Advanced cost-cutting

Sometimes, trying to save money gets more complicated than string theory.

At least that’s the case with the “Catalina.” Broken down in a post today at Wise Bread, the Catalina is a special kind of grocery offer that apparently allows shoppers to combine sale prices and coupons to save big. Here’s an excerpt from the piece, written by Carrie Kirby:

I consider them graduate-level grocery cost-cutting — there is math involved to get the best deals, but it’s worth it.

You might have noticed these deals in the grocery flyers: “Spend $20 on selected products, get $10 off your next purchase.” Right off the bat, these deals promise better prices than you would normally find, because the products involved are almost always on sale for the duration of the special offer. Normally, you are either offered a sale price or a “buy-one-get-one” offer, which is essentially half price. But with the above Catalina example, you are being offered half off the sale price – assuming you are able to use the coupons you earn for things you would have bought anyway on your next visit.

Read the full post here .

Kirby goes on to explain the ways of “rolling” coupons to save more money. I don’t understand it in the least — if this is your thing, perhaps her post will make sense to you. But the upshot is, she claims to have spent $15 for $300 worth of food .

Anybody out there using the “Catalina”? Are you seeing savings like Kirby’s?