I-TEAM Consumer Alert: Secrets from a Savings Expert

DAYTON — We all know prices at the grocery store are not what they used to be, but News Center 7′s Consumer Report Xavier Hershovitz found out you can fight back.

He met up with a Dayton shopping expert to help you keep more cash in your wallet.

It’s a lifestyle Billi Ewing has been living since she was just a kid.

“Literally third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth grade, like my whole life,” Ewing said.

Now, as a mom of three, it’s a skill she uses to make sure her family has everything they need.

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Ewing sat down and walked Hershovitz through how she gets these crazy deals.

RACK is the acronym for what you need to do to start getting these deals.

R means “register for rewards programs. Give them your phone number and email. It takes less than a minute to get yourself set up,” she said.

There are a lot of stores that send you coupons custom to the items you shop for.

A stands for the app and the ads where you’re at. You are not going to get the savings without downloading and utilizing that stories app.

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Many store apps are where everything from coupons to reward members’ exclusive deals can be unlocked. And that leads to C, which means clip, clip the coupons, “The virtual ones and the physical ones,” Ewing said.

In your favorite store’s app, all it takes is a tap of the finger. In the sales ads, That may require some scissors.

K stands for “Know Before You Go. Plan your shopping and do not fall into a random store. You don’t know what’s on sale, What’s in there. Who has the better price for that item,” Ewing said.

Go through each sale ad to see what’s on sale where and if there are any coupons she can stack on top of it. It’s all about planning. Planning out the best deals and planning out logistics of getting to each store, but that’s not all.

“While I’m looking at the deals by looking at those circulars, I’m also planning the meals so I know what I’m getting and will be ready to cook,” Ewing said.

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But where do warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco fit into this? Ewing said you really have to look at the price per unit to know if that’s truly the best deal.

“Selling me a pack of deodorant 12 pack for $38 sounds like a deal, but if Target, Meijer, Kroger, and CVS have that same deodorant on sale for $2, at the same price, that’s not a deal,” she said.

Ewing admits this lifestyle may not be for everyone. But for her and her family, it’s allowed her to save money.

It’s a way of life for her, but she hopes it can also be life-changing for others. So, she’s teaching free classes on how to save big.

Ewing is hosting her next Spring into Savings class on Wednesday August 7 from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. at the Dayton Metro Library – West Branch.

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