a question I had ..so you probably did too!

I pulled this out of Jillcataldo.com 's FAQ. I found it extremely helpful, and figured you might as well!

How do I know when an item is at its lowest price in the 12-week cycle?

As shoppers, buying the things we need when the price hits its 12-week low saves us the most money, especially when we use our coupons to bring the price down even more. Typically, a product is at its 12-week low when the sale price is 50% less (or better!) than the non-sale (shelf) price of the item. If a price drops to half of what it usually is, or less, it's a buy! Sites like www.couponmom.com, www.grocerygame.com, www.groceryguide.com and www.mygrocerydeals.com help track the sales for you and let you know when an item is hitting the 12-week low.

Also, after a while, you will just start to "learn" what good prices are for the items you buy frequently. Typically, it takes 12 weeks for you to go through the cycle and start to notice the highs and lows for everything you buy. Remember too that every item is on its own, independent 12 week cycle. If cereal is low this week, pasta could be high, and so on. Each product and product category cycles independently of the others.