Thrifty Thursday - Is It Really A Sale?

This week for my Thrifty Thursday post, I'm passing along a reminder: Just because a store says an item is on sale, doesn't mean it really is.

If it's a large item marked as a special sale in store, be sure to check the retail price at other stores before buying. With many folks having iPhones and other data plans, this is getting even easier! If worse comes to worse, use your cell phone to call someone at home and have them check the price on the internet.

When it comes to groceries and other personal care items, remember that all "sale" prices tend to cycle out. Some "sales" prices are better than others - and just because it's in the grocery store ad circular, does not mean it's really on sale. Honest! Many stores will have four or five things in a section that's on sale, and then fill it with other items in the same category that aren't on sale, but go along with the theme!

If you're having a hard time remembering prices, keep a small notebook in your purse and write down prices of the important stuff on each weekly trip alongside the date. It may take a few extra minutes, but the potential for saving lots of money is there. After a few months, you'll start to see several patterns - one: the regular price; two: the usual sale price; and three: the loss leader price. You may also notice that certain sales happen seasonally as well. For instance, I know that when 1 pound packages of butter are marked to 3/$5 that it's time for me to stock up. If I'm running very low, I may purchase one to last me, but I only stock up in my freezer when it's at least 3/$5. The same thing goes for Progresso soups - when they are on sale for $1, I take advantage of coupons, and that's my cue to buy several months worth. After awhile of using the price book, you'll start to see that you don't even need to use one! I know the "good" sale prices of most of the items we use, and buy then.