Don’t fall for the Buy X for $Y trick

A common grocery store discount will say something like "Buy 5 cans for $5." Read the sign carefully and look for the words "Must Buy 5". If you do not see the words "Must Buy" then you can purchase as many (or as few) as you want at the discounted price.

In this example, "Buy 5 cans for $5," means that each can will cost $1. You can buy 1 for $1, 3 for $3, or 12 for $12 (or whatever limit they might have listed on the sign). It's a little trickery on the store's part, hoping to get you to buy more than you normally would

Just remember to give the cashier your store rewards card to scan, or the coupon from the paper circular, if it says that those are required to get the discount.

If the stores DOES require you to make a minimum purchase in order to get the deal, use some trickery of your own to get that to work in your favor!

• Buy in sets. If they require you to buy a minimum of 5 items to get each for $1, then buy them in 'sets' of 5. For example, buy 5, 10 or 15--not 7 or 12. This will maximize the discount.
• Use it to become eligible for a bigger deal. If there is a store-wide coupon such as $5 off a $50 purchase, use these items to round off your bag to get as close as possible to $50 total. If you have $45 in your basket, buy 5 of the "5 for $5" items to get to an even $50. Repeat for each store coupon you have.
• Stock up--especially if you can do so "by variety". If you want to really stock up at the price, see if the limit is "per item" or "per variety". If it's the latter, you can buy different flavors to stay below the limit and still fill your cupboards

Have any more tricks with this type of sale? Post them in the comments below!

A LOZO expert posted this tip.