With prices rising everywhere you turn, saving money is one of the best ways to stick to a personal budget. Keeping your grocery bill at a reasonable level can be a difficult task, and with temptation staring at you from all angles, this article will share with you three simple ways to help you save money on your grocery bill, and stick to your grocery budget.
Slash Your Meat Costs
The first simple way of saving money on your groceries is to only buy meat either when it is on sale, or when it is marked down. Check your local brochures for weekly sales, or jump on-line to see which meats are on sale and when. For marked down specials, try shopping later at night, or earlier in the morning to take advantage of any meat that your grocery store needs to mark down in order to sell because it is nearing it’s used by date.
The best way to time your shop for marked-down meat is to ask the meat manager when they mark down. Most of the time, you will find that mark downs occur on a regular basis, and usually, at least once a week. This method of saving can literally cut your meat bill in half, and sometimes even more.
Choose Brands Wisely
The second simple way to save money on your grocery bill is to buy generic branding wherever possible. Now, putting the argument that not all generic brands are equal aside, there are many food items that stand up to the the quality of brand name foods. Focus on buying generic foods that are not only lower in price, but also foods that have very little difference in texture and taste as the larger names such as rice, flour and sugar.
Get Into The Garden
Last but not least, the third simple way of saving on your groceries is to grow your own fruit and vegetables. Choose a food that is easy to grow, and one that you can freeze when needed. If you have never before attempted to grow your own food, start by growing something easy like tomatoes. Tomatoes can be grown on mass, and frozen for later use. Don’t forget to collect and dry your own seeds for a cash free start either.
Now that you have these three simple ways to save your money on groceries, make sure that you use them to your advantage. Even just taking on one of these methods will help you lower your grocery bill. If you take on all three ways of saving, you can rest assure that you will come in under budget.