How to Save Big When Going Grocery Shopping
Grocery shopping is big business. Everyone needs to eat. Most people aren’t willing to get up and dressed in the middle of the night to leave their home to get something to eat should hunger find them. Keeping a few essential items in the pantry is a necessity. Add pet food, cleaning supplies and toiletries to that list, and the cost of groceries soon adds up.
Coupons
Whether you’re cutting coupons out of the Sunday paper or using coupondad.net, coupons are no mysterious secret. They save big bucks when buying groceries. Carry the coupons in your wallet, or a special folder if you’re an extreme couponer. Some handbags are big enough for a folder of coupons, but you may want to consider storing these under the passenger seat. This ensures that any unexpected trips to the supermarket aren’t too costly and you don’t forget them at home when doing the groceries.
When using online coupons, do not print multiple copies. Only print coupons for stuff you are actually going to use.
Make A-List
Keep a shopping list on the refrigerator. That way, you and other members of the household can write down any items when they start to run low. You don’t want to make a trip to the supermarket for just one item because you won’t buy just one item. Convenience stores might stock the item, but it will be overpriced and possibly dusty from sitting on the shelf for so long. Each week, you’ll be left with a list of items that are gone or running low to add to your main shopping list.
Plan meals for the week so all the ingredients can be included on the shopping list. Plan meals that use the same ingredients, so they get used before they go stale, saving money and the need to buy more.
Arrange the final list based on where items are located in the store. That way you won’t accidentally forget something from jumping around the list or shop in a haphazard way. Going back into a supermarket for a forgotten item leaves too much temptation for the impulse buys.
The shopping list should only include items you intend on using. There’s no sense on wasting money on products you won’t actually use just because you have good dieting intentions.
Budget
Most people can’t leave the supermarket without one impulse item that wasn’t on their shopping list. Once everything on the list is in the cart, with the cost added up, including tax, add the impulse items and snack cakes. Do not add the impulse items until everything you need is in the cart.
Alternatively, take the rest of the budget on a separate grocery trip just for impulse items. Take only cash. Leave the debit card, credit card and checkbook at home. If you want to save money for something that isn’t junk food, buy the groceries online where you are more likely to come in under budget, and it is easier to avoid temptation.
Bulk Buy
If something you use a lot and you have the storage space is on sale, buy it in bulk or purchase from a bulk buy retailer. Some items can be stored for a very long time, but not for years on end. Be reasonable and realistic when buying in bulk.
Compare Prices
With some items, the brand name product is a must for your household. With other products, brand names and the supermarket’s own brand don’t have any difference between them. Be sure to check the price when buying. Just because something is off-brand doesn’t necessarily mean it is cheaper, especially if you have a coupon or there’s a sale. Also, check the sizes to ensure good value for money. Something might be less expensive because it is smaller. Check the highest and lowest shelves in the supermarket for the best savings. Companies pay big money to have their products in the prized eye line location.
Do Not Shop on an Empty Stomach
Grocery shopping when hungry is a good way to load your cart with impulse items, usually very unhealthy ones at that. If you can’t grocery shop after a meal and online isn’t an option, have a snack before heading out or even stop at a drive-through for a burger. Your wallet will thank you, and that burger has fewer calories than all the candy you’re adding to your cart. Even with a list when hungry, you are liable to rush around the store and forget something. You don’t want to arrive home with just candy and chips. It will mean another trip to the supermarket.
Sales
Even if something is on sale, you don’t need to buy it. Why buy cat litter if you don’t have a cat? Use that mindset when looking at sale items. If you won’t use it, don’t buy it. That’s one of the fundamentals of any kind of shopping. If your son must always have strawberry jelly but the grape is on sale, buy the strawberry. Sales are good if you stock up on your favourite items. They aren’t so good for saving money if you buy the stuff you will never use. It’ll only take space in your pantry from stuff you will actually use that could be on sale next week.
Expiration Date
Some items will keep lying in the freezer indefinitely. Others will go rotten within one day. If you like to do one grocery shop every week, then check the dates on the products you are buying. You don’t want the bread to go mouldy halfway through the week. That would mean another costly trip into a supermarket unless you are lucky enough to live near a convenience store that stocks fresh bread. Plan the week’s meals around the expiration dates. If you are cooking something that uses fresh spinach and also planning to make a meal that uses a can of corn, use the spinach first. Spinach doesn’t last long in the refrigerator.