Military Life News

Military Life News, Commissary Rewards and Military Discounts

Don’t Miss Your Commissary’s Sidewalk Sale

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by Amanda Marksmeier, Guest Contributor

I have a confession to make. I am slightly obsessed with TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” and thanks to TV streaming services I can binge watch as many coupon clipping episodes as my heart desires. For those not familiar with the show, it follows couponers through the process of clipping, creating lists, searching deals, down the grocery aisles culminating in the final check out where viewers share in the nail-biting excitement to see just how much money was saved.

I know reality TV is far from real. I know most of these extreme savings are almost impossible to achieve for the average shoppers. I have tried my hand at couponing, price matching and searching for the best deal but let’s face it, it requires a lot of time, math and patience to master the art of extreme couponing. Between working, carpooling, cleaning, care for the kids and my other half I don’t have the time to invest.

For those of us too busy for extreme couponing fear not, we can still save big at the upcoming commissary sidewalk sale!

“Thank You For Your Service”

The Defense Commissary Agency, which operates more than 250 commissaries worldwide, is saying “Thank You For Your Service” to their patrons by hosting commissary sidewalk sales throughout the months of April and May.

These sales coincide with April’s Month of the Military Child and May’s Military Appreciation Month.

Weather permitting all commissaries, stateside and abroad, will host a two- or three-day sidewalk sale event beginning April 16 and running through May 31. Visit your commissary’s website to see the exact dates of the sale in your area.

What’s on Sale?

My favorite part of “Extreme Couponing” is the stockpiles. If you are a fan of the show you know what I’m talking about. Garage shelves lined with hundreds of bottles of detergent, boxes of dried pasta and tubes of toothpaste. I can remember one episode where a teenage boy had a stockpile of feminine hygiene products. Why, you ask. Because he got them all free!

While I don’t condone hoarding products you don’t need, creating a stockpile of products your family uses not only saves on trips to the store but also can save tons of cash!

The sidewalk sale will be slashing prices on food sold by the case. Think canned food items. These are great to stock up on while on sale. Imagine purchasing a couple of cases of peas, carrots, and corn. You’ll have veggies for months. In addition to case sales, you can also take advantage of mix and match sales on products such as barbecue sauce, cold cereals, dry pasta, yogurt and more.

Mix and match sale items include a variety of products like fruit snacks, crackers, pastries, popcorn and potato chips, perfect for school lunches.

Summer is coming which means the kids will be home all day. Start preparing now by loading up on juices, teas, and snacks, with these low prices you can get your little one’s favorite summer treats!

Stay hydrated with sales on water, juices, sodas, sports drinks, milk and more. My family buys milk two gallons at a time so I will be taking advantage of the deals on milk. Fill your freezer with frozen family meals for those busy weeknights or during the deployment slump when you don’t feel like cooking.

Some of my favorite get-togethers are themed dinners. Who doesn’t love an Italian night or Taco Tuesday? International foods such as Italian, Asian and Hispanic items can be purchased at discounted prices during the commissary sidewalk sale.

Storage, freezer, sandwich and snack bags will be on sale as well as paper products and cleaning supplies. Now is your chance to load up on laundry detergent – it will come in handy when your service member returns home from the field or deployment!

If all the food and paper products aren’t enough savings, health and beauty items will be included in the commissary sidewalk sale as well. Oh, and did I mention diapers and wipes? Diapers, second to formula, is the largest expense families incur with babies. On average it costs a family over $500 a year to diaper a baby. Cut some of that cost by stocking up on diapers during the commissary sidewalk sale.

Need more savings? Some commissaries will be partnering with nearby exchanges for additional promotions and sales.

According to the USDA, a family of four spends on average $200 a week on groceries. The sidewalk sale is a way for military families to reduce their weekly spending by creating a stockpile of non-perishable and bulk items.

So what items will you be picking up at your commissary’s sidewalk sale?

Amanda Marksmeier is an Army wife and mother of four. She works as an employment specialist assisting the military community in achieving their career goals. Amanda is also a contributing writer for a quarterly employment journal and has written for several military affiliated blogs.

Don’t Miss the Spring Case Lot Sale at Your Commissary

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It’s that time of year again when the Defense Commissary Agency’s spring Customer Appreciation Case Lot Sale starts at commissaries stateside.

Have you shopped at a case lot sale? May is a great time to stock up on household items you use often.

You’ll find plenty of great deals at the commissary case lot sale to help you fill up your pantry without emptying your wallet.

Case lot sale dates are different for each commissary so be sure to check with the commissary website to see when your local commissary will be having their case lot sale.

Weather can cause the date to change. Call your commissary to confirm the case lot sale is still on schedule if weather in the area has not been good.

Not all commissaries will be having a case lot sale in May. A few had their case lot sales in April.

Eight stateside commissaries will not be participating at all including: Los Angeles AFB, Luke AFB, Davis-Monthan AFB, Patch Barracks, Fort Gordon, Robins AFB, Fort Huachuca and Hurlburt Field.

Military installations that have a case lot sale are only stateside. Overseas commissaries may have sidewalk sales or other promotions that are similar.

What will you find at a case lot sale?

A case lot sale is much like shopping at the big box stores, without the membership fee. They are usually set up under tents in the commissary parking lot. Some of the items you’ll find include:

  • Baby products: diapers, wipes, soap and lotion
  • Paper products: toilet paper, paper towels, napkins
  • Cleaning supplies: laundry detergent, dryer sheets, cleaning wipes and household cleaning products
  • Food storage: sandwich bags, storage bags and freezer bags
  • Pet supplies: dry and wet dog and cat food and dog and cat treats
  • Snacks: bulk chips, cereal, popcorn, crackers, pastries and fruit snacks
  • Canned goods: canned vegetables, canned fruit and fruit cups
  • International food: Hispanic, Asian and Italian food
  • Beverages: bottled water, soda, flavored water, sports drinks and juice

How to prepare for a case lot sale

A successful shopping trip to the commissary case lot sale is one where you buy only items that you will use. Don’t get carried away buying things you won’t use just because they are on sale.

Follow these 8 tips to ensure that you are a smart shopper at your case lot sale.

  1. Inventory your pantry to see how much you already have.
  2. Check the amount of space available to store items.
  3. Empty your vehicle so there is space to bring new products home.
  4. Make a list of things you would like to stock up on.
  5. Look for coupons. Yes, you can use coupons. See what is offered on the commissary rewards card and digitally clip the coupons. You can find out more about the commissary rewards card here.
  6. Eat before you go to the case lot sale so you aren’t tempted to buy extra things just because you are hungry.
  7. Look at expiration dates on items before you put them in your shopping cart. Can you use that entire product before it expires?
  8. Take another military spouse or service member with you. If you aren’t able to use all of a product before it expires, consider splitting the products between each other.

Case lot sales are a busy time for commissaries. Make sure you have plenty of time to shop. You can find products on average 50% off.

It is a great time to stock up on items you will use. Make sure to check the dates of your local commissary case lot sale and make plans to attend.

Do you know when your commissary is having its case lot sale? Click here for the list of dates.

Springtime Means Case Lot Sale Time

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It’s DECA’s Customer Appreciation Case Lot Sale time at your local commissary. Time to make a list and stock up on some great deals. You can find a case lot sale this April or May at your local military commissary.

The sales were halted for a bit because of budget cuts but are back at commissaries in the United States as well as Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Although they used to have them at commissaries located at overseas bases, they no longer do but each commissary might hold their own type of special sale during the year. Make sure to ask when that sale may be held if you are at an OCONUS location.

A case lot sale is a chance to buy items in bulk for a very discounted rate. That is why these sales are such a good time to stock up on your favorite items. You can’t really beat the prices. They are better than normal commissary sale items. They usually take place in the parking lot or even in front of the store. It just depends on where you are located.

What will you find at a case lot sale?

Here is a list of some of the more popular items that military spouses like to buy at the sale:

  • Paper towels
  • Diapers
  • Ketchup
  • Canned soup
  • Toilet paper
  • Salad dressing
  • Crackers
  • Juice boxes
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Baking mixes

Each location might have slightly different items so if your friend in California was able to find a great deal on dog food, keep in mind that your commissary in Virginia might not have the exact same deals going on.

If nothing else, you should check out the case lot sale for diapers and paper products. You can stock up on them and get a really great deal. Military families with small children are always looking for ways to save on diapers. When I had 2 children in diapers, I was able to buy 2 different sizes at our local case lot sale. They lasted for a long time and I knew I had found a great deal.

I have also found that case lot sales are a great time to stock up on condiments or other types of products that you put in your pantry. You should also think about buying extra food to have on hand for food drives during the year.

Some case lot sales are very busy and you will have to wait in line for a while to get what you want. I have heard stories of people having to wait hours in order to check out. It was well worth the wait because of the products they were buying and the deals that they found. Other sales are more low-key and you can really just add the products during your regular shopping trip.

Bring your favorite milspouse friend, your patience and a list of what you might be looking for. You might even be able to split something with someone else if you don’t think your family will use all of it before PCSing. Doing this will allow you to still get a great deal without overbuying the product.

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Military Newlyweds Skip Warehouse, Bulk Buy at Commissary

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Commissary Better Than Warehouse Stores

Buying bulk items at the commissary saves money for military newlyweds.

Once my husband and I moved into our first home, we wanted to put together a grocery shopping plan that would be the most economical for us. We just paid for a wedding and furniture to fill our house, so we quickly shifted our priority to saving as much money as possible.

We considered memberships to warehouse stores like Costco and Sam’s Club, where you pay an annual rate to use the facility. But, we realized that route might not be the best for us. Right now, it’s just my husband and I, plus a cat. To really reap the benefits of a warehouse store we would need to use the perishable items in a more timely manner. The last thing we would want to do is have 40 pounds of produce and not use it all before it spoils.

Besides, the warehouse stores are further away than our military commissary, so in the long run, it wouldn’t be cost effective. We would pay for a membership to drive a little further and we would still need to shop at a grocery store for perishable items. We were looking for a streamlined one-stop shop approach.

That’s when we calculated that our military commissary is the best place for our grocery needs and that we would do our bulk buying at the commissary too.

If we purchase the largest size available in-store, that would last us a good amount of time. Also, we would actually be saving money in the long term. Who doesn’t like saving money?

We bought everything that we would need to start out all at once including all our toiletries, cleaning supplies (trash bags, all-purpose cleaner, etc.), spice selection, a week’s worth of food and more. That first bill cost us a couple hundred dollars. Since our first time huge purchase, the average weekly commissary bill is around $20. Yes, that’s right, just about $20 per a week.

As a result, we run out of different items at different times and we refill our supply when it’s needed. Everything is spread out and for the most part our commissary bill stays the same each time.

To me, that’s a pretty good deal. I’m sure there are even ways to bring the cost down and if you feel like splurging sometimes for a filet mignon instead of a sirloin steak that would affect the average too.

Bulk buying has always been a way to save money over time. Brands bundle more than one item of their products together for little savings here and there. Let’s say one bottle of contacts solution costs $8. The double pack may costs $13 If you are an avid contacts user and use 1 bottle a month over a year span you’ll save $18. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but if you have the habit of doing that with all your needed items you’ll see some awesome savings.

Here are 2 examples to show how bulk buying can save money over the long term based on actual figures from my military commissary.

Cats eat an average of 10 pounds of dry cat food per a month.

$3.99 for a 3.15 lb. bag = $1.27 per lb. and $152.40/year

$11.99 for a 15 lb. bag = $0.80 per lb. and $96.00/year

$56.40 in savings a year for cat food.

Bulk Buying at Your Military Commissary

What bulk items do you buy at your military commissary?

In my house, we use on average 32 regular rolls of toilet paper per a month.

$12.99 for 64 regular rolls = $0.20 and $76.80/year

$2.92 for 8 regular rolls = $0.37 and $142.08/year

$65.28 in savings a year for toilet paper.

Bulk Buying Saves Money at the Commissary

Bulk buying has always been a way to save money.

And of course, the savings continue for every other item you bulk buy! Plus you never pay an annual membership fee to shop at the commissary.

What bulk items do you buy at your military commissary?