How To Save Money At The Grocery Store
The following is a guest post from Thomas over at wealthprep.ca
Groceries are expensive! The average American household spends $546 a month on food, making it the second largest living expense. We spend money on food everyday, but we often ignore the opportunity to save. While eating at restaurants less frequently is a great start, there are opportunities to save on the food you eat at home. A few changes can help you save big on your grocery bill.
How to Save Money at the Grocery Store – Shop at a Discount Chain
Prices at discount grocery stores, such as Walmart and Save-A-Lot, are typically 10% lower than at big-name stores. Because individual grocery items are inexpensive, these savings can easily go unnoticed. $1 or $0.90 for bananas may not seem like a big difference on the surface, but 10% off your yearly spending surely will make a difference! The savings add up; shopping at discount stores could save you over $655 a year!
How to Save Money at the Grocery Store – Make a List
According to University of Pennsylvania research, making a grocery list can save you 23% on your total grocery bill. When you visit a grocery store without a plan, it’s easy to make impulse purchases and overspend. This is especially important when making small trips to the market. If you go to the store to purchase ingredients for only a few meals, it is easy to spring for that expensive steak or a dessert dish you really don’t need. By creating a list and sticking to it, you can save up to $1,508 annually.
How to Save Money at the Grocery Store – Buy Company Brands
A lot of consumers are still hesitant to include no-name or store brands in their grocery routine. Concerns over quality keep these brands out of the American shopping cart. You may be surprised to learn that most of the store brands are produced by the same manufactures as the big name brands. Stocking up on these labels can save you 30%, according to a consumer reports study. For the average American household, this means saving $1,967 a year.
How to Save Money at the Grocery Store – Eat Healthier
Prepared and packaged foods are expensive. You can save money when you buy fresh and prepare meals yourself. In most states, produce and other healthy ingredients are tax-exempt. Stay healthy and save money by avoiding carb-filled packaged goods. Even cutting soft drinks from your diet can save you hundreds of dollars a year. A quick rule: avoid the middle isle at the supermarket – the foods you need are located along the outer walls of the store.
How to Save Money at the Grocery Store – Familiarize Yourself With Prices
Familiarizing yourself with the cost of a few common purchases can help you stay on top of your savings. Many grocery chains will reduce the price of certain items to attract buyers into the store, hoping that they will spend on other, more expensive, products. Knowing the price of the items you commonly purchase will allow you to get what you need, and get out.
How to Save Money at the Grocery Store – Quick Tip: Eat Before You Go
If I go to the supermarket hungry, I will come home with a cart full of snacks. If you eat before a trip to the store, you will be less inclined to spend money on unhealthy snacks and things you really don’t need.
Great tips! I love the one about avoiding the middle aisles at the grocery store- it’s so true! That’s where all the processed food lives.
Dee,
Yes, I never really realized this until just now. It’s funny, my wife does most of the shopping. When I find myself going to the grocery store, it’s always to get something from the outside aisle. It all makes sense now :-)!
I make a list from my weekly meal plan and shop the outside. That’s where 98% of the whole food items are (which is what I eat). I can’t bring the fiancé with me though – he is worse than a kid with a major case of the “I wants”… and he knows it!
Alicia,
Having the list based on what you want to fix for the week is a great way to keep your bills low. Our kids are the same way when my wife takes them shopping with her 🙂
I think our list would be identical to your list, great job. Definitely our biggie is putting a list together before we shop as that prevents the impulse buys (usually not healthy). One bonus tip, use your credit card that offers the largest cash back % for shopping at grocery stores 🙂
Carlos @ TheFrugalWeds recently posted…Cheesy Corn & Spinach Chile Relleno with Roasted Salsa Verde
Carlos,
That’s a good bonus tip. TBH, we usually just use a plan credit card with a flat 1.5% cash back instead of hassling with remembering which ones give what % back… That’s something that we can look more into. Thanks for the tip!
Making a list helps me save money at the grocery store.
Shaun Hoobler recently posted…recipesecrets.net coupon
Shaun,
Great – thanks for stopping by!
Good tips…I like shopping at places I know I’m getting good prices like Aldi’s, ethnic supermarkets (for produce and meat), and I go to Target for groceries too with my 5% off Target Red Card. Other than that I buy whatever is on sale at the supermarket…I’m not that picky and I’m flexible with my meal plans. I definitely have been getting more familiar with prices…I used to just think whatever was marked “sale” was a good price…not always true!
Andrew@LivingRichCheaply recently posted…Image is Everything. Isn’t it?
Exactly right on the stuff marked “sale”! Many times if you compare it can even be more expensive.
One other thing I do to save money at the grocery store is to take a calculator with me. I know exactly how much my bill is going to be before I pull into the checkout lane. If it’s too high, I start examining the things in my cart, chucking things out until I get down to the amount I budgeted.
Brock @CleverDude recently posted…Forgot Your Coupon? No Problem!
Wow Brock,
That’s pretty hardcore! That would really come in handy as well when you’re trying to compare unit costs and the store intentionally uses different units to prevent direct price comparison. Great tip!
The one that gets me every single time is not eating before I go. I will load up the cupboards with expensive and not so healthy foods if I am hungry when I am grocery shopping, and I often won’t even realize that I’ve done so until I get home and start to unload them all. Good tips!
Daisy,
So true – it’s hard to remember all of these tips and keep them in mind when grocery shopping. As you’ve experienced, shopping while hungry really does make a difference 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!