Saving Without Coupons

I still can't believe how much there is to know about couponing! 

As well as learning through my own trial and error over the past month, I've enjoyed using the internet to soak up all I can from some experienced coupon bloggers, like;

Mary Jo

Heather

and this couponing community 

The most valuable thing I have invested in is the free 101 Couponing video series from Passion For Savings, here. While it was a little time consuming, it was definitely worth making room for! There is such good information and so many tips for a novice like me. 

So far, my coupon files are stocked and organized, my shopping lists are getting tighter and more accurate, my stock-pile of non-perishable and frozen foods is busting at the seems...

but the one thing I am still working on is learning to keep track (mostly in my head) of who sells each product at the lowest price. 
I'm finding that just because the sign says "sale" doesn't necessarily mean that product is going to be cheaper than it is someplace else. This is probably the trickiest thing I've come up against so far. 

For example: 2 for $5 is not a sale on orange juice at Festival Foods if Walmart sells the exact same thing regularly priced at $2.47 each. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to run all over town to catch the greatest deal in 10 stores a week. Unless I'm in the area of a store where I know I can pop in and make a killing, I'm only shopping at one to two stores a week, MAX. 

For instance, when I went to BIG LOTS with a friend of mine during a girls' day out, we found these INCREDIBLE prices on these two regularly stocked items: 

Regularly, $2.20 at the cheapest grocery store in town,

this Annie's mac-n-cheese is just $1.20 at Big Lots!!!

EARTHGRAINS is my favorite bread for my guys.

The ingredients is barely a list, 

nothing bleached or enriched... you get the point.

But it costs like it is good at over three dollars a loaf.

Sometimes it will go on sale 2 for $2.50 which is a good deal. 

Big Lots sells it for $1.10 a loaf!!!

Not only will I never buy these items anywhere else again,

but I won't have to for a good while, since I now have

15 loaves of bread in our extra freezer

and 15 boxes of mac-n-cheese in our stock room! ;) 

It's great to save with coupons, 

but to find products at nearly 50% off and more 

without coupons is too good to be true! :)

>Do you have any good tips or tricks to share with a newbie?