Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Savvy Ottawa spender says shop late


Shopping for groceries just before closing time is an efficient way to fight a jump in your grocery bill, according to one savvy Ottawa shopper.
Christa Amyot, a stay-at-home mother of two, said she spends about 15 minutes a day looking for coupons and 30 minutes perusing flyers.
But Amyot insists it take more than coupons, discipline and scavenging skills to find the best deals at the grocery store.
She said she tries on only buy groceries that are marked down at least 50 per cent off, which often happens just before stores close when stores mark down prices.
"I get pretty excited when I see them with their roll of [discount] stickers," said Amyot, who quit her job as a trainer of teachers to be a stay-at-home parent and run the household.
"That's kind of my new job, to provide savings for the family."
Amyot said she saves about $100 per week with what she calls three layers of savings.
She said it begins with buying items you have coupons for and shopping where you can earn grocery points. If you can find a deal and the item does not go bad, stock up for the near future.
Shoppers such as Amyot put a lot of work into their savings, but another Ottawa man is trying to help the many shoppers who do not have the same time to invest in their savings.
Software designer Remsy Schmilinsky put eight months of his own time into creating FlyeronFire.com, a search engine that allows browsers to compare flyers for products in 30 local stores.
"It allows people to find deals in Ottawa, groceries, electronics, week after week it's there [in one place]," said Schmilinsky.
Schmilinsky was able to show the CBC's Judy Trinh how to save $5 on baby diapers in just five minutes. He added it is a cost-efficient and time-efficient way to save.

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