How to Save Money on Groceries
Grocery shopping can take a big chunk out of your wallet. If you don’t watch what you are doing, you could easily spend twice as much as you can afford. If you are single and only provide for yourself, spending too much is easy because you end up buying more than what you need. If you have a family, it’s easy to fall temptation to give in to nagging kids asking for treats and things nobody really needs.
Follow these tips if you want to know how to save money on groceries:
- Buy store brands not name-brand. Name brand foods always cost more, but are rarely better quality. Sometimes a knock-off just isn’t the same, but it’s never something that’s good for you anyway. Once you start using the store brands, after a while, you won’t notice the difference.
- Buy only what you need. If you don’t need a gallon of milk right now, don’t buy it. If you don’t need a box of cookies ever, don’t buy it. Just because it’s on sale, doesn’t mean you need to get it. In the long run, you won’t be saving any money because your still spending more than if you didn’t buy it at all.
- Buy in bulk if you can. If you can make it out to a Sam’s Club or Costco, do it. Buying in bulk can save you a lot of money, if done right. You still need to stick to these tips such as not buying what you don’t need. Ideally, you should calculate the price to individual product from the bulk store and compare it to your regular supermarket. If there’s a savings, buy it, if not, pass.
- Reduce your trips to the store. Do you go grocery shopping more than once a week? Is it really necessary? Unless you live less then a 2 minute drive from the grocery store or if you can walk, trip a week is more than enough. Less frequent trips can help save money on gas and you will be less tempted to spend more.
- Use coupons. A coupon is simply forcing you to take a little extra effort to get the cheapest price. You need to either print them from the computer or clip them from a magazine. Without using them you are leaving money on the table.
- Buy healthier foods. Many people say healthier foods are more expensive. It’s true, a few peaches probably cost more than a bag of candy, but you usually need more junk to fill you up. Buy healthy food and cut out the junk. When I say healthy, I don’t mean prepackaged dinner trays that are ‘lean’, I mean fruits and vegetables. If fresh is too expensive, buy frozen or canned vegetables which are much cheaper and still healthier than mac n’ cheese. Also, if you eat healthier, you will get sick less and save money on medication and health costs.
- Keep a list of what you need on a regular basis and buy when it’s on sale, but don’t buy too much ahead of time. If you go through a tube of toothpaste once a month, you know you will need to buy 1 tube every month. If you see a buy one get one free sale a few weeks before you need another tube, get the toothpaste and you won’t have to buy it next month. Don’t go crazy with this and buy 10 tubes, just take advantage of the sale the simplest way you can.
- Get a store card. Often supermarkets have a store card or a tag to attach to your keychain. Some stores give you coupons on later purchases or free stuff with points. Whatever they offer, take advantage of it.
- Reuse simple things such as plastic bags. Do you buy a lot of ziplock bags? Once your done with one, rinse it out and use it again. Just be careful and wash them well if you’ve used them for raw meats, or keep a rule not to reuse unsanitary ones. You can do this with other items as well, be creative.
- Don’t buy bottled water, get a filter. It does cost money to buy a filter and replace the filters, but it’s still cheaper than buying bottled water every week. Plus, you help save plastic.
- Don’t let food go to waste; freeze when you can. If you have leftovers and you aren’t sure when you can eat it again, freeze it instead of letting it go to waste in the fridge. Also, freeze meat and other foods if you buy in bulk.
- Buy fruits and vegetables locally. If you have a farmer’s market near you, buy your produce there. It’s often cheaper than the supermarket and always fresher.
- Grow your own food. Better yet, plant a garden and grow your own food. It’s super-cheap, you just have to pay for the seeds and tend your garden.
- Use less. Cut back on food especially if you eat too much, but also use less nonfood items such as shampoo, conditioner, hand-soap, laundry detergent, and any other cleaning supplies and soaps. You’d be surprised at how little you really need to get clean.
- Break bad habits. Do you smoke? Not only is it bad for you, but it’s a huge waste of money. I’m sure you know how much you could be saving. Also, if you have a habit of buying a bottle of soda whenever you shop, stop and save that $1.50. Stop buying gum, candy, snacks, and any other junk you don’t need. Bad habits are expensive.
- Stay away from prepackaged foods and make it yourself instead. Don’t buy t.v. dinners, lean cuisine, chunky soups, or other prepackaged foods. If you love beef stew, make it yourself and freeze it. It’s probably cheaper and tastes a lot better. Make a sandwich or salad for lunch and save more money.