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What store fliers save you the most in price matching? Name your state as well (if you choose) so we can see what fliers we should take to WalMart.

For example:
Connecticut   1. Price Rite   2. Shaws   3. Stop and Shop

Thanks!

Like pretty much any mom out there I’m always looking for ways to save money wherever I can. I clip coupons, bargain shop, and enjoy signing up online for free samples.  Who doesn’t love going to the mailbox and finding a miniature cereal sample in there! It’s a thrill right?  Ok well maybe I’m just that much of a dork. Anyhow- One of my favorite ways to save money (and in this economy, save a little gas too!) is to take full advantage of Walmart’s price matching policy.

I love it.  It’s far more flexible and customer friendly than any other store’s policy I’ve seen thus far.  I’ll admit I was skeptical at first. After all what bargain shopping mama hasn’t grown attached to the weekend scramble to seven different stores?  It’s even more fun if you have a few toddlers in tow.  Ten extra points for those of you who have “Two Under Two.” After a few trips of weekend scramble I had had enough. I wanted a better way.  I started to research price matching policies. After reading through several I quickly realized Walmart’s policy is the best.  Why you ask? One simple reason- Walmart will match the prices associated with advertised club member cards/preferred shopper cards. This is gold!

My first week I did the scramble one last time.  I went around and signed up for any preferred shopper program I could find in town. This was an essential step in saving the most money I could through price matching.  The 2nd week I gathered up my precious Sunday paper and sat down to work.  I circled the products I wanted to buy making sure to choose the lowest price in town. (Walmart will only match prices within your local market)  I took extra care to remember Walmart will not match BOGO products, Buy one item get a different item free, or percentage off sales. They also don’t honor double or triple coupon ads, or any ad that is misprinted. (So, no $1 box of diapers ok?)  After about 45 minutes I had my circled sales set and off to Walmart I went.

My first trip I felt sort of silly walking around with what felt like a million flyers in my hand.  Hmmm… Was Easy Mac cheaper at store A or store B?  Hang on, let me look.  But I eventually got into a groove.  I knew where things were, and I was organized.  I knew which products were on sale and which ones I had coupons for.  I made it to the register! I let the cashier know that I had some price matching items and she knew exactly what to do.  I showed her my flyers and the respective items and watched my grocery total decrease. It’s such a good feeling.  After coupons and price matching I saved a total of $35 dollars on my first week. I save even more now that I am in the groove of it. It’s such a powerful tool in saving on a grocery bill.

The best part of price matching has to be the extra time I have to do other things.  I don’t have to run around town anymore.  I can also pick up anything else I need because Walmart is awesome like that. I save some gas, and I can usually convice my hubby to watch the baby because he knows I’m only going to one store.  Sometimes I like to pretend it took longer than it did so I can stop and get a coffee on the way home. We’ll let that one be our little secret though!

In short, Walmart’s Price Matching is a great idea.  If you haven’t tried it out yet I highly recommend it.  Try it for a week, see how much you save.  My guess would be you’ll be back to do it again.

Thanks Ashley! This is really great information! I love how you encourage moms that they can “get in a groove.” I’ve recently started price matching and I am trying to learn all the rules. I recently found out that if the brand name is not specified on an ad, this is a good thing. Just go get that exact size item in a brand available at WalMart and they will match the price. Are you challenged to try price matching at WalMart? If you already do, how much do you save each week on groceries?

We stayed with my husband’s aunt, Mary Ann, who has a beach house. She has four girls ages 6th grade to college and a dog named Oscar. Can you see Logan’s toes while he is in this beach chair? The girls let me take a nap one day and while I was sleeping, they painted the boys toe nails! Logan loved it so Dave quickly explained that only girls are allowed to paint their toenails. He was so sad. I can seriously see him with a house full of daughters some day!

Oscar quickly became the BFF. (I don’t think the feeling was mutual as Oscar wants out!)

See you next year Long Beach Island!