Here is another way to use the grocery stores’ sales circulars…

Make Your Own Sale at Wal-Mart. For my family, I do the majority of our shopping at Wal-Mart. Many people do not realize that Wal-Mart will match other store’s advertised prices with a few qualifications. Start by asking to speak to the store manager or the grocery manager and make sure you understand the policy at your local Wal-Mart before you load your grocery cart. The following is based on my consistent experience, as well as the experience of other “ad comparison shoppers” I know.

• You must present the ad at check-out, and expect to show the cashier the ad’s date to prove the sale price is current. So take the entire ad with you, not just the page featuring the items you want.
• Wal-Mart will match actual sale prices, but not “buy one, get one” or “percent off” sales.
• Brands and sizes matter, so if the competitor’s ad offers their store-brand sixteen ounce jar of pickles on sale, do not expect to get that same price on a national brand or a different size jar. You would need to purchase Wal-Mart’s store brand to get the sale price.
• Some locations honor sale prices on meats and some do not. Be sure you understand your location’s policies.
• My experience has been that Wal-Mart’s every day price often beats a competitor’s sale price, so that is why I write the details about the competitor’s price on my grocery list. If Wal-Mart’s price is cheaper and you still decide to buy it, cross the item off your list and toss it into your basket. If the competitor’s ad price is cheaper, circle it on your list and place it in a special area of your basket (I use the front area of the basket for this) so at check-out, I can easily find the items and my notes on which ad features the better price.
• Take a clipboard with you. It seems like a small point, but having your ads and your list clipped together on a firm writing surface makes all of this much simpler.

It may take you a few trips to get comfortable with using competitor’s ads at Wal-Mart; I have been doing it for a few years now, and I regularly save at least $10 – $20 every week just by using competitor’s ads. Add to that the savings in time and gasoline because I do not make multiple trips to multiple stores, and my savings go up even more.