Here I'll discuss some great money saving tips for when you are doing your grocery shopping. Since groceries tend to be one of the biggest cost items in your weekly and monthly budget, it is an area that you should check out to make sure that you are getting the best possible value to support your budgeting efforts.
There is no question that times are hard right now with the state of the economy.
This has many people looking for ways to cut
back on expenses and save money.
While there are many extras that can be done
away with, food is not one of them.
Sadly, the grocery store is where a lot of
people spend the majority of their paychecks, aside from the mortgage.
Therefore, wouldn’t it be great if you could find a way to cut your grocery
bill by at least 25 percent or more?
While there is no guarantee on how much you can cut
your grocery bill by, there are a lot of things that you can do to lower your
monthly food expenses.
Below are some great money-saving tips that, if applied,
will help you keep both your bank account and pantry stocked!
1.
Forget
about the name. One of the quickest ways to save money
at the grocery store is to forget about the brand name foods. For some reason,
people think that buying brand name food is like buying brand name clothing.
Guess what? It isn’t! When it comes to food, often times the off brand foods
taste exactly like the brand name foods…sometimes they taste even better! And,
the best part is that the off brand foods cost substantially less than the name
brands do.
2.
Make
more from scratch. Somewhere along the way, society has
gotten pretty lazy and I admit, I’m talking about myself too. It’s way too easy
to buy prepackaged food and “whip” up a meal in less than 20 minutes.
Obviously, we are paying for the convenience when we buy those “heat and serve”
foods at the grocery store. Therefore, you can save a considerable sum of money
by purchasing the individual ingredients for a dish (think mashed potatoes,
macaroni and cheese, burritos, etc.) and make it from scratch at home.
Additional benefits include serving foods without the extra additives and
having leftovers, giving you another meal!
3.
Shop
alone. I know it isn’t always easy to get away and go to
the grocery store without the kids and/or spouse in tow, but you should when
you have the chance. Kids have a tendency to get the “gimmies” whenever they
enter a store and by the time parents are halfway through the grocery store,
the kids begin to wear them down and unnecessary (and often unhealthy) foods
make it into the basket. The same can happen when you bring the spouse along
too. The only difference is that it’s harder to tell your spouse “no” than it
is the kids.
4.
Go
on a full stomach. Another money saving tip is to do your
grocery shopping on a full stomach. It’s easier to stroll past all the
non-essential food items when you aren’t hungry than it is whey your stomach is
growling. This tip alone can save you $10 or more at the grocery store!
5.
Make
your own salad. Did you know that those little bags of
lettuce cost two to three times more than a head of lettuce does? The same is
true for grated cheese. You can buy a small block of cheese for a fraction of
the cost. Making your own salad dressing will also save you money. Therefore,
if you are a salad enthusiast, start making your own salads. Not only will you
save money, but they will taste better too.
6.
Clip
coupons. Chances are that you have seen the extreme coupon
shows on television and been in awe at how much money those people can save.
While there is an art to saving that much money with coupons, there isn’t an
art to saving with coupons. You don’t have to be an extreme coupon user in
order to save money. Take a little extra time and browse the coupon fliers in
the Sunday paper and clip out the coupons for foods that you would normally
buy. Then, use them.
7.
Buy
meat when it is on sale. While you are looking through the
coupon ads, browse the weekly grocery specials for meat. Plan a meal or two
around the specific kind of meat that is currently on sale. You can always buy
fresh meat and freeze it for later too. Considering meat is one of the most
expensive foods you will buy at the grocery store, it only makes sense to buy
it when it is on sale and plan your weekly meals around it.
8.
Always
make a list. Never, ever go to the grocery store
without a list. This is one of the biggest money-making mistakes people make at
grocery stores. When someone goes into the store without a list, most of the
time they end up with half of what they really need and a lot of things they
don’t need. Therefore, make a list before you go to the store and only buy what
is on your list. In order to make your list effective, plan out the meals for
the week (or two weeks…however often you go to the store) and put the
ingredients for each meal on your list to ensure you get everything and don’t
have to make another trip.
9.
Shop
the outside perimeter first. It’s no big secret
that grocery stores are set up with the produce at one end of the store, meat
is generally in the middle and dairy is at the other end…all along the outside
perimeter. This is done so that consumers are more likely to start at one end
and work their way to the other end, after going through all the aisles in
between. Therefore, shop the outside perimeter first and get the necessities
and only visit the aisles that have the additional items on your list. Do not
shop all of the middle aisles or you will most likely spend extra money.
10. Shop in bulk.
Finally, if you have access to a Sam’s Club, Costco or another store that sells
items in bulk, use it. You can save a lot of money when you buy items in bulk.
Just make sure you purchase items that you will use. Groceries aren’t the only
items you can buy at these stores either. They sale everything from electronics
to clothing to the essentials.
As you can see, there are a lot of ways to save
money at the grocery store.
The list above contains only ten, but there are many more.
The trick is to take an objective look at your current shopping habits and be willing to change them up a bit.
It can be done, and once it is done you will realize it wasn’t really as hard as you thought it would be.
In fact, many of these money-saving tips will also help you save time at the grocery store too!
The list above contains only ten, but there are many more.
The trick is to take an objective look at your current shopping habits and be willing to change them up a bit.
It can be done, and once it is done you will realize it wasn’t really as hard as you thought it would be.
In fact, many of these money-saving tips will also help you save time at the grocery store too!
It is one of the most important life skills you can learn as the sooner you take control of your finances, the sooner you can grow your fortune in life.
You can also get my free book download to help you learn how to save money on groceries:
