This week we had our first Wednesday of the new month! Are you asking yourself why I used an exclamation point on that sentence? Yeah, I understand—forgive my exuberance, but the first Wednesday of the month(!) Is a big deal to me.
You see, on the first Wednesday of every month my local Whole Foods store gives a 10% discount on your entire order. YOUR ENTIRE ORDER.
I’ve got two weeks worth of organic, unprocessed, tasty whole foods sitting in my kitchen for only $72.70. Now, if you’ve ever gone shopping at Whole Foods, you know this is a major score. Well, unless you don’t eat much—maybe thinner people have less expensive grocery bills.
The interesting thing about the money I spent at Whole Foods is that the 10% discount wasn’t the only discount I received. I had a '$10 off a $50 purchase' coupon from one of those small, cheap looking local fliers you get and throw away each week. Additionally, the store gives a $0.20 discount for every canvas bag you bring in and fill with groceries and I had 5 filled bags. I saved a total of $20.30 by taking advantage of all these different discounts.
I don’t know if you’re old enough to remember, but in the eighties grocery store coupons were almost a free-for-all. There were rarely any “limit one coupon per order” stipulations, and some stores even had double coupon days during which the face value of your coupons would double. These days, scoring discounts is more difficult. Coupons can’t be doubled, many sale prices have a limit in quantity you can buy at that price, and coupons are often restricted to one per item. If you ask enough questions though, you might be able to score some added discounts.
1. Ask the cashiers and customer service clerks of your favorite stores about any special discounts or price breaks they give. Will they take any money off your bill if you bring your own bags? Do they give discounts to AAA members? Are there any frequent shopper cards?
2. Ask about senior discounts. Do you know anyone who is 50 or older? If so, exploit them. Many of your local shops offer senior discounts for folks age 50 or 60 and older on certain days. Bring anyone in these age groups with you on those days and enjoy a covert discount.
3. Find out what publications your favorite stores advertise and post coupons in. I don’t know about you, but I get so many different free weekly coupon books and daily newspapers, it’s overwhelming. I make the time to scour each and every one of them to make sure I don’t miss anything, but you don’t have to. Just find out from your favorite stores where they advertise.
4. Look on Craigslist for people in your area who want to trade coupons. They’ll take coupons you have that you don’t want, and you can get coupons that they have that you want.
Yolander Prinzel
Photographer zieak was rightfully proud of that FredMeyer coupon.