Grocery shopping can be pretty routine. Week after week, we go in and buy the same items without thinking too much about it.

But you should be wary of shopping on autopilot. Even worse is when we make a meal plan every week and fit our food needs to what we want to eat.

Chances are, you’re overpaying — sometimes by as much as 50 percent.

The secret lies in the store’s sales cycle, and the sooner you learn it, the sooner you save.

My friend Teri Gault figured out the trick of following sales cycles when her husband was out of work. She began saving so much for her family that her son suggested that she help others.

On her 40th birthday, she used the last of her quarters in a jar to buy a business license and over the next few years turned her little savings business into a 12 million dollar a year empire helping others save on their groceries each week.

She also wrote Shop More, Save More which gives step-by-step instructions on how to save.

Sales Cycles

There are two types of sales cycles. The first is seasonal. A lot of seasonal sales are common sense; canned pumpkin is cheaper in October, chocolate costs less in February.

But there are a lot of other seasonal items that go on sale during months you may not expect — like oatmeal in January, sodas in July, and peanut butter in September.

There are also rotational sales cycles. These sales cycles 5are typically used to rotate the stock on the shelves every 6 to 12 weeks.

This may seem complicated, but with some time and practice, you can learn how to keep tabs on the best deals.

Start by making a list of the top 10 items you most often buy at the store.

Then, start tracking those prices week to week. Grab a circular ad–they usually send them in the mail every week and are available in the front of the store.

After 6 to 12 weeks, you’ll start to see a point where the price drops noticeably lower than the other weeks. This is when you should shop for this item, and potentially even buy in bulk. Remember, each item will have its own cycle, so track each product individually for the most accuracy.

So if you want to maximize savings in the long run, start tracking your stores sales cycle. The last time steak was on sale for $2.99 a pound I filled my freezer and won’t need it again until the next time it drops that low.

Then if you really want to save, combine coupons at a store that doubles them when the product it at its lowest sale cycle. This can boost your savings to an average of 67%.

My Experience

I began using Teri Gault’s system when she first came out with it in the late 90’s. It took me an hour a week and was a game changer for my family and I have been indebted to her ever since.

I was spending $90 a week to feed 8 people and could never afford snacks, sodas or treats. By using Teri’s system my food budget immediately dropped to $40 per week for 8 people and I pocketed the $50 extra that I had been spending each week and could now use that for extravagances like family vacations.

Think about that for a moment.

$50 a week times 52 weeks is a $2,600 a year additional stream of income for your family. Girls, $200 is a car payment on a basic car, or a vacation or…you get the idea.

For one hour a week of effort you have a whole new playground of possibilities so put your thinking cap on and dream.

AND I didn’t mention to you that when I started shopping this way it also allowed me to buy MORE food than ever before. No more lack, no more feeling impoverished and less than.

Steps I took using Teri’s program later led me to go from being a stay at home mom for 22 years to running my own multi-million-dollar business and believe it or not, you can too.

Doesn’t the prospect of making $50 for one hour of work a week, working at home make using a few coupons worth it?

I cover all of this and more in detail in my Princess Power Program.

So tell me below, what could you do with an extra $200+/month?