Saving money on groceries doesn't have to mean cutting back on food and it certainly doesn't mean having to settle for food with little nutritional value. Planning a trip to the grocery store wisely and knowing where to shop are essential to sticking to the family food budget.
Plan to Save Money Before Shopping for Groceries
Before going to the store, a smart shopper will plan her meals and make a list. Part of this planning involves researching. The more planning and research that is done at home, the more money and time that can be saved at the store.
- Grocery store sale sheets are available online for most stores. These can be checked and compared to select the most appropriate store for that week.
- A price log of items and their prices at each store is handy for comparing which store to make purchases from. This is also handy when visiting other stores, sometimes items can be found cheaper at unexpected places.
- Print out coupons online at one or more of the many coupon sites.
- One big trip should be planned. Many times when small trips are made every day or two, more unnecessary items are purchased.
- Meals should be planned in advance and a list of everything that is needed should be made. The list should be laid out to coincide with the layout of the store. This saves time and allows skipping aisles that do not contain needed products, which reduces the temptation to purchase extra items.
- A trip to a farmer's market and a discount store should be planned instead of purchasing everything at a grocery store. Compare the prices first.
- Bringing canvas bags to the store helps to minimize extra purchases. Being limited on how much space can be used helps to keep the buyer aware of how many items they are buying.
- Stop buying disposables and choose reusables when applicable such as coffee filters, plastic bags, paper/styrofoam plates and cups.
- Get basic with cleaning products, ammonia, vinegar, etc. and avoid the fancy "convenience" cleaning gimmicks.
Save Money When Buying Groceries
When a shopper is at the store, it is easy to get off track and buy things that he doesn't really need. Sticking to the list and comparing prices at the store is essential to shopping success.
- Shoppers should always make a list and stick to it.
- Only buy what's on sale or store brands. Stores have so many things on sale that shoppers should aim for 90% of what's in their shopping cart being at sale prices or store brands.
- The prices of coupon-discounted items should be compared to generic or store items. Many times it is still cheaper to buy the store brand item than to use a coupon.
- Flexibility is needed when following a pre-set list. Sometimes there are store specials on meats that are not advertised. A smart shopper should be ready to substitute a meal or two on their list if a better buy can be had on a different kind of meat.
Unexpected Grocery Finds that Save Money
Sometimes unexpected things come up and smart shopper always knows how to adapt. By keeping an eye out for bargains and knowing the prices of what he normally buys, he can make good use of a money saving opportunity when he sees it.
- Items that are advertised with multiple pricing such as 4/$5.00 can be purchased separately.
- When buying milk and some dairy products, watch prices at unexpected places such as pharmacies and some convenience stores. Many times it's cheaper to buy milk there.
- Buying water at refillable machines will save money. Machines usually cost around $.25 per gallon versus $.89 for pre-filled gallons at the grocery store.
Saving Money by Freezing and Storing Foods - Types of Foods That Freeze Well
Buying in bulk is often a good way to save money, but be sure to check the unit price of each item. Sometimes it is actually cheaper to buy the smaller portions especially if they are on sale.Tip: When freezing, it is often best to break foods up into individual use portions so they can be easily used later. Place portions in individual freezer bags or seal into reusable freezer containers.
- When buying cheese in bulk, remember that slices or grated cheese works best for this. Cheese can soften slightly in the freezer which makes it difficult to cut, grate or slice later. Buy in bulk and split it up into smaller portions before freezing.
- Bacon can be frozen raw or cooked.
- Freeze leftovers as full meals for use as lunch or dinner or freeze individual parts of the leftovers for use in future recipes.
- Avocados can be frozen if the skin and pit are removed. The meat should be put into a plastic container, lemon juice squeezed over it before freezing.
- Nuts, peanut butter, and extra milk can all be frozen for later use. Milk may separate when frozen so it would be best used for cooking or baking.
- Bananas can be frozen when they start to turn brown. Peels should be removed before freezing for easier use in baking later.
- Eggs can also be frozen but the shells must be removed first. Broken eggs can be frozen in ice cube trays. After they are frozen they should be pulled out, wrapped individually and put back in the freezer for use in baking.
- Herbs can be grown, picked, chopped and frozen for later use. Frozen herbs will become wilted and unattractive, but will not lose their flavor. For this reason they are best used in soups, stews and cooked into recipes after they are frozen.
- Lemon juice can be squeezed into ice cube trays, frozen, removed and stored in bags for later use.
- Large bags of flour can be split up and frozen.
 |
 |
