Tips on Saving Money While Grocery Shopping

Purchasing groceries for your family, week after week, can be extremely expensive. If you have a large family, just purchasing food can often “break the bank.” Although many grocery store chains often offer great weekly sales, your final bill can still be expensive. There are many small tips that can save a family a tremendous amount of money over time.

Planning all of your meals ahead of time allows a family to become more organized and develop a set grocery list. Once you planed all of your meals, you will know what ingredients you need to purchase. Once you make your list and take it to the store it is important that you stick to. If you happen to see an item on sale that you know your family will use in the near future, it may be a good idea to sock up on the item; however, try to avoid impulse buying.

Before entering a store check out their weekly sales flyers. In many grocery stores, you can ask the customer service repetitive about having a flyer mailed directly to your home and this will help you prepare a list ahead of time. Many well known grocery stores often have store cards or discount cards. These cards pretty much work like coupons, without all the paper! You can generally obtain a store card by filling out a form at the customer service counter. Each week grocery stores will have special sale prices that you can only obtain by using their card.

Just about every week, coupons booklets are inserted into weekly newspapers. Clipping coupons is a great way to save money if you will use the product. Many shoppers think that because they have the coupon that they should purchase the product. Only purchase products that you will use. Many times a competing brand will have a sale price on the same product that you have a coupon for.

If you have a large family or like to purchase items in bulk, it is recommended that you shop at local wholesale food stores. Sam’s Club is a great example of a wholesale food warehouse; however, there are many more stores located around the nation.

Discount stores and dollar stores are also beginning to carry more food items in their inventory. Often times, these stores will carry food items at lower prices then the grocery stores. Dollar General, a popular discount store, accepts coupons for the products that they carry. Save A Lot and Aldies are popular “bag your own groceries” stores located in the Northeast region. They often offer their products at lower prices because they do not have to have a large staff. You bagging your own items saves them time and money. Think of it this way, not only will you be saving money but bagging your own items will also give you exercise. When you are at a discount store, be sure to check out the store brand items. Most stores will grantee their products and offer you a refund if you are not satisfied. If you compare the store brand labels to the national brand products, you will often find little or no difference in the ingredients.

Whether you are shopping at a grocery store, department store, or discount store it is recommend that you never shop when you are hungry, it increases impulse buying. If you have a set budget, bring a calculator with you to ensure that you don’t exceed your limit. Finally, going alone will not only make your shopping less hectic, it is also likely that your shopping bill will be dramatically lower.