Good Morning Y'all!
I wanted to share one of my most valuable tips with you! This is one of my favorite tools to use when preparing to go shopping. It reduces the amount of time I am actually in the store shopping with my kids and also helps me to keep on budget each week with the groceries that I buy.
Lowes Foods and Harris Teeter both have links where you can setup a "mock" shopping trip via their Online Shopping tool. I don't think they created it for this reason, but it sure is helpful! I got this tip from ~Manda~ over at The Frugal Beach Bum Blog and Coupon Community and ~Mare~ at I Got It Free With Coupons .
Online Shopping's original purpose: Both grocery stores have certain locations that participate in Online Shopping. This means for a small fee, a grocery clerk will shop for you! They have your bags waiting, and all you have to do is drive up (most participating stores have a designated spot just for online shoppers to pickup their orders), say you are there and they bring them right out! From time to time, I have seen where each participating store will also reduce their online shopping fee to encourage new users. It's an awesome service that I have used on days where the kids are napping in the car and I know I need to pick up a few groceries!
My way of using Online Shopping to help keep on our coupon budget: I make a list of what I want based on each weeks coupon match ups and then a list of what I need that may not be listed on sale. I use this info and enter it into my coupon spreadsheet to make a list. I will use the Online Shopping tool to pull up the item/price and then prepare my list. I typically will print my list and pull coupons *before* I walk into the store to make it a quick trip. I have found many things to be on sale and I did not know it when using this tool!
So here is how it works and here are a few things to remember about the online shopping tools:
1. This is an awesome service and with any good thing we would want to follow the rules. Too many times in the past I have seen a good thing go bye-bye because someone abused its purpose. (I could go on for days about this - different blog, different day!)
2. Sometimes (rare occasion) the price via online shopping tool does not match the price on the shelf at the store. My advise, check with your grocery clerk *before* you get in line to check out. You will save yourself the time & avoid an akward line of unhappy customers behind you.
3. You are not completing your online shopping trip when you are using this tool - it is just to plan a trip and matchup prices. Please please please do not check out on the site if you do not intend to make it a true Online Shopping Trip!
Here are the links for each store : you may have to choose a location nearest to you just as a default so you can use the tool.
Harris Teeter Express Lane / Online Shopping Link :: click HERE
Lowes Foods To Go / Online Shopping Link :: click HERE
Hope you find this tool as valuable as I do in your coupon endeavours!
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