Breaking Natural Shopping Habits

To succeed at using coupons and sales cycles we have to break some natural shopping habits.  We tend to shop at more than one maybe two stores, the closest one we feel more comfortable with buy what we need and stick to certain brands. 

To get good at this we have to stop doing most of those things.  We have to try to shop at different stores, maybe even more than one or get good at price-matching.  We have to buy what is on sale and buy more than we need.  And we have to give up our brand loyalties. 

Before it was very rare that I went to more than two stores and it was usually just Kroger and Aldi's or maybe just Aldi's.  I never bought anything but medicine and vitamins at pharmacies and only when I needed it and hoped it would be on sale at the store I walked into.  Now I usually shop at 3 or 4 stores and get various things at pharmacies. 

And of course I stockpile buying more than one thing if I have coupon for it when it is on sale and buying things a few weeks in a row even though I may already have some in my house.

Someone who had the same brand frozen entree as me asked if I preferred that brand, which that day was SmartOnes by Weight Watchers.  My response was "I prefer whichever brand is on sale."  I'd have to honestly say my favorite is actually Healthy Choice, they seem to have a lot of food and get a great deal of variety.  However I haven't had them in a while and today I'm eating a Lean Gourmet.  Because that is what was a very low price when I went shopping.

My favorite fruit to buy is Del Monte Fruit Naturals but today I ate Dole from a can.  (Which if I had a preferance I'd never buy fruit in a can!)  But that was what I had on hand and what was on sale one week. 

Some people will object they can't use coupons because they never have the ones they want! Well they probably just need to be more flexible in reality.  Try something new! I've tried tons of snack items for free and most were pretty good.  When you clip coupons don't think of things you like, think if is something useful and what is more would you buy it if it was $1.00, $.50 or free! There are many things I probably would never buy regular price but at $.50 they're a pretty good deal! 

So slowly change your thinking and the more you do the more you will save!

To be sure though don't feel like you can't indulge sometimes.  I do on one or two items once in a while. I may grab Oikos Yogurt when it is on sale but I don't have a coupon or Kozy shack pudding knowing that it is a "phantom sale" (only 10%) off because I have a coupon.  But I keep those to a minimum and mostly let the true sales dictate my purchases.