Simple Ways to Save on Your Grocery Bills
1. Make a list check it twice
Your first step in your grocery shopping happens before you ever leave home. Check your food supplies and make a list of what you need. Check your calendar to see how many days you need to shop for. I shop in 2-week intervals:(the less trips I make to town the more I save in groceries and gas.) I plan a menu for 2 weeks and generate my grocery list from that. Also check your stores weekly ad and you can save more by planning meals based on what’s on sale that week.
2. Clip those coupons
A lot of people toss coupons aside and don’t bother with them, but I believe they are the key to some great savings. Start by getting a file, a binder with plastic sheets, whatever you want to file your coupons in. Gather the inserts from your Sunday paper and clip and file them. If you get the largest paper in your area you will usually get the best selection of coupons. You can also buy coupons from clipping services online. These sites have a vast selection of coupons and charge a small fee for the time it takes to clip and send them to you. Most have a 3.00 minimum order and charge some sort of small administrative fee. Ordering from Ebay is also an option. These are best to supplement your coupons with ones you know you will use.
There are also resources online that you can print coupons from. Be sure to ask at your store first concerning the online coupons. Unfortunately there is a lot of fraud involved with the online coupons and a lot of store are leery or have stopped accepting them altogether.
If you shop at stores that double or triple coupons your savings can be quite tremendous. I generally save 42-50% of my shopping total with coupons and on occasion I get items for free just with coupons.
3. Choose a grocery store.
You probably have a favorite grocery store you usually shop at. But lets take a good look and see if it’s the best place for you to be shopping at. Is it located close to you? Do they double or triple coupons? Do they have lots of “bells and whistles” to distract you from the fact their prices are the highest in town?
It would be ideal for you to find a store that has:
– Decent prices even when something is not on sale.
– A generous coupon policy that doesn’t limit the number of identical coupons you can use in a transaction
– Double and Triple coupons everyday (or at least every once in a while)
– A good location close to your work or home
– Last but not least coupon friendly cashiers
A good store has cashiers that know coupons and know their stores policy on coupons. Be prepared to find some cashiers or even store managers that do not know or understand their own coupon policies. Some can even become snippy when you attempt to get a great deal with your coupons. Rest assured, coupons are a totally legal and normal way to get great savings and you are a smart shopper for using them. If you encounter problems using coupons at your store be sure to give some feedback to the customer service number or through the website of the grocery store.
4. Scan the weekly store ad
These come out every week for each grocery store in your area. Look to see what is on sale that week. Make your grocery list from your ad to get better savings. Match up the coupons you have with the items on sale to increase your savings percentages.
5. Know your sales
Stores use sales to get shoppers in the store each and every week. How can you be sure that the sale is really a good sale? What I recommend is that you make a list of items you regularly buy and the price you would buy them at if you just went to the store and got it. This way you can see that if you usually buy 12 rolls of paper towels for 8.99, then weekly ad price of 8.00 is a sale, especially if you have a coupon to use on top of that.
6. Shop when you don’t need it
That’s right, you didn’t read it wrong. What i’m talking about is stockpiling. If you find a good deal buy a couple and save them for when you do need them. I am 4 months into stockpiling and I really enjoy it. I have a great selection of things that I bought dirt-cheap.
Finally some last tips�.
*Stacking coupons is a great way to increase your savings. Stores that issue store coupons will allow you to use a store coupon and a manufactures coupon on the same item. Check your stores website, weekly ad or in the store for store specific issued coupons.
*If you have coupons about to expire and they do not have a size specified on them head to your nearest drug store to the travel/trial size section. You can use your coupons to get travel sizes for free or very cheap. These are great for travel, to keep at the office or for the gym.
*Emailing companies and giving them feedback on their products can usually net you some coupons. Simply look on the product package and note the website of the company. Visit the site and go to contact us and share your feelings. Most of the time, you will be rewarded with cents off or free coupons.
Grocery shopping will become fun now that you are saving big. Seeing your savings result at the bottom of your checkout sheet is proof that you are a smart and frugal shopper.
