Saving Money – Grocery Shopping
Coupons are a big help when it comes to saving money, if you use them right, but is that the only way to save money when grocery shopping? No it is not…here are some other, very easy tips, to help you save money on your next grocery shopping trip.Start saving money by grocery shopping in the stores flyer first. Plan your meals around what is on sale in the flyer, and make sure you know what you have in your pantry. This will not only help you go to the store once that week, but it will keep you from being in the middle of a recipe only to find out you don’t have all the ingredients.
Most of use can’t buy just one item. So if you have to go to the grocery store to pick up that one item in your recipe, odds are, you are walking out of the store with things you don’t need. So plan your meals and your ingredients.
When you do go for your weekly shopping trip, make sure you have your grocery list with you. And stick to it! Don’t buy anything off your list. The only time you should pick anything that is not on your grocery list up is if you can get it for free using a coupon. And you better have that coupon with you.
Another reason to shop the sales papers first is so that you can compare one store’s prices with another store’s prices. I’m not telling you to shop at more than one store at a time. Just compare their prices in the sales flyer. You might find that you can make a different set of meals cheaper if you shop at store A than you could make if you shop at store B.
Products don’t just give one store a cheaper price over another store, it just depends on when that store decides to pass those savings along to the customer. So you might be able to rearrange your menu a little and end up with just as good food, but done cheaper.
Eat before shopping. When you are hungry, you tend to buy things that you don’t need. Instead of buying that box of pudding mix for 69 cents, you are tempted to buy the pack of all ready made pudding for $1.99. Your brain is being run by your stomach. Your stomach is saying, “I’m hungry. I don’t want to wait for you to mix up that pudding, I want to be able to eat it on the way home.”…Listening to your stomach, will cost you money.
If at all possible, leave the kids and the spouse at home. They are going to see things and want things that are not on your list. And they will nag you until you give in. If you have to take them with you, be smart about it. Have them help you. Keep your spouse out of the snack aisle by having him get the toilet paper. Give him a coupon and tell him to match it up with that…that should keep him busy for a little while. Make it a game with the kids. If you can finish your grocery shopping up in 30 minutes or less, you will make their favorite chocolate chip cookies when you get home. Keep them busy, so they don’t have a chance to see the things they will want.
