During a tight economy, almost everyone is looking for different ways to save money. It can be difficult to know where to start when there are so many bills to pay and living expenses are so high. However, in general grocery shopping is one area that nearly every family can save money. Below are some tips to get you started.
1. Shop at several different stores. All stores have weekly specials. If you visit different stores, you can combine the deals from all of them. You could purchase meats at one store, canned goods at another and fresh fruit and veggies at still another!
2. Don’t be shy about looking in the clearance buggies (which can usually be found at the end of an aisle). Most clearance buggies will contain dented cans or odds and ends leftover from sales. Be sure to check expiration dates. Otherwise, there isn’t any reason why the food on clearance isn’t just as good as the food in the aisles.
3. Watch for manager specials on steaks, roasts, pork chops and all types of meat. Most are marked down because it is close to the “sell by” date so make sure that you can eat them soon.
4. Day-old bread is fine for toast or as bread crumbs in baked dishes. Toward the end of the day, pastries and baked goods are marked down so watch for these sales. Get to know the manager of the bakery section in your store, and soon you will have the inside track about when items are usually marked down for sale.
5. Some stores have “BOGO” offers; if you buy one item, you get a second item for free. These are usually items that everyone uses on a daily basis such as spaghetti sauce, pop tarts, cereal, tomato sauce or pasta products.
6. Attend or host a coupon party. Everyone takes coupons to the party and you trade ones that you don’t need for ones that you will use. This works great since all of us have different sized families and different tastes in meals. Use these coupons on store special items for added savings.
7. Make saving money at the grocery store a game for the whole family. See how much money you can save, and use the savings towards a family vacation fund.
If you follow some of the tips above you should start to see your grocery bill dropping. Although it may seem like this is just one expense in a mountain of bills, as the saying goes “watch your pennies and your dollars will take care of themselves”. Be frugal in all areas of your life, and you will soon reap the rewards.