1. Know how much you’re spending. When you spend $60 at the supermarket one week and $100 the next, you may not realize that your monthly grocery bill is one of your biggest expenses. Save your receipts and analyze them regularly – you will be amazed at how much you spend on groceries, and how much you can save by shopping more carefully.
2. Plan every shopping outing. Experts say that planning meals in advance and making detailed shopping lists can cut your grocery spending by 20 percent or more. Review the store flyers and build your plan around what’s on sale, the best coupon deals, and any cheap and seasonally abundant produce. Buy in bulk when possible.
3. Stick to your list. “The grocery store is designed to be inviting and packed with irresistible products,” says Melinda Hemmelgarn, a registered dietitian in Columbia, MO. “If we keep to our lists, we won’t buy more than we really need. We’ll also get done faster. The longer we linger, the more we buy.”
4. Avoid buying impulse items because they’re on sale. And as your mother said, never go shopping when you’re hungry.
5. If possible, leave the young kids at home. “It’s hard to say no after a long day at work when we’re tired and kids are whining and pleading for many of the glitzy products designed to attract their attention,” says Hemmelgarn.
6. Break yourself of “brand” habits. Generic or store brands are generally better buys. Commodities such as sugar, flour, tomato sauce and paper towels are often indistinguishable when the label is removed. Some store brands are different from their national-brand equivalents, so buy small amounts at first to test quality and flavor.
7. Go easy on highly processed foods in expensive packaging. Buy the basics and add your own sugar, spices and sauces. You’ll save 50 percent or more, and feel much more creative.
8. Don’t be deceived by packaging. Check the per-unit costs of each product; sometimes small sizes are more economical than jumbo packs.
9. Look up, look down. Items on the upper and lower shelves are often cheaper. The big brands pay big bucks for eye-level shelf space.
10. Shop off hours. Whizzing through the checkouts in the early mornings or late evenings may give you time to “shop the specials” at more than one store a week.
11. Don’t do all your shopping at the supermarket. Toiletries, for instance, are usually cheaper at discount stores. A little comparison shopping could save you a lot.
Learn the difference between wants and needs. “Potatoes that you peel and bake are a need – potato chips or French fries are wants,” says Ed Romney, in his book Living Well on Practically Nothing. “You can give your kids a great gift if you can teach them to be immune to peer pressure to spend more money than they can afford.”
Related Articles