My husband will tell you and I'll admit, I am a grocery snob. I like to buy organic and natural foods and I buy a lot of produce in a week. We also live in an area that doesn't do any double-couponing or any special discounts like that. My husband and I have decided to finally put our feet down and save money on our grocery bill. We know we could save more if we made a cut in our brands and favorite things, but we manage to save money every week while still buying everything we normally buy with a few small changes.
Make a list of the food you need. Search the store's ad before you go and figure out what meat and produce is on sale, using this information make a menu for the week and make a grocery list for that menu. Buy only what you can eat. Pay attention to how many lbs of meat and veggies you are buying. Can you eat that amount of food before it spoils? Like I said I love a lot of fresh produce so I go to the store twice a week to re-supply my fresh foods. This may take a little extra work, but it also means I'm not throwing money in the trash by wasting food that has rotted.
Pick a store that has a generic brand that you like. Personally, I pick Safeway usually because they carry a generic organic brand, and let's face it they are close to my house. If you like the generic brand you can substitute some of the of the name brands, for the generic. I usually buy generic when it comes to my canned food and other foods that are going to be used as ingredients in meals. If there is a taste difference, it's hard to tell when it's mixed in with a bunch of other food.
Buying in bulk isn't always cheaper! I know this is a hard one to wrap your head around. My husband and brother still have trouble with this concept. When you are buying something, look at the price per unit. It's normally on the price tag on the shelf. Sometimes when an item is on sale it won't include the unit price. Just because it's on sale does not mean the item is cheaper. Take the minute to do your own price per unit calculation in your head or on a calculator. Basically to do this you divide the price of the item by the weight (either pounds or ounces usually). The item with the cheaper unit price is the better deal. Keep in mind if the bulk item IS cheaper make sure it's something you will finish, if it will go back before you finish the item, it's just money going into the trash.
Use coupons wisely. Buying a Sunday paper may cost a few dollars, but you will probably save a few dollars in the coupons you use. I've done the math and almost every week I save more in coupons than I spend on the paper. Only clip coupons for items you already buy or will use before the item expires. Clipping coupons for things you don't normally buy is a great way to try new items without paying full price but it won't save you money.
These tips will save you at least a few dollars every week. The money saved really adds up over a month and a year. Even if you just save 5 dollars a week over a year that's $260. That's an extra $260 for not doing anything differently besides shopping a little bit smarter. Enjoy your savings!
Make a list of the food you need. Search the store's ad before you go and figure out what meat and produce is on sale, using this information make a menu for the week and make a grocery list for that menu. Buy only what you can eat. Pay attention to how many lbs of meat and veggies you are buying. Can you eat that amount of food before it spoils? Like I said I love a lot of fresh produce so I go to the store twice a week to re-supply my fresh foods. This may take a little extra work, but it also means I'm not throwing money in the trash by wasting food that has rotted.
Pick a store that has a generic brand that you like. Personally, I pick Safeway usually because they carry a generic organic brand, and let's face it they are close to my house. If you like the generic brand you can substitute some of the of the name brands, for the generic. I usually buy generic when it comes to my canned food and other foods that are going to be used as ingredients in meals. If there is a taste difference, it's hard to tell when it's mixed in with a bunch of other food.
Buying in bulk isn't always cheaper! I know this is a hard one to wrap your head around. My husband and brother still have trouble with this concept. When you are buying something, look at the price per unit. It's normally on the price tag on the shelf. Sometimes when an item is on sale it won't include the unit price. Just because it's on sale does not mean the item is cheaper. Take the minute to do your own price per unit calculation in your head or on a calculator. Basically to do this you divide the price of the item by the weight (either pounds or ounces usually). The item with the cheaper unit price is the better deal. Keep in mind if the bulk item IS cheaper make sure it's something you will finish, if it will go back before you finish the item, it's just money going into the trash.
Use coupons wisely. Buying a Sunday paper may cost a few dollars, but you will probably save a few dollars in the coupons you use. I've done the math and almost every week I save more in coupons than I spend on the paper. Only clip coupons for items you already buy or will use before the item expires. Clipping coupons for things you don't normally buy is a great way to try new items without paying full price but it won't save you money.
These tips will save you at least a few dollars every week. The money saved really adds up over a month and a year. Even if you just save 5 dollars a week over a year that's $260. That's an extra $260 for not doing anything differently besides shopping a little bit smarter. Enjoy your savings!
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