Speech Reference: Review Receipt

One of the purposes to use the Internet as part of this speech is to provide additional reference and resources to the speech. This posting contains web site addresses and information for "Review Receipt."

Here are sites that list Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP), in which participating stores will give you a discount of up to $10 if the scanner price is higher than the shelf price:

• FrugalShopper.ca's Article on SCOP: A short article that summarizes what SCOP is and how it works
  
  
• SmartCanucks.ca's Article on SCOP: Another short article on SCOP; the article lists participating stores
  
  
• Retail Council of Canada's Offical Page on "Code of Practice: Scanner Price Accuracy Voluntary Code": The official SCOP code is listed here
  
  
• RedFlagDeals.com's Discussions on SCOP: Read other shoppers experience on SCOP
  
  

For more resources, please google "scanning code of practice."

Speech Reference: Stay at the Store's Perimeter

One of the purposes to use the Internet as part of this speech is to provide additional reference and resources to the speech. This posting contains web site addresses and information for "Stay at the Store's Perimeter."

Here are sites that list shopping strategies, including staying at the store's perimeter:

• LifeHacker's Shop Healthier at the Store Perimeter: Make your next trip to the grocery store as healthy as possible by shopping the perimeter of the store; read the other nine tips in the referenced article.
  
  
• Canadian Living's 6 budget grocery shopping tips: "Impulse purchases at the grocery store are even more frequent than those in your favourite clothing stores...Whether you're saving up to buy your first home or worried about the looming food crisis, you're probably looking for ways to save some money."
  
  
• Quick Article on Cutting Your Grocery Bill in Supermarkets: Cut your grocery bill now: "7 ways to avoid the cash traps at your local grocer": A resource that was previously listed on this site
  
  
YouTube 7 Keys to Great Grocery Shopping with TonyaTko: "I went to the grocery store. Journey with me as I show you some easy tips and tricks to get the MOST out of shopping."

For more resources, please google "grocery shopping tips." Be sure to check out the Google News section for the latest news on grocery shopping tips. Lastly, YouTube has videos on grocery shopping tips.

Save Money and Time with a Better Grocery Shopping List with "Grocery Shopping Helper"

Visit Dave Cheong's site to generate a customized grocery shopping list. Unlike a traditional grocery shopping list, in which you write down what you need in a list. The "Grocery Shopping Helper" is a "formatted page of all the grocery items you are ever interested in, either sorted alphabetically or by aisle."

Once you generate your shopping list, you could print multiple copies. Then, whenever something is running low in your household, you could either circle or highlight the item. This list helps you to save time because

1. You don't have to write down the product, and
   
2. You will have a clear shopping path, so you will never need to backtrack in the grocery store.

This list helps you to save money because you will focus on what you need and be less tempted to shop for impulse items. Plus, the more time you spend in a store, the more money you are likely to spend. So, by spending less time in a store could help you to spend less money.

Watch How "The Coupon Mom" Saves Money on Groceries

Here is another video on couponing. Be inspired by the news feature on The Coupon Mom, who showcases how much she saves on each item shown on camera. Sometimes she would even get items for free.

Her main message is to match coupons with the products at their lowest prices. She also mentioned five common mistakes on shopping, such as not having a plan. Please note that when they mention "double coupon" policy, it is mostly applicable to American supermarkets. These supermarkets will double the value on the coupon on certain days. So, if you have a $1 coupon, on "double coupon" days, you could save $2 on the specified product. That's why it is a lot easier to get products for free.

How often do you use coupons? Take the poll on the top right side of the screen and share your thoughts!

Take a Grocery Shopping Quiz to See How Much You Would Save in a Supermarket

How much do you know about saving money in a grocery store? Take a short and fun quiz at SavingAdvice.com to test how much you know!

I learned a lot from taking this quiz: I found out that my knowledge is about average of other visitors of this site. I saved about "$500." Please keep in mind that this is a bargain hunting site, so many of the visitors are astute shoppers. So, please don't feel bad if you score below average.

So, how did you do? Post your result in the comments.

Quick Article on Cutting Your Grocery Bill in Supermarkets: Cut your grocery bill now: "7 ways to avoid the cash traps at your local grocer"

The Blogher site has a short and concise article on how to save money in supermarket. Essentially, it provides seven items that you should avoid buying, as they tend to be heavily marked up. For example, a bagged salad costs more than three times than the cost of a head of lettuce. Visit the site to read "7 ways to avoid the cash traps at your local grocer."

Even if you forget the seven items to avoid, the most important tip (actually a reminder) for me is to stay around the perimeter of the store to shop for the basics: fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy and bakery. The inside aisles are where you will find the processed, "less-than healthy" highly marked up products.

What have you done to stretch your dollars at a supermarket? Leave your comment and share!