Thanks for voting!One of the easiest ways to trim monthly household expenses is to modify grocery store habits. Money Ning has some great ideas on how to scale back the supermarket spending just by being prepared and sticking to your guns. (And no, you won’t find dumpster diving listed as an alternative.) So we got to thinking and we came up with four of our own ideas.
1. Don’t go to the grocery store hungry. Eat before you go food shopping. A fuller belly ensures a fatter wallet. Otherwise you risk overloading on foods you don’t need. How else would you explain the cheese corn dogs hiding in your freezer?
2. What’s in a name? Brand name groceries add up. There are some brands you must have, but most of the time the generic options are equally appealing—satisfying your taste buds & your wallet.
3. Comparison shop. Almost every grocery store offers a free discount “frequent” shopper card and a weekly circular touting their deals. Sign up for several cards & circulars, and comparison shop from the couch. See which stores are offering the best savings, and plan your shopping accordingly.
4. Get your groceries online. This way, you not only avoid the crowds and the aisles full of unnecessary foodstuffs, you also avoid temptation (Those aforementioned corn dogs? Far less appetizing when pixilated on your screen.) Ask your grocer if and when they plan on offering this service. You not only save money on food, but also on gas and time.
Getting creative with ways to save your hard earned cash is nothing new. Try some of these ideas and let us know what works best for you?
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Usually these posts are full of great ideas, but this posting was downright awful. Shopping online for groceries? Frequent shopper cards? No, no and NO!
First off, you missed the #1 priority for grocery shopping: a budget. If you don’t know how much you’re going to spend, you’ll be surprised at how much you end up spending.
Second, bring only cash. When the cash is gone, you have gone over your budget.
Third, make a list. Don’t deviate from the list. The best way is to figure out your meals for a week (or 2 weeks), make your list from that, and buy only those things. Beer is not a grocery item, people — use your “fun money” for beer.
Fourth, buy bulk. When you buy anything in a box or bag, you’re not only paying for that packaging, you’re paying for all the marketing dweebs who held endless meetings to determine the look of that package (I say this as a marketing dweeb). Buy food, not martinis for the marketing department.
Lastly, buy real food, not that packaged pre-made junk. If you’re buying things like Lunchables, you seriously need to take a look at where your money is going. If you can’t figure out how to put together your own lunch of cut meat, cheese and crackers, take a cooking class!
And that, my friends, is how you cut your grocery budget.
Hey Budget Grocery Shopper!
Thanks for the extra tips. The link for Moneyning’s blog may have been broken (we’ve since fixed it) when you first read our post, but you’re right on the money with the tips they list. As you mentioned, having a budget is one of the keys. Preparing your list in advance is paramount. We took a different look, tried to think outside of the proverbial grocery cart. In doing so, we came up with 4 alternatives that we’ve tested, graded and passed with flying colors.
Did you know grocery shopping online not only can be convenient for those constantly on the go, but most sites track the amount of money you are spending as each item is placed in the cart? And that delivery is either a nominal fee or free and for those that don’t get out much this service ensures they have a stocked fridge and a full belly? An added bonus, they have additional specials online in conjunction with their weekly sales. When using club cards you guarantee you won’t miss out on savings you were unaware existed.
We love hearing from our Savers, and even though we may have different ideas on how to save on groceries, we all have the same goal. Saving money!
I’m not sure about the “return” on all the other tips but the one that profits me the most is: DON’T GO TO THE GROCERY STORE HUNGRY! Been there, done that and I’ve found that it would be cheaper to go out to eat before visiting the grocer.
You left off the most important thing that ties several of these tips together: BRING A CALCULATOR to the store!
I have really gotten used the trick of only shopping othe outer aisles of the grocery store. most of the things for healthy and less expensive foods are on the outer aisles. The inner aisles have processed more expensive food. I only go down thos ailes if I really need something - a bag of rice, a box of pasta, laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc. It had really helpd me to stay in budget and to even have more money to spend on better quality foods, produce, even organics. A stroll down 1 other aisle can easily ost you $10. I figure each item is at least $2.50 - $5.00 for each bo of something you pick up, cookies, cereal, breakfast bars, whatever. I agree with the lunchable comment above! expensive item and not that good.