Groceries are unavoidable because we all have to eat. There are many ways to save money while shopping for groceries, but some are more consistent than others. If you are feeding a large family, it is even more important to cut costs where you can, or this can easily become your largest monthly expense.
Coupons
Coupons are great, but only if they are for a product you already use. Many websites will offer you large numbers of coupons for filling out their questionnaires and agreeing to try several offers, but that, in the end, rarely does much for you. If you get a weekly newspaper, you should definitely take a look at the coupons, but only clip those for products that you use. Purchasing something you won’t use because you have a coupon isn’t helpful.
The next trick with coupons is to try to match them up with sales at the supermarket. If you purchase an item for $1.50, originally selling for $2 and use a buy one, get one coupon, you drop the price to $0.75 a piece, which is considerable savings. If you can do the same thing on double coupon days, the price drops is even more significant.
Stocking up and Planning
When foods you commonly use go on sale, purchase in bulk. Recently, General Mills cereals were on sale at the local supermarket. $1.50 a box is cheaper than generic brands, so I went and picked up 10 boxes of each cereal my kids liked. Each 10 boxes qualified for an additional $5.00 off, so I ended up paying only a dollar a box for name brand cereals. They don’t spoil and we will eat them for a couple of months.
Once you have the weekly circulars, plan your menu for the next week. Focus on the lower priced specials. If ground beef is on sale, you might plan hamburgers one night, chili another and spaghetti with meat sauce a third. You get three good meals for less. If you set aside leftovers as part of the meal plan for the week, then let your kids know; mine have a habit of eating anything they find in the fridge if not warned in advance.
Warehouse Stores
Check out the warehouse stores with an eye towards prices. Take the flyers from the supermarket with you because some things are cheaper at the warehouse. For example, tuna could be at $1 per can versus $1.69 at most markets, but others are more expensive. Also, you will be tempted to purchase more than you need, and if you don’t use it, the waste adds to the cost.
Warehouses are a great place to get discounts on prescriptions and meats. You have to be willing to portion out the meats on you own since they come in large quantities and most people don’t need six pounds of hamburger at one time. Freeze things quickly to avoid spoilage. Some cheeses and milk will freeze well, too.
Finally, when shopping for groceries, stick to seasonal produce. Cantaloupe may be a $1 a piece in the summer, but $4 in the winter. Local produce is also cheaper and if you eat a lot of it, you might want to look into a CSA farm where you can buy a share for the season.
Groceries are one of the best areas in which to cut back if your family budget needs a bit of updating, so get working!
In what is becoming a weekly Saturday event, I’m going to share with you an article from the How to Save Money on Everything ebook. It’s free for all newsletter readers so go get your free copy now by clicking here, or you can always come back next Saturday for some more.
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