1. Keep a grocery list. Gas for an extra trip to the store can easily add a dollar or more to your grocery bill. Also, the less you shop, the less likely you will make an impulse purchase. Keep a grocery list where it’s easily accessible, such as on the fridge and remember to take it with you to the grocery store. Stick to your list for added savings, but do stay flexible if you encounter a sale.
Example:
(1) Gas to drive four miles for an extra trip to the store: $1.00 (or more!).
(2) Impulse purchase of snack crackers at the store: An additional $2.50 spent.
2. Staple food stock up. Invest in staple foods when they’re on sale. Buying a boatload of bananas (and other perishable foods) isn’t a very good long-term investment. Stocking up on staple items such as reduced-price canned tuna, tomato sauce or mandarin oranges can be. Remember to check expiration dates.
Example: Stocking up on 10 cans of food reduced by 20 cents apiece: Save $2.00.
3. Store brand savings. Store brands are comparable in nutrition to name brands. Taste-wise, there may be little difference but in some comparisons, they have been preferred over the name brands.
Store brands and lower-priced brands tend to be positioned on the top and bottom shelves. The national brands are more likely to be on the middle shelves.
Example: Buying just two store brands and saving 50-cents on each: Save $1.00.
4. Beware of snack attacks. Unless you’re fairly active and need the calories, enjoy snacks, such as chips, cookies, candy, etc. in limited amounts. You’ll save money and may lose unwanted pounds at the same time!
Example: Buying one less bag of chips weekly: Save $2.00.
5. Shop the specials. Plan your menus around sale items, especially more expensive purchases, such as meat. Buying several packages of meat when it is on sale and freezing it may save quite a bit. It is safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its supermarket wrapping but this type of wrap is permeable to air. Unless you will be using the food in a month or two, over wrap these packages as you would any food for long-term storage using airtight heavy-duty foil, or freezer paper, or place the package inside a (freezer) plastic bag. If you plan to repackage family packs into smaller amounts, it is also recommended to use these materials.
Example: Buying meat on sale: Save $2.00.
6. Think before you drink: Buy a reusable water bottle and fill it with tap water. Your investment soon will pay for itself. Limit consumption of soft drinks and fancy coffees.
Example: Drinking tap water vs. buying a 12 pack of bottled water: Save $4.00.
7. Costly convenience foods. How much time do you really save when you buy a convenience food? It takes just a few seconds to mix your own sugar and cinnamon rather than buying it pre-mixed. Microwaving a bowl of regular oatmeal rather than pouring hot water over a pre-measured package adds only a few minutes.
You’re likely to save by cutting fruits and veggies yourself. Plus, the precut ones don’t keep as long.
Example: Buying a carton of old-fashioned or quick oatmeal that provides 30 servings vs. buying 3 boxes instant oatmeal that contain 10 packets each: Save $5.50.
8. “Checkout” temptation. As you’re waiting in line, think twice before buying some last-minute temptation.
Example: Resist that magazine with the latest diet: Save $3.50.
GRAND TOTAL: The more of these tips you can use and the more foods you can use them with, the more you can save. Case in point: If you were able to use each of the preceding examples in one shopping trip, you could save as much as $23.50 a week.
Multiply that by 52 weeks and the savings would be over $1200 yearly!