Bob McCarty Writes

Below are 10 ways to save serious money at the supermarket and help you offset the skyrocketing prices of food, fuel and other household necessities. Read them and pass this on to your friends, family and neighbors, compliments of Bob McCarty Writes:

1) Loyalty Cards: If you don’t have one, sign up for one. It’s one of the easiest ways to save money on groceries on sale each week. Never leave the store without swiping your loyalty card at checkout.

2) Electronic Coupons: Online coupon sites such as Shortcuts.com let shoppers load coupons onto their store loyalty cards for savings without printing or clipping. Just click the coupons you want and they’re automatically redeemed when you use your loyalty card.

3) Buy One, Get One Free: These buy-one-get-one sales are great on their own, but you can also use one coupon for each item. So if you get two items, make sure to use two coupons.

4) Printable Coupons: Check out coupon Web sites such as Coupons.com (click on ad at right) and SmartSource.com, which let you select the coupons you want to print.

5) Favorite Brands: Frequent the Web sites of your favorite brands. You can often find money-saving printable coupons right on the site or you can sign up for special offers by mail or e-mail.

6) Coupons for Sale: If you spot a great sale and want to double up on your savings, go online to a site like TheCouponClippers.com, which lets you order coupons for a few cents each.

7) Stack Coupons: Some retailers offer coupons that can only be used at their stores. You can use these coupons along with manufacturers’ coupons on the same product for extra savings. By doubling up, you can sometimes get products for free or nearly free.

Double And Triple Coupon Deals: Some grocery stores double or triple coupons and sometimes only on certain days of the week. Check the newspaper for which days they’re multiplied.

9) Rebates & Free-bates: Look for rebates and free-bates, which refund you the full purchase price. You can make money in some cases when you use a coupon and then get a full-price free-bate. Just don’t forget to send in the forms.

10) Money-Saving Blogs: Check out money-saving blogs that share with readers shopping tips and advice as well as coupons, free samples and round-ups of the best deals at the grocery store. Two to check out are MoneySavingMom.com and CouponCravings.com.