A word on stars

If you have ever looked at a Grocery Smarts list you have noticed that next to each item there are stars. The stars are a rating system and help you to know if an item is an amazing deal, a great deal, an average deal or a not so great deal. I have several people lately ask me how I decide my shopping list and if I ever buy 3 star items, so I decided to do a post on this.

When I first started using the Grocery Smarts website I would buy 3, 4, and 5 star items because my cupboards were bare at the time. When it came to buying 4 or 5 star items I would always buy enough to last me 12 weeks and sometimes even more. However when it came to buying a 3 star item I would buy the items I needed but I wouldn't stock up on them at the price they were listed at. The reason I didn't stock up was because I didn't want to use all of my coupons for that item at a 3 star price and then have it go on sale at a 4 or 5 star rating two weeks later and then I wouldn't have any coupons to buy it with. Plus how much of a bummer would it be if I bought 4 packs of yogurt at an o.k. price and then the following week they were a killer price? I would have been very upset.

After about three months of consistently shopping at Smith's and Albertson's and getting my cupboards to the point where I felt like we were stocked up on all of the items we use on a daily basis I then started shopping only 4 or 5 star items - however - I still occassionally will buy 3 star items if I need them, I just rarely need to do that at this point.

One last thought on star ratings. Star ratings are based on the bottom line price so if you don't have the coupon it drops a star rating and if you aren't buying enough items to qualify for a promotion then the star rating drops as well. This is why I go to coupons by dede and stock up on inserts that I don't receive in the mail (P&G and Red Plum) so I have the coupons I need when they go on sale.

I hope this helps clarify any questions you might have had about shopping based on star ratings. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to email me or call me.

Email: tkmiller81002@yahoo.com
Phone: 702-362-8959