Tips & Tricks for Smith's Shopping
I'm a big advocate of clipping coupons. Saving money on your groceries it one of the few necessity bills that we can lower. So, I thought I'd put some posts together to help you save money at the grocery store. I decided to start with Smith's because it's one of my stores of choice. Smith's is a great place to shop for bargains with or without coupons. Their friendly customer service, rewards program, sales and well stocked shelves making shopping a breeze. Here are the secrets for saving the most money Smith's.
1- Download coupons onto your Rewards card. It's easy, after registering your card just log in and look for the coupons for the items you need and add them to your card. The savings will automatically be taken off at checkout.
One thing to keep in mind when downloading coupons to your Smith's card is that you can not combine paper coupons and digital coupons and the coupon must match the size and item exactly or it won't come off.
2- Take the newspaper. If you aren't taking the paper I HIGHLY recommend you do. Currently there is an introductory offer for $20 for the entire year for Sunday's paper. Even casual clippers like myself easily make money with that price.
See the Newspaper deal here >>
3- Use the money saving apps. These apps. are so great to use. Simply purchase the required items and then submit a picture of your receipt through the app. No mailing required. The savings are then added to your account for payout. There's even offers for produce, meat and dairy products.
Ibotta app >>
(Get a $10 bonus for joining, limited)
4- Match the coupons with a sale. This is key. While Smith's everyday prices are fine. They are comparative to other stores, their sales however, are highly competitive. I especially like the mega sales and 10 for $10 sales. Plus, their sales match up well with current coupons.
5- Watch for unadvertised sales and closeouts. They have a lot! Keep in mind these vary by store. Also keep your eyes peeled for coupons attached to products or in machines near them. These in-store coupons can save you a bundle.
You'll also want to make sure you are keeping count when shopping their special mix and match mega sales. During these sales when you mix and match various items you'll get additional savings at the register.
6- Make sure you are getting the items that match-up correctly to the coupon. By doing this your transaction will go so much smoother and you won't have the “beep-age” that is so annoying to you, the checker, and the person behind you. Plus, you will avoid the checker having to scrutinize your purchase and have the confidence you are using the coupon how it was intended.
Learn more about coupon fine print on this post here >>
6- Pay attention to the coupons that come out of the register! There's good stuff on those coupons! Sometimes they announce an upcoming deal, sometimes they are high value coupons and sometimes they are for money off on your next shopping trip.
I once found a $4.00 coupon good for anything in the store at Smith's laying ground that someone had missed tossing into the trash. Good for me, too bad for them. Make sure to check them before you throw them away.
7- Don't forget the fuel rewards! The Smith’s Fuel Saver Rewards will save you on gas each month. Just scan your card at the pump and use your points in increments of 100 to get .10¢- $1.00 off each gallon of gas. (up to 35 gallons)
Remember to take in your own bags. You get 10 points for each one you bring in up to 50 points. I'd ask the cashier to make sure you get those points. You also get 50 points each time you fill a prescription at the pharmacy.
#8 – Follow Crazy4Smiths.com daily. On Crazy4Smith's they find the unadvertised deals and match them up with any available coupons. It makes saving money at Smith's a breeze.
Check out Crazy4Smiths.com here >>
9 – Keep it Un-extreme. You don't have to go into extreme mode to save a TON of money. In fact, I recommend you don't. Extreme couponing is time consuming and actually ends up creating overspending on things that either don't get used or go bad on your basement shelf. It's also hard to maintain and most end up giving up and then stop using coupons completely.
Using practical techniques to save on everyday items you would normally purchase anyway is the best way to make it a lifestyle instead of a phase of life. With a little planning, using coupons for savings for the things you buy anyway can really add up and you'll wonder why you were ever paying so much for groceries.
Hopefully, this will help inspire you to get started. I'll have more tips for other stores and coupons in general coming up over the the next few weeks.
Crystal says
February 18, 2013 at 10:14 ami started shopping smith’s when I found your site years ago. I would hope that they would pay to advertise on your site with how much you promote them. I think they would see a significant difference if you stopped posting deals on c4u.
Joani says
February 19, 2013 at 7:58 pmSo glad it’s helpful Crystal. Our relationship with our readers and helping them save money is the best reward.