How to Use Your Grocery Weekly Ad

How to Use Your Grocery Weekly Ad

Grocery weekly ads appear in the mailbox along with junk mail, bills, and ads from local businesses. When you’re sorting your mail, resist the urge to toss these advertisements along with the rest of the junk. Far from being junk, these grocery ads can help you save big money as you plan and execute your family’s grocery shopping trips.

First, consider using the grocery weekly ad in combination with your freezer or even a deep freeze to help you save money on non-perishable items. If your family enjoys frozen pizza, keep an eye out for sales and buy several at once. Keep them handy in the freezer for sleepovers, those nights when cooking isn’t happening, or nights when cooking happened and didn’t go too well. Another great item to keep an eye out for in weekly ads and buy on sale are frozen dinners and lunches. Buy your favorites on sale and grab them on your way out the door. You will save not only on the frozen meals, but also save even more by avoiding expensive trips out for lunch because you don’t have anything to eat. Meats are another excellent item to buy on sale and store for later. Keep track of what meat you have frozen and you’ll know when to buy more. Use your inventory list to help you plan meals.

Grocery weekly ads can also help you plan an economical week of using fresh foods as well. A large portion of your grocery bill probably comes from produce, and by planning cleverly you can cut those costs. You know what fruits and vegetables your family likes, so you can ensure that they eat a variety of healthy foods by rotating the produce you buy based on what is on sale each week. Plan your dinner menu around what fresh ingredients are on sale, and use your frozen meats to make your main dishes.

Shoppers who take a list are far less likely to make impulse purchases. If you use your grocery weekly ad to help you write your list, you will be able to stay on-track and on-budget. Those spontaneous purchases of pricey goods can be eliminated if you use grocery ads to identify smart purchases. Fresh seafood and deli meats and cheeses don’t have to go by the wayside just because you’re on a budget; the weekly ads can help you figure out how to make smart purchases. Also, by identifying the new foods you’d like to try by using the ad, you can find the recipes to make those foods and be sure you get everything you need at the store, reducing additional trips (and additional chances for impulse buying).