Save on Groceries

14 Ways to Save on Groceries

Looking for a way to save some cash? One of the best places to start is the grocery store. No you don’t have to starve to save money but you might even loose a few pounds too!

•  Shop around before you buy, even most grocery stores have their sale items listed online and with some research you can save over 15% on your grocery store just by choosing a different store.
• Plan your meals for the week before you go to the store. If you are going to eat dinner at home 5 nights the following week make 5 meal plans on paper before you shop. When you get to the store only buy the things you actually need to make the meals. This will also save you some space in your pantry as well.
• Don’t buy junk food. It’s called junk food for a reason, you don’t really need it! I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy snacks for a mid afternoon refresher, but you really don’t need chocolate bars and ice cream save these items for very special occasions and you will save some money as well.
• Try to avoid convenience foods that are prepared. These items can be WAY overpriced. Especially items such as fruit and vegetable trays. There is a reason why they are so convenient!
• Don’t be afraid of generic brands, most generic brands are packaged by the same companies, they just bid for the label. Sometimes you will find things that are not worth the sacrifice but overall you will come out ahead.
• Do a little math. For some reason we think that buying the bigger package is always saving us money, and I must admit I have fell for this trick too. Just the other day there was a small and large jar of peanut butter side beside and they were the same brand. If you look most of the time the store will already have the “price per ounce” listed on the sticker on the shelf. After a quick glance the smaller jar was a few cents cheaper per ounce, so I just bought 2 small cans and saved some change.
• Watch for Managers Specials, items that are about to expire. Many times there will be “sell by dates” listed on the product but it’s not the expiration date. Sometimes you can get items at just above cost with a keen eye!
• Coupons, BE CAREFUL, many times people will buy items just because they have a coupon, but the item they just bought will either never be used or they could have purchased a cheaper brand for less money even with the coupon.
• Watch for instant coupons. Sometimes items will have instant off coupons that you can just peel and give to the cashier.
• Watch for double and triple coupon days at stores.
• Avoid purchasing non-grocery items, such as painkillers, contact lens solution, etc., at a grocery store. You usually pay a lot more.
• Take advantage of price matching between competitor stores. This will also save you gas from driving to other stores to get sale items.
• Always check your receipts when finished sometimes items accidentally ring up the wrong price or you might get double charged.
• Take advantage of rebate offers, don’t forget to send them in.