In these tight times it is more important than ever to have a shopping strategy and a few tricks up your sleeve!Here are some of the ways I save money on groceries:
1. Meal plans! If you plan out what you will eat for the upcoming week your house will be full of everything you need to eat healthy meals and snacks at home. Otherwise you're bound to wind up spending extra on fast food and convenience store snacks.
2. While you are planning, check out the grocery ads. I plan my meals based on what's on sale or can be bought cheaply. Ground meat is on sale? I feel some meatloaf and chili coming on! Whole chickens become roast chicken, chicken soup, and chicken salad for the week.
3. Clip coupons and use them wisely. Don't clip for products you know you'll never use. And try to match up the sales with the coupons. Much success can be found if you look at the coupons that come in the newspaper 3-4 weeks after they are distributed. This is when the stores tend to put those items on sale. Extra savings all around! If the idea of trying to match them up on your own fogs your brain, not to fear! Many frugal and thrifty blogs gladly share when they do!
4. Don't be brand loyal. Most of the time generics are just as good as brand names, and sometimes they are even made by the same companies that charge more!
5. Be careful where you look! Many stores put the most expensive items at eye level, so be sure to check high and low on the shelves. And don't be so quick to toss items from the aisle endcaps into your cart. Just because they are there doesn't mean they are all on sale!
6. Ask for rainchecks. When a sale item is out of stock, be sure to go to the customer service desk and see if a raincheck is available for the item. Be sure to get the writer of the raincheck to put the limit you may buy on it, so when they get it back in-store you can still get the 4 (or however many) you would have been able to get when it was still on sale.
7. Sign up for those store savings cards. It is free at every single grocer I have ever been to, and by simply handing over your key chain card you can save a lot.
8. Don't be afraid to try out your local discount stores for groceries. You may be pleasantly surprised by the quality (and price) of their goods. My favorite is Aldi, but I've been known to step out over to Save-A-Lot from occasionally.
9. Keep an eye out for good deals at places you wouldn't think to buy grocery items. Drugstores often have the best price for basics like milk. Dollar stores and chains like Big Lots, Dollar General, and Family Dollar can be great sources for snack foods and beverages on the cheap.
10. Checkout your area's discount circuit. Our town has a great outlet store that sells breads and cakes for much less than the grocery stores. We also have a discount bakery that sells delicious baked goods for a fraction of the price of other bakeries.
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