Grocery Shopping

From LoveToKnow Save

Grocery shopping is an expense that is built into most people’s budgets. Everyone needs to eat, and thus the grocery bill can take up a larger portion of your take-home pay. Knowing how to save some money at the grocery store leaves your pocketbook more full at the end of the month.

Grocery Shopping with a Master List

One of the easiest ways to save money at the grocery store is to have a “master list”.

Go through your cupboards and find staples that you purchase almost every trip to have on hand. These items may include:

  • Chicken
  • Red meat
  • Seafood
  • Apples
  • Oranges
  • Bananas
  • Corn
  • Beans
  • Rice
  • Broth
  • Pasta
  • Pasta sauce
  • Soups
  • Flour
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Milk

Your list may include these items and more. As you run out of other foods, or need special items for recipes, you can add to your master list. Then, scan flyers and advertisements to find out when these items go on sale. If they are non-perishable, consider buying several of them at a time.

If you prefer to purchase certain brand-name products (like Kraft cheese), add those to your master list and be sure to look for coupons or sign-up online to receive them in the mail.

Plan Meals Before Grocery Shopping

Planning meals in advance lessens the after-work scramble and helps save money. When you have a general outlook of the week's eating plan, you'll buy only the items you need each grocery trip.

Consider some of your family's favorites and work those in once or twice a week. Crockpot cooking is another great way to make the grocery dollar stretch a little further and give you more time to relax when you come home. Flip through cookbooks or websites for new recipes, too.

Make a list as to what should be cooked on which day, review your current stock, then cross check your ingredient list with your master list before you leave for the store.

In-Store Savings

Once you get to the grocery store, try to stick to your list. Circling the outside of the store can help you do this. The store perimeter often has produce, meat, and dairy. Fill your cart up with these foods instead of pre-packaged, expensive convenience items.

Sometimes stores offer special savings that were not advertised. If it happens to be on an item that you typically buy, go ahead and purchase it. But do not buy something “just because” it is on sale.

Another way to save money is to buy generic or off-brand items. Even with coupons or sale prices (or both), the generic version is often much cheaper. This can work for items like flour, soup mixes, and other staples. But if you don't like an item, don't continue to purchase it just because it's cheaper; having off-tasting foods sit on the pantry shelf is not a savings at all.

Eye-level items tend to cost more. Stores put these items at eye level so that you notice them, grab, and go. These items often are the pricier versions of foods on your list.

Many grocery stores have sections for dented items. These are usually priced anywhere from 10-to-50 percent off. As long as nothing is leaking, the packaging is intact. Save money by buying canned goods this way.

Look for discounted perishable items. If you need perishable items for recipes you are making the day you shop or the next day, consider getting the discounted perishable items. These are ones that usually expire on the day-of-sale or the next day.

Finally, check the bottom of your receipt once you return home. Most store receipts have a “savings” line that adds up all the money you saved by using coupons and buying items on sale. Put that saved amount from your initial grocery shopping budget into a spare jar or savings account, or add it back into your budget for the next grocery trip.

Coupon-Clipping and Sales

Before you go grocery shopping, scour your Sunday, Wednesday, or whatever day’s paper that carries the advertisements and coupons. Signing up to receive coupons online is another great idea. Go to a specific brand website or sign up at an all-encompassing coupon site. Be sure to shop on “double coupon days” if your local stores offer them.

Coupon chains are another way to get great savings. Some online websites or forums have clubs where you clip coupons. After you sign up, you receive a packet of coupons. Save the ones you want for yourself, then pass the ones you clipped (along with the ones you did not want) along to the next person in line. You can start your own version of this with friends, too.

Sales are a great way to get the most money out of a product. Use a coupon in addition to the sale, and your savings add up even faster.

No Frills Grocery Store

No Frills is a grocery store chain found in Nebraska and western Iowa. The local chain is a spot for people to pick up all their shopping needs rather then head to the brand-name chains many people go to. Despite being a small chain, the company strives to offer excellent customer service along with their food selection. Recently, one of the stores decided to make learning Spanish mandatory in order to serve their community members better.

The name No Frills, owned by Loblaws, is also that of a discount grocery chain located in Canada, although a few stores were open in New York during the 1970s.

Shopping at local grocery stores sometimes produces savings not found at the big-brand stores. Often small stores will honor coupons and sale prices of the bigger chains. You also may find locally grown or baked goods that are not available in larger stores.

Conclusion

Ask your grocery store manager what the store's coupon policy is, when the sales circulars are mailed, and if the store has any other special opportunities to save, such as a Senior Day or meat sack deals. Plan your grocery shopping trips around the days that will save you the most.


 


Comment on Grocery Shopping



(Displayed with your comment)                        (Will not be displayed)
Verification Code:   
    

Save Categories
LoveToKnow Tools
More Articles