What Everyone Should Know About Grocery Shopping
First, don’t be afraid to try generic brands, they are just as good as the name brand ones and alot of the time no one can tell the difference. Also be aware that even if you have a coupon for a name brand item the store brand items are usually still cheaper. Even if it’s just a few cents here and there, it really adds up over time.
Buying the Sunday paper can also be a good start, I do clip coupons for the things that I really like and use them when that item goes on sale, so I can stock up and save more money. You can even sign up with a coupon trading board and trade with other people for the coupons you want. There are also websites that sell coupons for a few cents for each one.
Stores like Aldis, Shop N Save, and other bag your own grocery stores also have great deals on canned and dried foods. You should also consider signing up with a store who sells bulk grocery items, like BJ’s or Sam’s Club. Personally I prefer to buy meats, fruits, and vegetables when they are on sale. With meats I usually buy them when they are marked down and freeze them or use them right away.
Some of the grocery stores even have a place where they put damaged, clearanced, or opened items. These can be great places to find items that are marked down, you can get diapers, cereal with the box damaged but still sealed, cans with dents, or things that are just discontinued to help save some money. It can’t hurt to look when you are there because you never know what you will find.
Most importantly, try to go to the store by yourself without any children or husbands who will try to stock up on junk food. Junk food is the most over priced stuff there is and has absolutely no nutrition value so try to limit how much you buy. I go to the store about once a week and we do allow one or two junk food items for an occasional snack. It’s also good to go when you have some time so you don’t feel rushed and also when you aren’t hungry. If you want to save even more money you might want to allow time to go to different stores depending on who has what on sale.
Making a grocery list and knowing what you have in your pantry also helps when trying to decide how your meals will go for the week or however long you will be shopping for. Since I do all of my grocery shopping and cooking I pretty much know what I have in stock. Occasionally, we will have to stop for milk or bread if we run out.
Just remember when it comes to grocery shopping it doesn’t have to be a horrible experience, with a little planning it can be very easy and actually be kind of fun to see how much money you can save yourself each time you go. Take the money you saved and do something for yourself or do something special with your family.
