download the Canadian Budget Binder Budget Spreadsheet in Excel…… Grab it while you can… It’s FREE! We use it to budget.. check it out!
Click, Save and Print. It’s that easy!
- Let Your Coupons Expire And Save Money
- Welfare Food Challenge $26 Per Week In The Grocery Budget
- What A No-Shop Week Really Means
- Should You Buy It Now Or Buy It Later?
- Stock Up On Items When You Can
- The Cost Of Organic Food
- What Foods You Should Not Eat and Organic Gardening
- Knowing Your Prices Is The Key To Saving Money In The Grocery Budget
- Product Price Adjustments Don’t Miss The Savings
- Scanning Code of Practice In Canada (SCOP)
- How To Start Saving Money On Groceries In Canada?
- How Much Should My Grocery Budget Be?
- Top Ten Ways To Cut Your Grocery Budget
- Meal Planning For The Budget
- The Grocery Game Challenge and Our Grocery Budget
- Grocery Budget Saving Tips
- Food Shopping On A Budget
- How To Grocery Shop
- Grocery Store Self-Scanners
- Food and Vegetable Preparation
- Best Time To Grocery Shop
- Organic Food Costs
- Why Shopping Hungry Is Not A Smart Idea
- Are We Eating Too Much Food?
- Discount Days and Rewards Programs
- Getting Back On Track With Food Budgeting
- Why You Should Ignore Your Grocery Flyers
- The Low-GI Diet and Your Budget
- How To Track Grocery Expenses
- Comparing Prices With a Price Comparison List
- Why Too Much Salt Is Not Good For Us
- Shopping More Than Once Per Week
- Food Samples When Shopping
- Food Waste In Canada
Food food and more food
Zehrs
- Neilson Milk 4 L $4.29
- Simply Free Sausages Reg $9.49 Sale $3.99
- PC Dried Cranberries Reg $10.99 Sale $7.99
- PC Thompson Raisins Reg $10.99 Sale $7.69
- 4 dozen large eggs Sale $1.99 -$1.00 when you buy 2 dozen eggs coupon
Total Out Of Pocket: $30.95
Yearly grocery budget for two: $2819.38
- Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $235.00 or $78.33 week with one no-shop week per month or $58.75 for 4 weeks per month. (During the months with 5 weeks we just make it work)
- Total Budget For September: $234.57 which is $235.00-$0.43 overspend in August
- Total Coupons Used this Week : $2.00
- Total Discounts this Week: $0
- Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
- Total Rewards Points Used: $0
- Stockpile Budget: $20.00 Used $20.00
- Total Spent This Week: $30.95
- Total Spent So Far for September $255.69
- Total Over/Under spend this shop: $21.12 (over)
- Total Over/Under spend for the month of (September): $ 21.12
- Total Left to Spend for the Month: $21.12 (overspend)
- Total Coupons Used This Month: $4.25
- Total to Carry Over Next Month: $21.12 (overage)
- Total Spent To Date This Year: $206.95 (Jan)+ $160.77 (Feb) + (March)$169.62 + (April)$397.74+(May) $155.68 + (June) $216.01+ (July) $235.83 (August) $182.35 + (September) $255.69 = $1980.64 (does not include stockpile budget)
- Rendezvous Account: $65.38 This is money saved if there is any leftover at the end of a month of grocery shopping for a date night for the wife and I.
- Weekly Overview: Considering we had a 5 week month this month we didn’t do too bad going over budget although we will have to make up for the the overspend again now in October. The year is coming to a close and looking back over 2013 will certainly give us direction in terms of setting goals and our 2014 grocery budget.
Canadian Coupons
Frequently Asked Questions
Read the rules first and if you have any questions email me or comment on this post with your question and someone will answer you as soon as possible.
- Do I have to be Canadian to post my Grocery Shop?
No, you don’t have to be Canadian to post your shops only to win a monthly prize. We have fans who post their grocery shop who live all over the world.
- When does the Grocery Game close each month?
The Grocery Game Challenge closes at midnight of the last Sunday of the last post for the month. You can post your shops all month-long.
- Does your Grocery Budget include health and beauty and laundry products?
Yes our Grocery Budget includes such items as shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap, fabric softener, dish soap etc. We don’t mind stockpiling items that won’t be affected by expiry dates or have long expiry dates but not so much food any more. It’s just one way to help cut your budget to save money.
Here are your latest Coupon Match-ups of the week including Checkout 51 from 25 Newspaper Inserts around Canada compliments of Save Big Live Better that you can use to help you save money in the Grocery Game Challenge.
- What is an FPC?
An FPC is a free product coupon which means you can get a free product as described on the coupon.
- How Do I Know what stores accept coupons?
You can find all your store coupon policies here. If you are not sure it’s always best to call the store and ask.
I can tell you about grocery shopping and what we do in terms of shopping to save money and how it works for us. There are no wrong or right answers, just smart choices. Over time you will gradually learn where you should and shouldn’t go in the grocery store or at least how to say no, I’m on a budget I need to buy this or that.
You may also substitute items in order to stick to your budget to make it work. Nobody is perfect, heck we struggle with this t of our budget like many people do and this is why the grocery game challenge was created.
If you have just joined The Grocery Game Challenge get ready to dive deep into your grocery budget and learn just where you are spending, how much you are spending and what you are saving. You’ve made a wise decision.
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we or i actually, because i do all the shopping lol. i over spent $134.54 to stock up on some pet food, campeblls soups and so forth, so this month is gonna be a super tight one. as a matter of fact, other than me overspending last month, husband hasn’t got any side jobs lately so it makes it even harder for the coming few months. so i am going to try my very hard to watch every penny i spend whenever i go out. so here’s how i did:
October 1-6, 2013
Budget for 2 people + 3 pets: $250-134.54(over-budget from Sept)=$115.46 for October
October’s spending: 22.42
October’s budget left: 115.46-22.42=93.04
October’s coupon used: 0
My shops for the last week: 9.02+13.40=22.42
Asian store total: $9.02
Korean noodles 3.99
Bean sprout 1.05
preserved veg 1.49
Noodles 2.49
Giant Tiger total $13.40
Pops 2.00
green onions 1.00
Kaiser buns 1.97
Tomatoes 1.67
Sweet potatoes 2.89
Broccoli 1.77
Potatoes 1.87
HST 0.26
Rounded down-0.03
Hey Wing
You know what Wing, when we need to cut back because we have to we know that we can do it. If you really want to make this month work, I know you can do it. I hope your husband can score some side jobs especially with the holiday season approaching. You get ballot 4
Finally!!! I made it … better late than never. Not a good end to the month and next year is definitely going to need some serious thinking done!!! The good news is I got my turkey for Thanksgiving so that will help October’s numbers. I also went to No Frills to do a little stocking up as they do have good prices. There was also Foodland for groceries.
Foodland, Sept 28
1 can pineapple- 1.19
bananas- .55
1 Triscuits- 2.79
1 plum sauce- 2.98
1 yogurt- 2.99
1 raisin bread- 3.49
1 Oatmeal Crisp- 3.99
1 4l milk- 4.79
1 case ginger ale- 5.78
1 Folgers coffee- 6.99
Tax- .75
Total- $36,29
No Frills, Sept 29
1 case rootbeer- 4.97
1 jar unsweetened apple sauce- 1.75
1 black cheese- 5.97, 1.00 coupon
1 pack Bear Paws- 1.97
6 cans tomato soup @3/2.00- 4.00
1 yogurt- 2.97
2 Dawn dish soap @ 2.47- 4.94, 1.00 WUB2 coupon
3 cans pineapple @1.00- 3.00
2 Downy @3.97- 7.94, 3.00 WUB2 coupon
2 packs frozen veggies @2.67- 5.34
1 frozen stir fry veggies- 2.97
1 MG Cheerios- 3.97
2 doz eggs@ 1.99- 3.98, 1.00 WUB2 coupon
2 4l milk @ 3.97- 7.94
1 bag rice- 3.47
2 lbs butter @3.47- 6.94
2 taco kits @ 2.97- 5.94
1 big box crackers- 4.37
1 case ginger ale- 5.47, 2.00 coupon
1 216 count Tetley tea- 9.27
2 cans tomat sauce @1.57- 3.14
2 cans tomato paste @.59- 1.18
1 soya sauce- 1.97
1 Temptations treats- 1.63
1 W/W bread- 2.79, 1.50 discount
1 bagels- 3.37, 1.69 discount
1 W/W bread- 1.97, .99 discount
1 pack turkey sausage- 5.00 1.50 discount
1 turkey- 12.52
bananas- .67
1 garlic- .14
1 pack salad- 3.79, 1.90 discount
1 toothpaste- 4.79, 1.50 coupon
tax- 4.03
Total- $127.94,17.48 coupons and discounts
Foodland, Oct 2
3 Power Ade @ 1.66- 8.26
bananas- .49
1 pack beef liver- 2.02
2 cider mix @2.99- 5.98
1 W/W bread- 3.49
1 raisin bread- 3.49
1 pack ice cream treats- 3.99, .50 coupon from contest
1 jug water- 5.49
tax- 1.78
Total- $29.74, 1.47 discount and .50 coupon
Total budget for month- $750.00
Total budget for year- $7800.00
Total coupons/ discounts for week- 19.45
Total spent this week- $193.97
Total spent for month- $144.48+$145.69+$169.91+$146.51+$193.97=$800.56
Total over/under for week- $43.97 over
Total over/under for month- $50.56 over
Left for month- N/A
Total coupons/discounts for month- $7.55+$6.27+$9.00+$1.00+$19.45=$43.27
Total carry over to next month- $530.52+ $50.56=$581.08
Total YTD- J$818.08+F$598.07+M$770.12+A$938.07+M$650.13+J$876.78+J$734.75+A$625.95+S$800.56=$6812.51
So there we go. Over again for the month. I really would have been OK with the 4 weeks this month… I was in better shape until then. But I did get a little stocking up done at NF and I got my Thanksgiving turkey…. all those leftovers!!! I can hardly wait!!!!! The price for the bird was so good too… .87 lb!! It’s a utility grade but I’m OK with that. In fact I shot the next week as well as I went back and got my Christmas bird already and fired it into the freezer, I don’t usually see the really good prices for turkey in Dec so I am happy about this price!! I won’t get as many turkey bucks from Foodland this year as I plan to hit NF a time or three every month for the prices. My poor budget needs all the help it can get to move closer to in line for the year end!!! I’m sure the Church can use my unused bucks for the food bank. I have until the end of Dec to figure out things for next year and to get things closer to where I hope to have them……
Hey Christine,
You didn’t do too bad at all.. only $50.56 over for the month so pat yourself on the back. I’m sure in the next couple of months you will be able to review your year of groceries and get a realistic picture of what you will need in terms of a budget for next year. That was a great price for the turkey and the right time to get your Christmas turkey as well. Keep up the hard work with your budget.. you WILL be thankful come the end of the year. You get ballot 2 Mr.CBB
Good Morning 🙂 Hope you have a cuppa!!
Our weekly budget is $100 a week making this month $500.
Superstore
I managed to just grab two things before they went on strike on sat night and I won’t cross the picket lines because it is the only way I can support them.
$2.98 garlic bread
$1.98 mushrooms
$4.95 total oop
Target
$3.99×4-$2Cx4 swagger body wash- this deal was to good that I stocked up on more
$17.49-$3C box of pampers
$24.10 total oop
$11 total coupons
Walmart
$1.29 2L pop
$2.97 vanilla ice cream
$2.24 tortilla chips
$1.82×4-$2C 2L pop-brought to dinner at friends
$1.44×2 cake frosting
$2.28 4 crossiants
Sobeys
$5.80 avocado roll
$3.15 axe body wash
$2.73, $2.61, $2.55×2 -.50Cx4 clearance prime chicken santa fe
$4.99-$2C pizza
$3.99-$1C pizza
$2.10, $2.05 clearance chicken drumettes
15% discount Tuesday shop
$1×6 clearance low salt bacon
$4.69 pork tenderloin (2 meals)
$3.07 bologna
$2×3 chips
$3.99×4-$1.50Cx4 international creamer
$3.99-fpc spag sauce
.99×4-.75Cx2 del monte canned veg
$4.99×3 glad candles
$1.29 glade air freshner
$1.99 romaine hearts
$59.62 total oop
$26.49 total coupons
$9.29 15% discount
$106.57 total weekly oop
$48.78 total weekly coupons
Not a bad first week even with the hubby putting junk food into the shopping cart and I don’t complain since he rarely asks for anything and never complains about anything!!
Looking forward to staying on track this month 🙂
Hi Juanita,
I had no idea they actually went on strike. Have they sorted it all out yet? You had a great week indeed considering everything you got wow. You did awesome. Ah your husband was sneaking in food.. maybe we need to keep him busy while grocery shopping haha.. Keep at it.. first shop! Thanks for letting me know what shops they are for you so I can track them. You get ballot 1 for October!! Mr.CBB
Hey Mr.CBB
They came to an agreement and are back to work today. I am glad for them that they were able to come to an agreement. I don’t think anyone can live or support themselves or their families while on strike! I remember my moms work, home support, being on strike as a kid and those times were very very hard.
My hubby made me an excel spreadsheet to plan and organize my shops especially a big shop or a discount shop, but for smaller shops where it is only a couple of things needed I write it down on a sheet of paper. We share our car so my hubby picked me up from work on discount day and was early so he went around the store and grabbed everything that was on the list, he did say for next time I should put type/flavour of the items we are getting so we can get shopping faster!!! It was great having him shop since it was all in the cart by the time I was done work and we were at the checkouts right away and home in no time.
I shop for 2 adults and a 2 ½ year old boy. Our budget is $90/week or $450 for this month and includes laundry, health/beauty, etc.
RCSS
Twizzlers $1.98
Almond milk (PM Ample) 3 x $2.99 – 3 x $2.00 coupons
Cavendish fries (PM Metro) $1.99 – $1.00 coupon
Goldfish (PM FC) 2 x $2.00
Lemon juice $.97
Hummus $3.00
Bread (PM Loblaws) 2/$5.00
Sausage buns $3.19 – 50% pink sticker – $1.60
Bananas $.46
Coupons $7.00
OOP $21.22
Food Basics
Mini chocolate bars 7 x $.99
OOP $7.85
Fresh Co
BD cheese (PM FB) $3.87 – $.75 coupon
Coupons $.75
OOP $3.12
Target (USA)
Schick razors $11.99 – $4.00 coupon
Coupons $4.00
OOP $8.69
Tops (USA)
Doritos 2/$5.00 – $1.00 wub2 coupon
Dairy free cheese slices 2/$5.00
Butter 2 x $1.99
Cheese slices $2.49
Chapstick on clearance $.99
Coupons $1.00
OOP $16.55
Walmart
Strawberries (PM Fortinos) 2 x $1.67
Windex touch ups 2 x $2.96 – $2.00 coupon – BOGO free coupon ($2..96)
Coupons $4.96
OOP $5.07
Fresh Co
Diet Coke (24) $5.97
BD cheese (PM FB) 2 x $3.97 – 2 x $.75 coupons
Coupons $1.50
OOP $12.99
Walmart
Windex touch ups 2 x $2.96 – $2.00 coupon – BOGO free coupon
GG yellow beans (PM Fortinos) 5 x $.99
Coupons $4.96
OOP $6.68
RCSS
Natural selections single serving deli meat 3 x $1.33 – 3 x FPC
Tuna 2 x $1.17
Bick’s pickles (PM FB) 6 x $1.99 – 6 x $.50 coupons
Mini Wheats family size (PM NF) 2 x $3.97 – 2 x $1.00 CO51 (and includes pin codes for $5.00 gas card)
Vitality bread (PM NF) $1.97
Apples (PM WM) $1.43
Grapes (PM WM) $.47
Cucumber $.97
Broccoli (PM Fortinos) 2 x $.77
Potatoes (PM GT) $1.87
Carrots 3lbs (PM NF) $.97
Bananas $1.92
Coupons $6.99
CO51 $2.00
OOP $30.36
Total Grocery Amount Budgeted For the Year : $4,680 ($90/week)
•Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $360 – $172.82 (meat order) = $187.15 (There’s no way I can do this )
•Total Coupons Used this Week : $31.16
•Total Coupons Used This Month : $185.78
• Total Coupons Used this Year: $1518.63
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this week: $2.00
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this month: $14.00
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this year: $129.00
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this week: $0
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this month:$0
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this year: $394.31 (Unfortunately this month is the end of using the card for us as we are no longer allowed to use it)
• Total SCOP this week: $0
• Total SCOP this month: $3.39
• Total SCOP this year: $7.63
•Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
•Total Spent This Week: $112.53
•Total Spent So Far for October: $112.53
•Total Over/Under spend this shop: N/A
•Total Over/Under spent for the month of October: N/A
•Total Left to Spend for the Month: $29.96
•Total to Carry over Next Month: I do not carry over to the next month.
•Total Spent To Date This Year: $3242.47
•Weekly overview: This will be the first month I will have to try to take my meat order into account. I’m just going to have to do my best for now and see what happens. Perhaps I’ll have to re-evaluate my grocery budget. Judging by how I did this week I’m guessing that I won’t be able to stay within my budget with this new meat order. Kind of a mistake on our part I guess. We were really thinking about the health benefits as opposed to the financial aspect of it when we ordered. We weren’t completely oblivious though. We knew we couldn’t afford a whole order so we did buy only half hoping it would last us a year.
The work I put into couponing had a little pay off for me this week. At work we have a student who is a great kid and he’s been with us for 5 years. He was in the care of the CAS but turned 18 this week and had to move out on his own. My coworkers were taking up donations to buy him a grocery store gift card to help him out but I decided that my money could go further by donating stockpile items and free samples that I receive. I was able to give what looks like tons of items costing well over $50 for what probably cost me $10 or so because of couponing. I donated 3 bags of stuff; one containing grocery items like pasta, popcorn, KD, BBQ sauce etc. The 2nd bag was cleaning items like garbage bags, Windex touch ups, paper towel, toilet paper, sandwich bags, dish detergent, etc. The last bag was toiletry items like toothpaste, shaving cream, razors, shampoo and conditioner, mouth wash, dental floss, bars of soap, etc. It just gave me a good feeling. In the long run it kind of saves him money as it would cost him way more to purchase these items without coupons.
Hey Jen
I respect your intentions with your meat purchase and you know my feedback from our conversations. I think it’s awesome how you helped your co-worker out. You are always so willing to help people and I respect that about you. You are a kind soul. You will have some challenges moving forward with your grocery budget. We will be doing the same thing as well with our budget for the upcoming year. You get ballot 23. Smile. Mr.CBB
Funny how your topic is this week! I was just going through flyers last night, there was a sale on for cat food, it says you save 0.10 for a can of cat food! i was laughing at it with my husband. then to see a similar topic you have on this post is funny! yes i have seen the blowout of saving $0.10 as well, it makes me giggle every single time!! you are super right, you need to know the prices to save the best and the most!
we are lucky because our Zehrs, Walmart and Food Basics are in the same mall! so when i dont know the price of a product, i go from Zehrs to Walmart to Food Basics to see which one has the lowest. if i dont need it right away then i wait for a sale. (this is very hard to do lol)
Oh so you are a grocery store hopper hahaha.. all in the same plaza, how convenient is that.
Hello there!
Thank you very much for sharing this post. I have also noticed lots of bright yellow tags lately. But I am not really that impressed. Thank you very much for sharing this.
-Abby
I asked my MIL who works at RCSS about “Blowout” prices last night. She said generally they’re not made blowout to make you think the price is low so that you buy it, they’re made a blowout item for many reasons…the company is changing the packaging (I’ve bought diapers super cheap because of this), the item is being discontinued, the item is no longer being carried in that store, the store was shipped the item by mistake so they are just trying to get rid of it (I bought $1 Breyer’s ice cream because if this once), there is too much stock and they’re just trying to get rid of it, it’s out of season and they want to get rid of it (you’ll see tons of school supplies on blowout right now because they want to make room for Halloween and Christmas stock). Many blowout items later end up pink sticker items later on.
Thanks for asking… I think it’s great when the price actually reflects a Blowout price.. a start the car moment lol.. but not $0.25 hahaha I’m sure you wouldn’t be doing the Jen dance for a quarter but $1.00 blowout for a tub of icecream well sure… 🙂
I used to work at a big Canadian grocery chain, both as a cashier and putting up sale tags throughout the store, and I can definitely say, if an item is on special, more people buy it. Even if it’s not a great special. One thing that really bugged me working there, was that in the fresh departments (deli, bakery, floral…) new or seasonal products would get marked as “special” the week they were in the flyer, even though there was no price adjustment.
I think the average grocery store shopper is really easily manipulated by sale signs. For example, the store I worked at did NOT require customers to buy full multiples to get the sale price (ie, if a product was 2/$5, you could just buy one and get it for $2.50), customers usually buy in multiples of whatever the sign says, buying 3 or 6 when something’s 3/$5, but buying 5 or 10 when it’s 5/$10. Really, though, you could buy any quantity you wanted, and get the same sale price per item.
Yes good point about the multiples marketing. For those that buy into it they will get the multiples even though they might not need 2 of something. Those that actually scan and check the price of one item and find out it’s the same price get lucky and don’t buy more than they need to. Not everyone takes that time out at the grocery store though. They bank on the people who buy into the multiples pricing though. Cheers Heather.
is!
I’ve noticed lots of bright yellow tags lately. Maybe they think if it’s bright, people will be so blinded that they won’t think about if it’s a good deal or not. Can I say again how much happier your new site it. It just makes me smile whenever I click over!
I can’t say I’m impressed with the price for the apple sauce… Normally I pay $1.98 across the street for the store brand, but I was in town Sunday, at No Frills, getting my Thanksgiving turkey (really good price!!!) and getting what was on my list as well as checking prices on things I buy regularly, like apple sauce. I bought a jar of the exact same product, Motts apple sauce for $1.74…. It really does pay to know those prices!
As for new products, I will try them if it looks like it might be a sale price. Sometime I see a new product at a higher price one week, then on for cheaper the next week, that’s when I try it, hopefully I’ve managed to find a coupon as well. I do tend to watch something new for a week or two before I actually buy it just to see what the price does. Sometimes the price is clearly a sale as it is noticeably cheaper than a similar product the first time I see it. If it looks like something the family would like I grab one to try. It can be a judgement call……
I just find the BLOWOUT and $0.25 reduction to not be worth the excitement if you know what I mean lol
Perhaps because I do so much scratch cooking and home canning, I don’t see many of those tags on products I actually buy. Honestly though, I’ve never thought about whether tags that say “blow out” and the like influence buying decisions because for me it’s all about the math. We know our grocery prices and keep track of them so that we’ll recognize a good value when we see it. We decide whether or not to buy it – even when it is a good value – based upon our pantry inventory. If we have enough of that item on hand already, or know that we weren’t inclined to use it up last time we bought it, we’re likely to forego it no matter how they advertise it.
Hey Mr CBB! It looks like your family and mine had a very similar month! There’s $0.60 difference between our overages…that’s funny. Of course mine is a that tad higher. I expect Oct/Nov/Dec will be better at our house because soup season is here and I have lots of dried beans and lentils in my larder. Let’s see if we can both get back “on budget” for October! 😀
SEPTEMBER – Week #5 of 5 – September 30-October 6, 2013
2013 GROCERY BUDGET / STOCKPILE BUDGET AND US RESERVE:
•Total Grocery Budgeted For Year: $142.50 x 12 = $1,710.00 for 2 adults
•Total Stockpile Budgeted For Year: $47.50 x 12 = $570.00 for 2 adults
•Combined Grocery Budget for 2013: $190.00 x 12 = $2,280.00
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REMARKS FOR THE WEEK:
This week we’re eating up any leftovers in the fridge before we head out on a little vacation. It’s totally about zero waste here at our house this week!
Are we eating exactly what we want? We sure are! Meal planning makes all the difference in our house! Not only are we committed to healthy eating, zero waste and staying on budget but large batch cooking and leftovers allow us to only cook a few times a week. How’s that for time management??? LOL 😀
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OUR “CANADIAN” SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
NO SHOPPING UNTIL OCTOBER 21st
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OUR “US RESERVE” SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
NO SHOPPING UNTIL OCTOBER 20th
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2013 Y-T-D GROCERY SAVINGS:
•Total Loyalty Card Price Reductions This Year:
J$40.04+F$44.48+M$98.35+A$50.00+M$3.00+J$0.00+Jy$55.55
+Au($36.66)+S($52.74)= $303.10
•Total Coupons Used This Year:
J$60.46+F$0.00+M$11.79+A$12.48+M$1.50+J$54.54+Jy$ 42.16= +Au($3.80)+S($38.57)= $225.24
•Total More Points Earned This Year:
J265+F248+M151+A26+M0+J59+Jy7+Au26+S0= 782 Points
•Total Air Miles Earned This Year:
J57+F10+M30+A83+M0+J161+Jy20+Au(1)+S(208)= 570 Air Miles
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2013 Y-T-D GROCERY SPENDING:
•Total Grocery OOP Spent So Far This Year:
J$217.50+F$198.39+M$72.90+A$215.04+M$70.12+J$49.97+Jy$114.23 +Au$100.49+ S($47.50 to US+4.98+10.48+67.89= $130.85)=$1,169.49
•Total YTD Grocery Budget So Far:
J$190.00+F$190.00+M$108.79+A$142.50+M$142.50+J$50.00+
Jy$114.36+Au$99.62+S($142.50-$32.50 borscht=$110.00) = $1,147.77
•Total Over/Under on the YTD Grocery Budget: $21.72 OVER
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2013 Y-T-D STOCKPILE SPENDING:
•Total Stockpile OOP Spent So Far This Year:
J$0.00+Feb$0.00+M$81.21+A$77.55+M$17.45+J$82.86+Jy$79.24
+Au($0.00)+S($20.00)= $358.31
•Total YTD Stockpile Budget:
J$0.00+Feb$0.00+M$81.21+A$47.50+M$47.50+J$82.86+Jy$35.64+
Au$43.60+S($47.50-$27.50 to stockpile=$20.00) = $358.31
•Total Over/Under YTD Stockpile Budget: $0.00 AVAILABLE
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2013 RE-STOCKING RESERVE:
•Total 2014 Re-Stocking Budget:
J$0.00+Feb$0.00+M$0.00+A$0.00+M$0.00+J$0.00+Jy$17.50+Au $17.50 +S($27.50)= $62.50 AVAILABLE
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2014 Y-T-D BORSCHT STOCKPILE RESERVE:
•Total 2014 Borscht Stockpile Budget:
J$0.00+Feb$0.00+M$0.00+A$0.00+M$0.00+J$120.00+Jy$32.50+
Au$30.50+S$32.50= $215.50 AVAILABLE
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• TOTAL FUNDS SPENT IN 2013: $1,527.80 <<$1,710 is budgeted for Jan-Sept '2013
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CLOSING GROCERY POSITIONS FOR SEPTEMBER:
CANADIAN $’s
Groceries: ($21.72) << Woops!
Stockpile: $0.00
2014 BORSCHT: $215.50
Cash Hiding Spot: $5.00
Re-Stocking: $62.50
US $’s
Our Reserve: $148.73
US Cash Hiding Spot: $17.25
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The valid rain checks I hold are as follows:
Thrifty Foods:
4 China Lily Soya Sauce Refill bottles @$2.99 ea (Good until Nov 13th)
Safeway:
4 Safeway Select Boneless Honey Hams @ $8.99 (Good until Nov 29th)
4 Pantry Essentials 500g bacon @ $2.99 (Good until Dec 2nd)
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Hi Mary,
I LOVE LOVE your enthusiasm in this post. It’s so important to realize that we can eat what we have stocked in the pantry for a week without panic and not waste food. I know so many people who waste food because they keep buying more and more food on top of what they already have. Thanks for being so positive all the time Mary!!!
Cheers,
Mr.CBB
Have a great time on vacation
You get ballot 20
Well my nasty little head cold put a kibosh on vacationing in Scottsdale in October :'( but that’s ok… it just means we’ll have an even better Christmas holiday! Besides, we have a weekend away in Reno/Lake Tahoe in November to look forward to. What it does mean though is that I needed to re-stock some produce in my October week #1. Hubby is taking next week off though so I am sure we’ll drop down south of the line mid-week for a little day trip, a lunch out and a few groceries. Franz bakery outlet and freebies… here we come! 😀
Sorry to hear about your trip Mary but like you said you’ll make up for it. I’m sure of it. That Franz bakery sounds like one heck of an awesome place. I hope others in the area get in and check it out.
Usually when those types of “huge sales” are so garishly marked, they just irk me. However, they do catch my eye, so if the store wants to just move product, perhaps they work?