Raising kids is expensive. The bigger they grow, the more they eat! Ka-ching! My weekly supermarket bills are slowly getting higher thanks to my two tweenagers. My strategy is to play it smart and do whatever I can to get my bills lower. This doesn't mean I buy lower quality products or highly processed foods. I still shop well, but I am strategic with my AIR MILES Collector Card and my American Express AIR MILES Card which is also the fastest way for me to earn AIR MILES reward miles.
I've been shopping at my local Metro store for close to 15 years, long enough that the store manager Tom and I are on a first name basis. Long enough to have earned AIR MILES Gold status. Here's how I shop to save money and reap the rewards. Trust me. This system works!
If you insert your AIR MILES number into the Metro app, you will receive extra personalized coupons. Once you know what products are on sale each week with bonus reward miles, plan your shopping list accordingly.
Resist temptation and stick to your list. Put the extra box of cookies DOWN.
Products you use often that have bonus reward miles connected to them are often on sale.
Even if perishable items have reward miles attached to them, don't overstock. They'll probably expire and you'll have wasted your dollars.
I've already bought all my Halloween candy and I got the benefit of scoring the reward miles associated with those dollars spent.
After a few weeks of strategic shopping, I actually get cash taken directly off my bill when I check out at Metro through the AIR MILES Cash program. Depending on how many reward miles I've racked up over the past few weeks, I usually get between $10 to $30 off my weekly bill by redeeming my reward miles when I check out. That's a 20% savings!
I always pay my grocery bill with my American Express AIR MILES Credit Card so that I can earn reward miles twice when shopping at participating AIR MILES Sponsors...which you can then redeem in the coming weeks. Win/win, right?
I have to admit, when the person checking out in front of me tells the cashier they don't have an AIR MILES card, I want to grab them and say, "Are you crazy? Get a Collector Card, use your American Express AIR MILES Card with it and double dip my friend. It's freeeee!" I actually have fantasies of asking these strangers if they would use my AIR MILES Collector Card so I can score their points. I've held myself back so far.
If you haven't noticed, I'm slightly obsessed with AIR MILES reward miles. You can imagine the happy dance I did when I had to go to the LCBO and buy cases of wine for my son's recent Bar Mitzvah. AIR MILES Collector Card in one hand, AIR MILES American Express Credit Card in the other, I had visions of lots of reward miles dancing in my head.
If you didn't know, there is no cost to sign-up for an AIR MILES Collector card, and there are a variety of options for American Express AIR MILES Credit Cards, some of which don't have an annual fee.
So those are my secrets. Shop smart. Double dip. Reap the rewards. You're welcome.
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