Stores have their busy and crowded times and then there are the off hours or less frequented times of the day. I prefer the less crowded times of the day or the less busy days of the week.

Tuesday has traditionally been a quiet day not only in supermarkets but in other retail outlets as well. That’s why many promotions are geared toward Tuesday, to try and bring in more traffic. Senior discounts almost always occur on Tuesdays. Evenings are usually good, and just after the school-day ends when parents are driving car-pools and helping kids with homework. Early mornings on the weekends prove to be quiet times too.

I prefer these hours since I can travel the supermarket more leisurely looking for ‘unadvertised specials’ and ‘specially marked packages’ a couponer’s delight. There are also less shopping cart collisions making the overall experience more pleasant. The checkout is less hurried and I can watch that the advertised specials are ringing up properly. In every shopping trip I scan my cash tape before leaving the store because there always seems to be an error. Even with new computerized registers sale items don’t necessarily appear.

Thus, whenever possible take advantage of these quieter shopping times and keep an eye on the register.

A great bonus to alert shoppers are Unadvertised Specials and Specially Marked Packages.

Let’s talk about unadvertised specials. Most sale items are outlined in the weekly store flyers. But sometimes, a supermarket may have an abundance of a product or received too much product and employs the ‘unadvertised special’ to promote the item. These are usually shown at the end of the aisle or in a prominently visible display. For me, and for the savvy shopper these are a great bonus. Since I always take all of my coupons along, I can easily sort through my organizer and match up a coupon to this super-special.

Next are the Specially Marked Packages. They vary and offer great savings at no additional cost.

• Products packaged with 25% more volume
• Items offering coupons on current or future purchases
• Full purchase price refunds on the purchase
• In-product promotions most common in the cereal and pet food aisles
• BOGOF: Buy One Get One Free pre-packaged items

So join the refunder’s bandwagon of savings, fun and alert shopping.

Saving at the checkout is fun and easy. Almost immediately, you can expect a 20% savings and build that savings up to 50% regularly on your grocery shopping bill. Use these 5 TOP TIPS to get started:

• Organize coupons: Put coupons into categories i.e. baking, condiments, dairy
• Get the coupons you need from www.selectcouponprogram.com
• Sign up for Supermarket loyalty cards
• Gather store flyers to check for weekly sales
• Combine coupons with store sales to maximize savings

Using just these 5 tips you’ll be impressed with your savings. And like everything in life, the more you follow these tips, the better you’ll get at it. Happy Savings.

My next criteria for choosing a market is overall store sales. The store I prefer, A&P, starts their weekly sales on Friday, and has extra special sales from Friday to Monday. I make up my list according to the sales and the coupons I have. I also get extra coupons from the Sunday insert. The inserts almost always have coupons that match the current sales. And of course I stockpile coupons from www.selectcouponclub.com. Since I try to get to the market during the 4-day sale period, I prepare my list as soon as possible. I keep the list and my coupons together so I’m prepared and don’t have to rush at the last moment.

Using this technique, I’m guaranteed to save 20-40% off my weekly bill.