What items will you buy only if it is on sale? (restaurant, coupons)

[no kudzu]

I usually make my shopping and menu lists for the week using the sale flyer which comes out in the paper on Wednesday. Sometimes I buy no matter if it is on sale or not---like fresh blueberries. I have to have them year round.
I'll only buy pork tenderloin, turkey breast and any roast beef if they are on sale and eventually it all goes on sale. and sometimes I'll wait till cauliflower is on sale as it seems to be so expensive otherwise.

Do you shop only sale items or just buy what you want? Does your extra storage space determine if you can stock up?(of course it does!) I have extra fridge in the garage as well as well as shelves so I am able to stock up on staples and frozen items when they are on sale. It is wonderful to get soups for $1 or less a can and keep lots on hand.

[nmnita]

Mostly top of the line meats and fish, plus things like Asparagus and other produce. For non parishables, I only buy rice (Jasmine) on sale, as well as cereals and pastas. I will buy soup, whether on sale or not, just buy off brands if it isn't on sale.

[cb at sea]

Turkey breasts.....I refuse to pay over $1.19 lb for a turkey breast! And shrimp and crab legs....will NOT paya the "regular" price for any of those items.....since they are all frozen anyway, I'll stock up when a good sale hits.

I only buy perishables because of a sale IF I need it....

[Hedgehog_Mom]

I buy jasmine rice all year at Sam's. I like to cook asian dishes and I don't care for regular rice. I also buy different rice for mexican food, but I buy the smaller bags at the grocery store because I don't use them as often.

I buy pork on sale, any pork that's $1/lb is going to go into my crock pot and emerge as pulled pork or carnitas. I will buy beef when it gets down to $2/lb, and it goes in the freezer for special meals.

Sometimes if there are a couple of grocery stores near you, even if they're part of the same chain, they'll have different prices. The produce is half as much at one HEB as it is at the other one four miles away. I always check the ads for both because they will run different specials (because the cheaper HEB has a competitor just down the street).

[Newdaawn]

I will only buy T-bone, porterhouse, and rib-eye steak if it is on sale.

[baker Freesia]

Same here as nita & newdaawn as far as top of the line meat. I tend to splurge more on the more expensive cereals & once in awhile shrimp (frozen).

[AnonChick]

Pasta - I get the crap in a box from Borrelli or Prince or Ronzoni or whatever's $1/per box that week, I'll usually buy 3-4 boxes and that'll hold me over for 6-7 weeks (I cook just over 1/2 a box on Monday nights with homemade meatballs, which gives me and hubby dinner, plus 2 leftover lunches for him, and sometimes a leftover lunch for me).

Jarred pasta sauce: I like the Silver Plate, and Sclafani's, and this other one that's made at a Hartford restaurant that I can't remember its name. Also, this stuff called Pomi Marinara, that comes in a box. They're more well known for their skinned tomatos in the box-shaped package, but their marinara is pretty amazing. They use chili powder in the recipe, which gives it a vague, interesting quirk. I buy when these things are on sale, because their regular price is between $5-8 each. The Pomi I believe is the cheapest of the bunch, regularly $4.29. I get it when it's on sale for $2.99 and buy 2-3 boxes at a time.

Really, anything that I buy that isn't fresh, I buy on sale and stock up. Single-serve apple sauces, frozen foods, toilet paper, macaroni, canned tuna, and any snacks I get for the house. I rarely buy snack foods other than those silly 100-calorie fiber bars. But when I pick up a big bag of popcorn snackpacks, I only do it when they're on sale.

Fresh foods, I pay whatever they're charging, because I can't stock up on them, and only buy enough to last a week.

[rural chick]

When items like sugar, flour or other shelf items are on sale, I stock up. I put the flour in the freezer. I bake a lot at Christmas to make up cookie and candy plates as gifts so it's always used up within the year. Not long ago I learned that even potato chips can be put in the freezer and still be fresh when taken out, so now I will buy 2 or 3 extra "on sale" bags of chips for the freezer.

I also write companies via email and give them compliments on their products to see if they will send me a coupon(s) for either free or large amount of cents off. Many companies will do this....some don't. An example is Domino - they sent me several $1.00 coupons for sugar. Some companies will send you coupons via email and others through the mail. Also, if I buy a product and really don't like it, I will write the company to tell them and they will many times send coupons for another product. I sent a note to Minute Maid as I really didn't like the taste of their lite lemonade - they sent me three coupons for a free 1/2 gallon of their regular lemonade. Just ways to save money.

[CSD610]

We purchase whatever we want whenever we want it and if it is on sale that is a bonus. We do not skimp on quality either so no generic anything for us. Sneakers does not like anything from a can that resembles a vegetable so only fresh vegetables unless they are out of season then only frozen. As far as pasta goes, I generally make my own unless it is a last minute supper and I just toss a box of pasta in the water and throw together something but that is rare. We also do not pick up single servings of anything, those items are not cost effective and I can take one serving out of the larger, cost effective container and put it in a ziploc bowl and freeze it if I want and I still have a single serving but at a lower cost overall. This is right for us though which does not make it right for others, just how we do things here.

[70Ford]

Originally Posted by Newdaawn

I will only buy T-bone, porterhouse, and rib-eye steak if it is on sale.

Came here to say this. Left disappointed that I was beaten to it.