Memorial Day = Savings + Summer

Memorial Day weekend nears… in the US, this holiday commemorates those who have died serving our country while in the armed forces.  It is also the “unofficial” start of summer, with schools finishing up and warm weather beginning.

Memorial Day is also a great time to take advantage of grocery savings!  Last year we hosted a family reunion which required us to buy large amounts of soda and beer.  The prices we found at Memorial Day were the best we saw that summer.  If you have a family event this summer, or a block party, this a great week to check your grocery fliers for prices.

I went through the refrigerator yesterday and checked the dates on cookout essentials, like BBQ sauce, ketchup and other condiments.  I know there will be sales on these items, as well as hot dogs, beans, and chips.

My grocery ads come out tomorrow, so I am eager to see what items will be worth picking up.  The next opportunity for low prices will be the 4th of July.

Often on holiday weekends we have found there are special promotions on Ebates for retailers like Target, Lands End, and WalMart.  Great time to catch a good deal if a new swimsuit, wedding gift, or Father’s Day gift is on your horizon.  My daughter is lobbying for a hammock!

If you see special promotions and prices this Memorial Day, please share!  Do you have any holiday shopping strategies?

 

 

 

When to Buy Peanut Butter? There’s an App for that!

ValueTracker allows you to track grocery prices

One area of saving money that I have been erratic about is keeping a grocery price book.   Over the years I have had a few spreadsheets where I tried to track low prices.  I didn’t really take the next step and use the information, however, because it was never on hand when I needed it.  I know that my attention (obsession?) with having a surplus at the end of each week sometimes causes me to not buy enough of an item when it may be at its lowest price.  This does make Mr. Saver crazy!

I wanted to see whether “there’s an App for that”, as they say, and found the .99 cent  ValueTracker app for the iPhone.

The app allows you to enter the stores you shop at, and within each store’s database, you can record the price for items you buy.   You can use the camera on the phone to take a picture of the item and it turns the item into an icon, which makes the app more visually pleasant to use. The app does not use bar code scans – you have to enter items manually.

The app maintains the prices of each item over time, allowing you to see trends

The app maintains all the prices you enter over time for an item along with the date.  After using the app for a while you would be able to see price trends.  Is ketchup cheapest before the 4th of July?  Is butter cheaper before Thanksgiving or before Christmas?  What is the best price on peanut butter, and how often does it occur?

Mr. Saver will be happy that I noticed that our turkey sausage, which is usually $2.59 at one store, was on sale for $1.50 at a competing store this week.  I recognized the good price because of ValueTracker and picked up a box since we have grocery money still available.

If you are already working a written budget and are looking to make your make your money work even harder, maintaining a grocery price book can be a wise move.

Are you currently using some system to keep track of the lowest prices throughout the year?