Why haven't I seen this on my list?

Most food and household items go on sale during a 12 weeks cycle. The Grocery Game tells you the best time to stockpile those items and recommends that you try to purchase enough to last for 12 weeks, during which time it should come up on the list again.

That said, there are certain items that are considered more seasonal and may only show up on the list from time to time and not on a regular 12 week rotation. If you have the storage space and the money in your budget, you may want to stock up on those nonperishable items for more than a 12 weeks stockpile.

Here's a schedule of typical sale cyles for many popular items:

JANUARY - Historically, cereal has hot deals at this time of year. We see soda/chips go on sale mid-January (again, rebates abound for these). Other items of note this time of year are chili, side dishes, anything for hearty/warm meals. • Post-Holiday Sales • White Sales • Sports and Weight Loss Equipment • Computers • Winter Apparel and Accessories · Organizers, Rubbermaid totes, shelf organizers, planners, filing cabinets

FEBRUARY – many of the same food items as January • Electronics • Floor Coverings • Housewares • Furniture • Candy and Chocolates

MARCH - Frozen food month. You'll find many stores are offering free freezers or fill-a-bag deals. Between March and April, look for spring cleaning deals, so many cleaner items will be on sale. With Easter, looks for eggs, ham, Kraft products to cycle into good sales. Paper products like towels, napkins, plates are starting to come on strong. Beverage items. • Spring Apparel and Accessories • Winter Sports Equipment • Gardening Supplies • Luggage

APRIL – • Spring Apparel and Accessories • Coats and Hats • Paint • Wallpaper • Jewish Foods and Eggs

MAY - get ready for summer! Here come loads of deals on BBQ sauce, frozen veggies, baked beans, and condiments of all kinds, summer-time meats (ribs, hotdogs, and ground beef). Also with all the holidays, look for tons of paper goods that match the holiday and pick them up after clearance. These deals generally continue through September!• White Sale - Linens and Towels • Spring Cleaning Supplies • Auto Maintenance • Home Maintenance • Sodas & Bottled Water, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments, Paper & Plastic plates & cups, Raid/Off bug repellents and sunscreens


JUNE – • Summer Apparel and Accessories • Pianos • Television Sets • Building Materials and Hardware • Dairy Products

JULY – • Air Conditioners • Summer Sports Equipment • Sportswear • Craft Supplies • Sodas, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments

AUGUST – • White Sale - Linen and Towels • BBQ and Patio Equipment • Back to School Supplies • Bathing Suits • Fresh Fish and Vegetables • Breakfast foods (Cold cereal-Juice-Waffles-etc)• Cold lunch items for in lunch boxes

SEPTEMBER - back to school; time to fill up on snacks! Pudding cups, boxed drinks, fruit snacks, cereal sales start up hard again, peanut butter/jelly. Also, like clockwork, there will be spaghetti sauce coupons in August, and plan on getting lots and using them in a hurry before they expire in September when the spaghetti sauce goes on sale. Sauce wars between two major brands this month. Soups will go on as well and there will be coupons in the end of August for these as well. Fridge boxed lunches are on sale this time of year, too. • Back to School Supplies and Apparel • Gardening Supplies • Housewares • Bicycles • Canned Goods

OCTOBER - Stock up on holiday foods – stuffing, turkey, instant mashed potatoes, broth, cranberries, marshmallow, ice cream, pie shells, whipped cream, pudding. Look for great Kraft deals again this time of year. The real kicker is the after Christmas food deals! Save your coupons because pie fixings, fried onion, broth and canned green beans will be on deep discount. These generally continue through December. • Cars • Houses • Fishing Equipment • Crystal, Silver, and Glassware • Candy · Baking/candy-making items (choc chips, sprinkles, vanilla, corn syrup, nuts, etc)

NOVEMBER - • Winter Apparel and Accessories • Quilts and Blankets • Heating Devices • Turkey, Sweet Potatoes • Canned goods (soup, chicken broth, condensed milk, veggies etc)• Baking goods

DECEMBER – • Toys • Gift Items • Party ware • Post-Holiday Sales • Party Foods, Baking Goods, and Various Meat• Canned goods (broth, soups, etc) Year-round after a holiday, you can always pick up cheap cookie dough and any food related to a holiday.

Continual sales are candy, popcorn, chips, anything snacky, cereal (heavier in the fall/winter, but still around in the spring).

Frozen food sales seem to centralize on a brand and the switch brands the next month. I think the manufacturers buy slot time for sales.

Frozen pizzas go on sale in the fall and then again the spring; not often in the summer because people don't want to turn their ovens on in the summer.