Ok, I am all set to go to the store today. I have looked at the sale ads, and made my list. My problem is , when I get to the store, there are ALWAYS things on sale that are not listed in the ad paper. How do I avoid these?

Oh, I understand that! They always seem to have things around the store that are just calling, "Put ME in the cart, I'm on sale, Pick me, Pick me!"

One thing that MIGHT work would be to figure out how much money you would need to get the items on your list. Then, only take that amount. That way, you wouldn't have the option of getting extras. HTH

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Ooh, I hear you girl, this weekend I went to our local supermarket
and they had 10 things for 10.00 and let me tell you I was like a wild
woman in there. Thank goodness dh was with me. I do what
newlywed suggested, that and I have a list on my fridge of things we need
when we run out you put it on the list. And we only buy the things on the list.
Now matter how good those icecreams 10 for 10.00 look.

I will also suggest sticking to the grocery list and avoid the other sales at all costs when you are on a really strict budget. But I also think that planning a menu for the weeks in between pays so you can use what you have on hand and will know what you will need in order to make those dinners!

However- when money is not super tight for us I will buy extras of what we use (especially if it is on sale!) for my stockpile. My monthly grocery budget is $350. I usually go under $75 a week and save the extra $50 towards my stockpile- if I go over that amount it is taken out of the following weeks budget- which means only the fresh necessities (it has to be a great sale price- usually combined with a coupon!). We are dependant on our stockpile a few months out of the year when DH's work is slow (and especially for those unexpectant bills!)- so I really have a hard time passing up great deals! If I don't find any great deals on what we typically eat or for my other household stockpile- I will pick up a gift card at the grocery store (that offers fuel perks) to have money to go towards Christmas expenses (which is always a good help!).

I know it is probably against all things frugal...j/k, but when I make my list, I take what I plan to spend plus $10 -$15 extra. That way, if they are having some great unadvertised sale item that I can add to my stockpile, I can go ahead, but I don't go overboard.

A couple of tips:

1) UNshop. Before heading for the check-out look through your cart to make one last decision about what is in there. Do you really need all that stuff? Are you duplicating items? For instance, if chicken is suddenly a better deal can you make dinner with that instead of the item you had planned? Can you put something back?

2) Recognize that some of the sales are priced to get you to buy more. For instance, 10 for $10 doesn't always mean you HAVE to buy 10 items. In many cases you can buy 5 for $5 or even 1 for $1. Read the small print, of course, but decide how many items you're going to buy and IF you're going to buy it at all separate from what the store is trying to make you do.

3) Sales are rarely held on one day. If you're unsure about an item, write it down and decide if you want to go back later to pick it up. Sometimes it is nice to be out of the store while making these decisions.

4) Don't go to the store hungry or tired. Try to go to the store alone, if that helps. For me, it doesn't. Going to the store is a mini-vacation so I tend to linger and browse when I'm alone. For me, it is better to take DD so I get out quickly before she asks me to buy something I don't want to buy.

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I have been having this exact problem. Today I almost cried literally ( hormones!) in the store at all the unadvertised dollar deals, and I wanted to take advantage of them, yet KNEW I didnt have that extra money to do it.

I also "unshop" like a previous poster mentioned. I try to put back one or two things.

Its takiong me some time to really STICK to the list. Im getting better slowly.

Yeah I totally agree..write down you list, decide about how much you think it will cost...write that at the top of your list. Take about $20 extra dollars with you for things you forgot you needed or would like to get for your pantry.

Keept track of what you are spending while you shop. For example...I hit the produce 1st...buy what I need....adding things up in my head as a go along...I round up to the nearest dollar to cover any taxes. Then I right that amount on my grocery list...then I move on to the deli...again..get what's on my list...add that to my produce...and so on..

That way you can keep track of what you are spending. That way if you spend a little less for the things on your list then you thought you would...you have more that those fabulous sales you see! Plus...TAKE CASH ONLY! That way...when your cash runs out...you are done. Yes...you can swipe that card....but don't! Once I was at Walmart and I found an apple pie on clearance for half-price. I have a little over my budget so I had to ask the cashier to have someone put it back. They usually don't mind. The items that you don't need and aren't sure you have the money for....have those scanned last. You can ask what you total is...and if you are under budget..then you can buy those goodies!