Mary left an excellent question on the Facebook page. I am not experienced with saving on gourmet foods, but I will give this my best shot. Please leave a comment with your ideas!
I never see coupons for things like gourmet cheese, cream and spices. I prefer to make my own salad dressings, sauces and gravies and would love to know how to save money on those. One of my favorite things is gouda mac and cheese, and gouda is expensive even on sale. Any suggestions?
Every once in a while I see coupons for gourmet cheese in the inserts. There were International Delight creamer coupons in the 04/10 SS insert (not sure if you could use those). There was also a McCormick coupon in the 04/10 RP insert.
1. Check the company website and sign up for email lists. It is common for companies to provide coupons on their website or to include offers in monthly newsletters.
2. Request coupons from the manufacture: Most manufacturers are more than willing to provide you with coupons on your favorite products if you ask. Send an email and tell them how much you love their product. Ask if they could mail you coupons, so you could purchase their product more often.
3. Amazon is a great place to find just about everything you’re looking for. I know they have a gourmet food section that may or may not include the gourmet products your looking for. Watch for free shipping options and the “subscribe and save” option to save more. Don’t forget about using your swagbucks to purchase Amazon gift cards!
4. Use Catalina’s to purchase your “extras”. If you can save on products your family will use by purchasing items that will issue a Catalina, designate those CATS to gourmet purchases.
5. Use extra grocery money for gourmet purchases. When you are under budget for the month, use your savings to purchase the items that are not necessarily part of your normal spending. I love Trader Joe’s, but I can easily go over my budget if I shop too often. Sometimes I save my leftover grocery money and use that for TJ shopping.
6. Make a price book of your favorite products. Take time to visit your local stores and write down the brand and price of the gourmet foods you need. Make sure to include a store brand if applicable. You may find one store is regularly priced less than another. Plus you can see if an item is on a good sale.
7. Look for markdowns each time you shop. Take a walk past the gourmet cheese case every time you shop. Look for reduction stickers on the products you need. Stores reduce products as they get close to their expiration dates.
8. Talk with the store manager. Get friendly with your local store manager. Find out when your store typically marks down the products you need. Chat him/her up about how you can take the products off their hands before they go bad. It’s better for the store for you to buy the product then for them to toss it.
*Also, use the Coupon Database to see if anyone else has a found a coupon for a product you are looking for. You may be surprised as to the coupons that are posted there.
What are your ideas for saving on Gourmet Items?
This post is linked to My Coupon Teacher & Life as Mom
My husband is a chef so I completely understand the frustration of trying to buy gourmet items with coupons. Here are a few things I have been able to do:
I go to Trader Joes once a month to stock up on cheese, wine and some other items I find are less expensive there – plus they take coupons, ebt, etc.
Another great store is Fresh World over in the Walmart Shopping center at Princess Anne and Lynnhaven – an internatinal foods store where you can find a large variety of spices, sauces, peppers, produce, etc at very inexpensive prices. My husband will go there to pick up ingredients for dinner specials. Yesterday he found blackberries there for 99 cents! They always have cilantro for 39 cents/bunch – looks much better than anything I have seen in the grocery store. Also meats and milk are pretty inexpensive there – just don’t do your regular shopping there – nothing else is cheap. Its not the prettiest store around, but they sell things there I have never seen before!
If you know anyone who has a card check out Restaurant Depot (I believe you have to provide a tax id to get one) – GREAT prices, wish I still owned a restaurant, I would be there everyday!
McKormicks has put out a few coupons recently and I was able to pick up free spices last week at HT.
Also when you see coupons for olive oil, red wine vinegar, etc – always buy it when cheap because it won’t go bad and can make GREAT sauces.
Cheeses also tend to be less expensive at Sams club as well.
I have to check out Fresh World! Thanks for the tip!
I bought a ton of olive oil on a fantastic sale over a year ago and still have some left. I like to use it for pastas and such
Can you’re husband come cook for me? 🙂
Great ideas on ways to find discounts on gourmet items!!