COUPON QUEEN: Know the sales when buying groceries

Whether buying staples like bread and milk or splurging on a special meal of steak and twice-baked potatoes, a trip to the grocery store can set you back. With grocery store prices soaring, your budget can take a hit week after week. I save the most money grocery shopping by shopping the sales, using my grocery store loyalty card and using coupons. In addition, I also maximize my savings by shopping at many stores, including Meijer, Apples Market, and Giant Eagle. If something is on a big price drop that my pantry needs, I stock up. When I stock up on basic supplies, my overall shopping list shrinks, which saves me time and money. A store loyalty program can save you a bundle. Meijer offers the mPerks program with coupons and personalized rewards, and my local Apples Market offers text alerts that have me stopping in several times a week for some amazing buys. When I saw that Giant Eagle was changing their store loyalty program, I wanted to look deeper. Over the years, Giant Eagle has offered many programs, including Fuelperks in 2004, which evolved to Fuelperks! (notice the exclamation point), to Fuelperks+. In 2020, Giant Eagle started a separate myPerks program, a similar but separate rewards program. They also had a Foodperks program that ran from 2010 to 2013. In January 2024, the Giant Eagle Fuelperks program ended, and they started up myPerks. The new myPerks program introduces new ways to redeem perks and an easier way to earn "Pro" status. While it seems that you may need to redeem more perks under this new program to get the same rewards, shoppers can earn perks at a much faster rate. Giant Eagle customers can earn one perk per $1 spent on groceries or a gift card or 1.5 perks if they are myPerks Pro members. Picking up prescriptions and pumping gas will also earn perks. If you buy Giant Eagle store-brand products, you'll earn double perks. You'll also want to be on the lookout for special promotions allowing you to earn extra perks, as I recently received four times the perks for buying gift cards. Best of all, perks do not expire for 12 months. Shoppers can redeem their perks in three ways: 50 perks for $1 off their total bill, 100 perks for 10 cents off per gallon of fuel, or 150 perks for 2 percent off their grocery bill. Best of all, rewards can stack, giving you a free tank of gas or 20 percent off your grocery bill. Giant Eagle myPerks Pro members earn myPerks quicker. To earn myPerks Pro status, you must make 25 qualifying trips in six months, which includes spending $50 or more on a grocery trip, buying 10 or more gallons of fuel at GetGo, or picking up one prescription at the pharmacy. Giant Eagle has you covered if you are confused about how best to redeem your points. When checking out at the grocery store or gas station, a screen now offers a display that shows you the best way to redeem your points — no guessing involved. With all new programs, there are new things to learn and changes to get used to. I maximize my savings at all of the stores that I shop at, so I appreciate it when stores reward me for my shopping. This week's deal Here is a deal to grab this week at Walgreens. Through March 20th, you can grab a free 8x10 photo print when you use promo code 8x10-PRINT online at Walgreens.com. It is one per customer. Rachel Krych is passionate about helping others spend less and save more. In addition to her weekly column, she has a blog, Couponing With Rachel, which earns her compensation from Google for ads it places there and from entertainment marketers whose promotional codes she touts. She doesn't write about entertainment in her column. Email her at couponingwithrachel@hotmail.com.