Using bulk buys to cut the grocery budget

It's not that we eat tuna all that regularly. It's not that I'm prepping for the zombie apocalypse. It's just that, when I find that deal that's so good I have to post it on Facebook (you know you've done it), I don't ever buy a sensible amount. I buy almost everything on the shelf.

There's a little controversy surrounding stock-up buys. Some people say it's not fair for one person to buy two cases of tuna because it's a loss leader at 2/$1. I say, since when is life fair? Everyone else should have gotten there sooner, because my pantry will be stocked with cheap food for as long as I can keep it that way (50 cents for a 5.5 oz can of tuna is a protein source at less than 10 cents an ounce). When I find that once-a-year deal, I have to be able to pay for it, and that's where a stock-up fund comes in handy. It's the cushion that allows you to buy your normal grocery budget while stocking up on the occasional awesome deal. Normally, $100 is a good amount to budget for unexpected windfalls, but if you can set aside more, that's even better. These are the sales that will get your grocery spending down further than you ever imagined was possible, so don't be shy – buy everything you are comfortable buying. Store it under a bed or a couch if you run out of room in the kitchen.

Of course, spotting these super awesome deals means knowing your prices and/or carrying your price book. Hubs glanced away for a moment at the grocery store last week and was SHOCKED, I tell ya, when he looked back and saw me loading 10 pounds of butter into the cart. I explained, gently, that butter is a staple and staples don't ever go on sale, so 30 cents off is a big deal for butter (which is yet another thing that freezes beautifully). If I had a decent sized deep freeze, I would have gotten three times as much as I did: it was the cheapest I had ever seen it. I'm still kicking myself for only bagging up seven pounds of free mangoes at the local Mexican market last week. D'oh!

Some women brag about some fancy shoes they got for 10 percent off. I brag about a year's worth of coffee for $54, or two months' supply of milk for $5 (freezes!). My shoes, by the way, are $120 shoes that someone got a "great deal" on, then wore twice and sold to me for 50 cents at a garage sale.

You call that a clearance? Five steps to saving actual money on markdowns

You know the feeling. From across the store, you see an orange price sticker on top of another price sticker, and your palms get sweaty. You thread your cart carefully through displays and past other shoppers, trying not to appear anxious or walk too quickly, all the time thinking, “Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, clearance stuff!” You can actually feel the adrenaline begin to surge as you find THE bargain of the day.

The thing is, sometimes those haphazard piles of stuff aren't really a bargain, but store managers have figured out that those orange tags and clearance bins are magnets for wannabe savers. If you really want to find the great bargains, it's going to take some detective work and discipline that could pay off, big-time. Follow these magical steps to get your tightwad juices flowing:

1. Find department managers and ask them when the sales are. This is especially true at a grocery store. My favorite store bags up clearance produce every Monday night at 7 p.m. The meat counter does its markdowns Tuesday at 7 a.m., so I shop Tuesday at 8 a.m. (Make sure they're actually good deals – see step 3. And remember, lots of this stuff freezes well!)
2. Ask somewhere where the clearance items are located. Periodically, this changes, so making friends with a certain cashier can get you some “insider” information.

3. 

   Next year's Valentines for the boys.

   Know. Your. Prices. Knowing the regular price of a certain type of item is key to saving green. If there's a basket full of wasabi peas for $3.50 per can, but they're regularly $3.65, I don't call that a clearance. It's a “special treat” food, and with little nutritional value, I'm still not paying that much for it. Gourmet ketchup for $3 a bottle is not a bargain when the regular price for store brand is $1.98.
4. Know your price point. I know I'd buy the entire basket of wasabi peas (Hubs loves 'em) if each can was marked, say, 50 cents. Do not waver on the price points you set for yourself.
5. This could also be Rule No. 1: Do not buy things you wouldn't ordinarily buy. A great deal isn't a great deal if you wouldn't buy it otherwise. I don't need Bump-Its, even when they're marked down from $10 to $1.50. It's a great deal... for somebody else.

I think maybe my favorite step up there is number three, but it's also the one that takes the most time and effort. How do you really get to know your prices on a personal basis? Follow me and let's find out...