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Grocery Savings Tips and Tricks
I’m working on another article to expand on trying to cut your overall budget but with so many good ideas for saving money and living more cheap errr… frugally I
thought I would share a few things that I have learned over the years
about grocery shopping first. I am sure that many of these you have heard
before. There is a reason for that though. They work! With food
prices skyrocketing it has become even more important to make you dollar
stretch. And for those of us who are working on our food storage it
means that the more we can save in one area, the more we can prep in
another!
I like to keep a running list of the things I use. Mine is on my
fridge. A friend of mine keeps her’s inside her pantry door with a pen
attached to it so she can jot it down as she takes it out of the
cupboard. When you remove something from your pantry write it down so
you will remember to replace it. And always remember to rotate your
groceries. This makes sure you don’t end up with wasted food. There is
nothing worse than having to toss out something that you could have used
if you had just rotated it in your pantry!
*** Check out the weekly ads in your area BEFORE you go shopping and use
it to help with making your list. Once you get your pantry stocked up
you can use this “tip” to help you prep and save money while you are
doing it. The idea is to try and NEVER buy anything that isn’t on sale
or doesn’t have the best bang for the buck so to speak.
*** Always shop with a list
*** If you have to veer off the list… make sure it is because you have
found a REAL bargain. Try and give yourself a little “leeway” just in
case you find one of those Unadvertised Specials. Don’t make a habit of
it but always try to be aware of these specials and jump on them if you
find yourself a good bargain!
*** Use coupons. You CAN save alot of money using coupons. There are
tons of websites dedicated to couponing. Check them out and do a little
homework. Check out stores that offer double and triple coupons. Don’t
buy things that you will not use or that you don’t need. Remember:
Eat what you Store and Store what you Eat.
*** Never shop when you are hungry. There is no better way for me to
load up on “crap” than when I go to the store with the munchies. All
the sudden everything looks good!
*** Try to shop alone. Think about it. When you take the kids or even
the significant other how often do you find yourself buying things you
had NO intention of getting when you walked in the store?
*** Check out the store brands. Not always, but more often than not,
the store brands are just as good and usually less expensive. If you
try the product and don’t like it, most stores will refund you your
money. They want your business and want you to come back. I have
actually taken back the label of an empty can of soup once that I
thought was disgusting. They gave me my $ back! OK I know this one
isn’t a tip for the faint of heart but hey ….if you are cheap….er
frugal…
*** Compare unit prices. I have found this to be really really
helpful. Most all stores show the price per ounce. Lot’s of times what
you “thought” was a good deal really isn’t at all. Compare the per ounce
costs of each item. You would be surprised at how many times “bigger
is not always better”.
*** Buying in bulk can save money. Be careful with this one though. I
have found lately that some smaller sizes are actually less expensive
than buying in bulk. This is where watching your “unit” prices comes in
handy.
*** When you are checking out ALWAYS watch the scanner. I’ve caught
mistakes over and over again because items didn’t ring up correctly at
the checkout. Why spend all that time trying to save money just to have
them not ring it up correctly? Don’t be shy about letting them know.
*** Watch for marked down items. You can save huge money. I try to go
earlier in the day to catch marked down items. Always check what I like
to call “the bargain buggy” This is where you can pick up some great
deals on “dented” and discontinued items. When a package is torn or
squashed they will mark the item down as well.
*** I also find some excellent deals in the meat department like this.
Since I either use what I have bought the same day or freeze it that
same day this works well for me. I once found sliced cheese (24 oz
package) marked down to $0.75 each. And yes it was “real” cheese. I
bought all 15 packages and put them up in the freezer.
*** When you find something that you use regularly on sale – Stock up
and buy as much as you can afford to. You know you will be using it
later on and prices are rising fast these days. Store what you eat and
eat what you store.
*** If the store is out of your “sale” item always ask for a raincheck.
They usually ask how many you want at that price. I ALWAYS tell them I
want the maximum number allowed if it has a limit. When you redeem the
coupon you don’t have to buy that amount but if you can afford it and
want to you still have that option. While you are waiting for them to
restock that item you can also start looking for coupons for it. That
way when it does come in, you can save even more.
*** Sign up for the “Store Card” This can save you money that you
didn’t even know about. If you are reluctant to give up your
information to them do what I do. Make up some BS information. They
NEVER check the information anyway. And if they do, so what? What are
they going to do? Call the grocery cops on you?
*** Remember that a sale is not always necessarily a sale. Many times a
store will try to push something that has been overstocked and will just
put it on an end-cap to get your attention.
*** Stay away from convenience foods. You can make most of the same
things at home for half the price. (I should do a whole post on this
one!)
*** Avoid last minute impulse items. They put all that stuff next to
the check-out counter to try and get you to make unnecessary purchases.
Keep your hands to yourself in the check-out lane!
These are just a few suggestions. I am sure there are MANY more. But
following just a few basic guidelines can help you save lots of money
and help your food storage to grow and grow.
~~Hey… I’m Just Sayin…~~
2013-03-10 15:11:46
Source: http://baconandeggs-scifichick.blogspot.com/2013/03/grocery-savings-tips-and-tricks.html
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