In an economy where layoffs are on the rise and prices are rising as well, saving money at the grocery store is just one way to cut your budget. And while simply telling you to be prudent might be tempting to offer as advice for saving money on groceries, it isn’t a practical suggestion. But, there are some very practical steps you can take to save money at the grocery. While some of our suggestions may take a bit of planning, you’ll find that your grocery bill will decrease even if you chose to try only a few of our 25 ways to save money at the grocery store.
Plan Ahead and Save Money at the Grocery Store Right Now
Planning ahead is one of the major ways you can save money at the grocery store right now. The time you invest in preparing your next trip to the grocery store is time well-spent, and you’ll see why when you implement that plan.
1. Prepare a List of Grocery Items You Buy Regularly. Making a list of the items you buy often (i.e., cereal, paper towels, milk, bread, etc.) and using it to start your weekly list will not only get you started on your list, but will eliminate the purchase of items you don’t need that you might pick up “just in case,” and keep you from overbuying.
2. Create a weekly or monthly menu. Preparing a menu for the week, will not only result in having all the ingredients on hand for the meals you plan to prepare, but it will help you trim your shopping by purchasing on the items you need for the week, instead of randomly picking up items with no plan. In addition, you’ll save time and gas money by not having to return to the grocery store to buy the ingredients you forgot.
3. Use coupons. Coupons do add up to savings. Just make sure you don’t buy items you wouldn’t normally use just because you have a coupon. You’ll be surprised how even those small coupon discounts add up. Visit our free downloadable coupons area at Super Savers of America.com to print out the latest money saving coupons. http://www.supersaversofamerica.com/savings-center/
4. Check for grocery store sales. Most local newspapers have weekly sales ads on Wednesdays as Thursdays are statistically the day a majority of people go grocery shopping. Some grocery stores now also advertise online, so check print ads and online ads against your grocery list for the week to determine where to save the most money shopping. As items typically go on sale every six to eight weeks, so consider stocking up on items you use often that are on sale as they may not be on sale again for a month or so.
5. Buy produce when it is in-season. Fresh produce can be expensive. To keep your grocery budget intact, try to purchase fruits and vegetables when they are in season as opposed to when they are scarce.
6. Be aware of store policies. Some grocery stores will take competitors’ coupons before you present yours. You don’t want to purchase a load of groceries expecting to use a competitor’s coupons only to find that your grocery store doesn’t honor them and you end up actually paying more for your groceries than expected. You’ll also want to know if your supermarket issues rain checks, stacks or doubles coupons, or accepts expired coupons, so you can plan your shopping trips accordingly.
7. Become educated on rock-bottom grocery prices. Don’t just rely on the store to tell you what your savings will be. Pay attention to everyday prices of grocery items to determine if your coupon or that sale item is really a deal.
8. Shop at a budget-friendly grocery store or supermarket. If you don’t have time to spend clipping and matching coupons or looking for sales, do your grocery shopping at grocery stores that offer the grocery items you buy at lower prices. For example, Walmart’s prices are some 20% lower than some high-end specialty grocery stores, so just avoiding certain grocery chains and purchasing your groceries at Walmart will obviously save you some money.
9. Check out Dollar Stores. Offering a wide variety of foods and paper products, your local dollar store can save you lots of money on certain items. Just be aware that some of the items there may be smaller in size and volume than you are used to and plan accordingly.
10. Don’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. Being hungry will cause you to do some impulse buying, so go shopping after a meal.
11. Consider shopping monthly. A monthly shopping trip will decrease the number of times you enter the grocery store and reduce your risk of spending too much there. Also, a monthly shopping trip will force you to make that list and stick to it.
12. Be flexible. Shop where prices are the best each week.
13. Don’t purchase more groceries than you need. Use some self-control and resist the urge to buy grocery items not on your list.
14. Consider buying some items in bulk. I.e., toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, etc.
15. Buy generic grocery items. Many times there is very little difference between the quality of a brand name grocery item and its generic—other than the price tag.
16. Walk past the pre-packaged and prepared food. While it takes a little time to prepare your meals from scratch, you’ll see a marked decrease in your food bill if you prepare your meals yourself.
17. Don’t be afraid to purchase bargain, aged meats. As long as the date hasn’t passed, you’re safe.
18. Keep an eye on the unit prices of the grocery items you purchase. You’d be surprised at how often some of those deals aren’t really deals once you check the unit price.
19. Look up. Grocery stores stock their shelves with the most expensive items at eye level. Look at higher shelves and you may find better prices.
20. Avoid purchasing non-grocery items you can purchase for less somewhere else.
21. Go shopping alone. Taking children or your spouse grocery shopping will always increase your bill. Everyone has an opinion and wants something.
22. Bring only cash with you to the grocery store. If you designate a specific amount for groceries and take that amount of cash with you to the grocery store, you’ll be forced to par down your shopping to get only what you need and can afford.
23. Pay attention while your groceries are scanned. Mislabeled items may not get rung up correctly. Coupons don’t always scan correctly. And, cashiers type in the wrong codes. Make sure you check your receipt before leaving the store.
24. Always take advantage of rebates; don’t forget or neglect to fill them out and send them in.
25. Apply for and use your loyalty card. Some of these even offer discounts on things outside the grocery store. For instance, with a Kroger Card you can get gas discounts at Shell stations.
