If you want to maximize your savings in the grocery store, start taking a serious look at the weekly ad  published every week.  If you receive a Sunday newspaper, the paper version is usually included where you find coupons.  If you do not receive the Sunday paper, then it is usually on a stand as you enter the grocery store or you may ask for one at the customer service desk.  Also, many stores have an online version which is sometimes quite sophisticated, for example the online version of the weekly ad at Publix allows you to build a printable shopping list to include the items from the weekly ad.  It even includes a tool to circle items if you want to print the picture version as a visual reference (see above).  Try logging onto your grocery store website to check out the weekly ad, if you cannot find it then there may not be an online version, yet. 

To use the weekly ad effectively, look at the weekly advertised discounts by category and match your needs with the deals.  Then scan through your coupons to find even more savings on advertised brands.  I even cut out the weekly ad pictures and price as if it were a coupon to remind me to find the brand if I don't have a coupon to flag it.  If you want to access the weekly ad deals compared with available coupon discounts in a list format by available grocery stores by zip code, then go to www.thegrocerygame.com for fee based lists and other price indicators.

Keep in mind, the paper version of the weekly ad can be a bit cumbersome to deal with in the store, so scanning the deals in advance can help you build a shopping list around the available sale items as well as meat and produce items that are offered at a low price for the week.  Prices are one thing about grocery stores that are constantly changing so using this as a tool to help you get to the best deals will save you time and money!