- We stick to our grocery list.
- We ignore items that are placed right near the cash registers.
- We grow some of our food.
I have a time consuming, yet effective method for saving money on my groceries.
On Sundays, I clip or print coupons for any product that I would consider purchasing. I then file the coupons and log the coupons in a spreadsheet. Coupons have an average life of 9 weeks so there is no pressure to use the coupons right away. Time commitment: ~1 hour
On Wednesdays, the grocery store circular comes out with the newspaper. In the evening, I browse the circular and cross reference the sale items with my coupon database. If its a good deal, it goes on the list. Time commitment: ~30 minutes.
On Saturdays, I plan the household meals for the upcoming week (including snacks). I also take an inventory of my pantry to identify the items I absolutely need. Those items are added to the list. Time commitment: ~2 hours.
When I go shopping, I follow a few rules:
(1) I buy only the items on my list
(2) I walk every aisle (the biggest display of a product may be in one aisle, but the best deal in another)
(3) I eat a very small snack before shopping (I'll buy too much if hungry and not enough if really full)
(4) If produce is out of season or a pantry stock item, I buy frozen instead of fresh.
I don't compromise with food quality, but by being organized and following rules, I've cut my grocery bill by 40-70% every week.
My strategy that's worked for ME and my family for decades:
In the mail or Sunday paper, this is a "grocery store sale advertisement" that gives you ALL the store items that will be on sale that upcoming week:
1) Make a LIST and STICK to it!
2) Scan that store ad and check to see what you eat and what's on sale.
3) Plan your meals around the 'sale items'. They are different every week.
4) Some stores have "manager specials" that give further discounts and AREN'T always advertised in the grocery store ad.
5) Buy meat in bulk and then re-wrap it when you get home: You won't believe the savings.
6) If you're a "coupon-er" by ALL means, use them (I don't always need the item in the coupon, so I pass on it: I'll leave the coupon for SOMEONE else to use, I pay it forward ;)
7) Magic # 7: Do you REALLY 'need that expensive item'? Give it a second, even third thought before you buy it.
8) This is one I see every time I shop: People just tossing random stuff in their cart and NOT checking out the price. Then they WONDER why their bill is out of sight? Gee, no magic there!
If you do these simple steps (and they're mostly "common sense") you'll save money, guaranteed.
What floors me most, is when the cashier give me my receipt? They look a it with a pretty much "amazed look" and say "Gee, EVERYTHING you bought was on SALE".........
Got it? Go get 'em!!!!!!!!!!!!
Make it yourself!
Most of the food's cost is labour, meaning we're actually paying for labour rather than the food itself. So, to save money on certain processed foods, you can always make it yourself. Take hamburger meat, for example. A box of 6 patties can range from 10-15$ and weights around 2 pounds. If you buy the ground meat(often goes at 2.5$/pound) and made the patties yourself, you could save an average of 5-10$! Even if you don't know how to make something, you can always look on the Internet and learn.
More savings: buy local.
The cost of transport can represent a big figure in some foods. Ever eaten bananas during winter? They mainly come from Florida and shipping them here to Canada takes a great deal of time and resources. If you can, just buy local products as they're often cheaper and you'll be promoting your regional farmers at the same time!
Hunting out deals
Oh look! They're having a sale on fruits this week at the grocery store but the price of gas just increased by 10% compared to last week's. Maybe then it would not be a really good idea to drive all the way to the grocery store and get the items on sale if it means you would spent more on gas.
Avoid eating outside
Who doesn't like treating self to a nice meal over at that new chinese restaurant? They have great food and a nice atmosphere, don't they? If you enjoy a certain dish so much, try looking it up on the Internet and try to cook it yourself. Buying the ingredients is simple and inexpensive (usually). If you're really not that much of a chef, you can always treat yourself to simpler and thus less expensive meals.
Finally: self restraint.
For people who are spend-aholic, I suggest putting away a fixed amount of income (a % of your total income would be excellent) every month for groceries. This way, you'll be able to manage your spendings and won't find yourself short every month. It is also a great idea to fix the spendings on other categories as well.
We grow our own vegetables and herbs. True, to begin a garden it costs a little money. Depending on the size that you want for the garden and the inclination of the gardener. It will cost you to till the land or dig it up, if you are not doing it yourself. Fertilizer, constant weeding, or other upkeep like scarecrows or pretty decorations to scare off the birds and some products to keep other animals from eating your crops..like rabbits and groundhogs and black birds and even squirrels may be needed. Supplies like a good shovel, water hoses, a wheel barrel and a hoe could come in handy for weeding or digging or planting. Water when needed, if mother nature doesn't comply and then plant. You can use seeds saved from previous veggies planted, or buy new ones. We prefer to go to all the greenhouses and get most of what we need already in plant form. Growing some types of flowers around your vegetable garden is suppose to keep certain animals out, but also bring the bees which are essential for a productive crop. Now this all sounds expensive but what you can get out of this is nearly year round vegetables if you know how to prepare and freeze them or can them. You can also sell your vegetables or help out at the community pantries who feed the hungry. We share with family and friends and the pantries as well as have sold some of our veggies.
If this sounds like an awful lot of work, it can be but it does pay off and can also be done with container gardening, which requires a lot of pots and a lot of dirt and tender loving care in a minimal space. Whatever you can afford, I guarantee you will get back way much more than you put into it.
From my experience, here are some of the best ways to save on your grocery bill
1. Use the Leftovers
2. Determining how much you need
3. Use it all up before you buy more
4. Buy certain items whenever it's in season
5. When there is a sale, go for it whenever possible.
6. Keep track of what you are spending at the grocery store
For the short term like with a weak to go in the month or whatever Buy a pack of chicken wieners for (12 of of them) less then 99 cents, they taste good, but are so cheap because they are made out of the chickens bowels, but with all the flavorings spices, they taste almost as good as steak, which even eight lean burgers would cost you $9.99. If you want to eat healthy, then you have to pay for it. The same with other types of foods. You can catch up on your veggies and fruits (usually expensive) when you get your check. This recco is for people 79 and under. If you are age 80 or over, it's not a good idea. You don't need all those important vitamins and minerals every day. Of course you will FEEL better when you do eat healthy food.. But again, you have to pay bigger dollars for healthy food. If you are younger then 80 eating cheap garbage food for a week won't hurt you. You will still be eating so much better then what people ate a hundred years ago. (I mean for just a weak or so)
Watch sales and clip coupons. We average about a 40% savings by doing this on a regular basis When we make out a grocery list if an item is on sale and we have a coupon for that item it goes on our list. By making this the basis of our shopping list we save the most money. Next we will see what we need and put the things on the list that are either on sale or we have a coupon for the item. We try to never pay full retail for anything.
If we find a really good deal on items we will stock up if we know it will not go to waste. We can often give away things that we pick up if we find a really good deal on them.
Yes I think you can slash grocery bills, first by using a basket instead of a trolley, second pay by cash and you know how much has been spent, third don't eat as much. But having said all that I would imagine if we all saved ￡10000 a year the dupermarkets would up the prices, they dont want to lose any profit at all so we could save a bit for a while.
1. Cut back on the junk food and look for more healthier foods.
2. Keep yourself on the edge, don't pickup so much food or otherwise when you're bored you'll want to eat more while bored and also you become overweight or obese. Stay fit.
3. Always look at the unit price, usually the more you buy in a package the lesser price it is later on. You save more.
4. Give yourself a budget on how much to eat a day, calories, fats, etc. basically watch how much you eat.
5. When you're saving money on your groceries make sure you spend that saved money on something else you want in your life, whether it's paying off bills, a new bicycle, gaming system, vacation money etc. Having too much money and not knowing what to use it on will cause you to spend it on more groceries.
6. I want this I want that. Cut back on everything you want and take it one day at a time. You can't have it all in one moment or weeks time. Calm down and want only what you can afford.
7. Don't just buy food or beverages because someone in the family may like it.
8. Stick with the food and beverages you're used to - stop trying to save money by getting a cheap name brand or whatever. My mom has a problem with this when she sees a pizza is 2$ cheaper yet I can eat the whole pizza because it's so thin compared to the usual pizza we like, which I can only eat a couple pieces.
Do the math:
Plan out your shopping list and write your estimate of the price of each item. (This will make you more aware of market prices so you can properly price items and your personal value of each item)
Plan ahead to avoid waste:
Find a carboard box and fit it in your freezer so you know eactly how much you can put in the freezer without buying too much food and having to return items.
Fill The Feezer:
Rotate old out new in but actually use what you have in your freezer then go buy more food and aim to fill the freezer. This will allow you to cut down on gas consumption by making fewer trips.
Unit Price:
A price per unit of messure. This figure will tell you if an item is as cheap as it look. Double check unit prices to ensure it adds up because this figure is from time to time wrong. Also unit prices doesnt differentiate between meat and bone.
NoFrills:
Many "Name-Brand" broducts are way more expensive than "No Name" or "No Frills" products. Only buy name brand when it is cheapers than the no name. This happens during sales or couponing.
Coupons:
A coupon doesnt make an item a good deal. Actually look at the price of the item being discounted and ensure its cheaper than the other brands or no name products.
Sales:
Sales can save a large portion of your food budget. However watch dubious sales practices such as inflating prices right before a sale. This makes the sales price either the same as the suggested retail or even more expensive. Also check prices. Just cause its on sale doesnt mean its the best price.
Wholesale Meat Market:
There are meat markets all over the country that sell wholesale meat. These stores can often sell to the public and can save a huge amount on your monthly budget.
Dont fall for gimics:
*Increses in prices right before a sale
*Coupons selling expensive products that are still mroe than comparable products.
*Coupon policies claiming to double or triple but not the entire amount of the coupon (sometimes only up to .25)
*Mislabled unit prices.
*Items in the wrong section listing the wrong price.
*Ice in container to make the product weight more
*Meat injected with water to increase weight
Explantion of unit price made easy:
http://www.mathsisfun.com/measure/unit-p...
Go ahead and give us your tips, we'd love to hear from you! With a little bit of planning, you can slash your grocery bills by an average of $2,000 a year! Share with us your secrets and then watch "Cost of Living’s" Vera Gibbons show you how to take advantage of great deals and reduce costly waste.
Cut Your Grocery Bill by a Third: http://yhoo.it/15zm7y9
1) Buy store brand products - Most store brand products are just as good as the name brands and cost a LOT less.
2) When buying meat most stores have a clearance section for meat that is 1-2 days away from its "sell by" date. This is great if you're planning on cooking it right away, or you can freeze it and use it later.
3) At most stores with these 10 for $10 type deals you don't actually HAVE to buy all 10 to get them for that price. I've seen several places where you purchase 1 and it'll only charge you $1.
4) Try to avoid buying stuff only because it's a great deal, I've been guilty of this myself. Just ask yourself "do i really NEED this?"
5) Utilize coupons, and price matching! There are some grocery stores out there that will price match if you bring in a competitors ad.
6) Try to avoid buying large sizes of perishable products if you're only shopping for a few people. For instance for my wife and I we seldom buy large packages of meat or fresh vegetables because often it'll start going bad before we can finish it.
7) Use what you have at home first before going back to the grocery store and spending more money. I'm sure most of us have plenty of stuff sitting in the freezer, fridge, or cupboard that we could make a meal out of or something we could take for lunch.
The way to reduce this expense is to make use of certain parts of the vegetables that many people throw away.
With cauliflowers--the storks are actually no tougher than the "flowers". So save in the fridge, and when you have sufficient cook them. The heavy storks should be cut to provide small pieces, and cooked with the surrounding green leaves and with a smaller quantity of similarly cut onions. Add some water, oil, salt and seasoning as required. Cooking time about 15 minutes or less.
Carrots and beets--why remove the skins? its a waste and all they need is to be topped and tailed and scrubbed under a small flow of water before being cut and cooked as usual (about 20 minutes, but it varies). (For beets cut off the leafy end parts and carefully remove any defects from skin). The vitamins in uncooked carrots are different to those that are released in cooked carrots. Fresh carrots are easiest to enjoy when served grated with a little oil, salt and lemon juice (and sugar, for children).
Potatoes--clean and de-eye. Cook in jackets as above for carrots. Serve as cut halves, with a small amount of butter or margarine melting inside.
Many vegetables and fruits have seasons when they are relatively inexpensive. So avoid the ones that are out of season and have to be imported from far away and are more costly. The same thing applies to costly meats, cheeses, even breads, avoid the more expensive items. Buy in bulk when you can store the purchases in the freezer. This includes certain fruits and vegetables which do not spoil when de-frosted.
Finally: food left on plates need not be thrown away. It should not be tabu to keep it, when times are hard. It can be carefully separated and used for another meal.
Great ways to cut back from a $2,000 grocery bill is...
1. Coupons lots of them, also helps to have a coupon book/ container to help keep the coupons organized,
2. Price checking ( I just recently learned this too) some stores allow price checking, which basicly means that stores let you show other cheaper store flyers to get that same exact product for the same price as the cheap store at the more expensive store.
3. Always check online for deals/bargains/ect.
4. Always check the product your buying for price and amount to see if what your getting is actually logical correct, say they have peanut butter on sale for $3.99 but its a small jar and not a regular size container that is $4.59 has more and would last you longer. Don't be fooled into this.
5. Don't over buy large amounts that are on sale that expire fast and that your never going to finish before it expires, like fruit and veggies and bread and milk.
6. When KD,Instant noodles/Ramen and canned food go on sale, BULK BUY, because you can go a long way with these foods.
7. It don't hurt to have left overs (just make sure you finish them before they go moldy). If you know you are not a big eater when you buy certain foods, it helps to pack it up and save it for tomorrows meal. (say you have left over turkey or chicken, don't throw it out, use it again tomorrow for wraps or chicken Alfredo).
8. Tap water filters help, so dose reusable bottles. As much as people say tap water is bad for you (i was on this bus too) its really not that different from tap water (unless you have a legit reason for buying bottled water).
I use coupons. A lot. I know some people assume you can only buy junk food with coupons but like right now you can get FREE bread at target and and I just recently (on Sunday) bought a pack of pork chops that were on sale for $1.58 a lb and used a $1 off any pork product coupon and used a coupon from my local price chopper to double it so I ended up paying like $1.50 for 2.2 lbs of pork chops. I can stretch that out to two meals by using the left overs in pork fried rice. Also NEVER throw away veggie scraps. I will save them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer to make veggie stock and I do the same with chicken bones and beef bones. Another thing look up like depression era recipes. They will help you learn to make do with what you have. Oh and I do grow some fruit/veggies. I have strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and peaches in my yard along with carrots, potatoes, onions and broccoli. I can what I can't use before it goes bad. I live in upstate NY so don't say it's too cold where you live and work full time and have kids so don't say you don't have time either! You can do it if you really need to save money.
I use the sites livingrichwithcoupons.com and krazycouponlady.com when I coupon. :)
I learned how to make some of my favorite items that are easy to do from cheaper ingredients, such as yogurt and hummus. Yogurt is fermented milk - the real work is done by good bacteria if you just give them the right environment to do their thing. I turn a gallon of milk into yogurt worth about 4 times the price. Then I can use some cheesecloth to make thicker Greek yogurt, which is even more expensive.
Hummus is rather expensive at retail prices, but the ingredients are much cheaper. It takes some effort to learn the recipe the first time, but afterwards I can make large batches to get big savings for foods I enjoy on a regular basis thereafter. I find the ingredients at a warehouse store to make the large batch at the lowest price per oz. It also doesn't take a lot of time or effort to make these items on a regular basis.
I use lots and lots of coupons! You can find some great deals on Ebay...they have the best selection in coupons for groceries and just about everything else.
Of course I also rely on sales to save extra money. The 10 for 10 sales are excellent [10 items for $10] and also I shop when the stores offer triple coupons. Most will double coupons up to .40cents....but when they triple, some will allow .75 cents and even a dollar!
I try to buy fresh produce from Farmer's markets because it's always much cheaper than in the stores; and fresher too.
Some stores offer buy one get one free; and buy 1 item and sometimes 2 items will be free.
It takes planning, but anyone can save if they put their mind to it and have the patience.
There are several ways. First and foremost NEVER pay your grocery bill with a credit card your consumables wil be gone while you still continue to pay interest on them. now on to the savings on groceries. l1) never go shopping when you are hungry, everything will look good to you. 2) Try to avoid shopping at eye level the better bargains are above or below this point, remember to always look UP. 3) Do not take children with you whenever possible, they have a tendency to talk you into the sugary treats, cereals etc..4) Be familiar with products and corresponding prices, Shop using coupons but beware of coupons that only save you $$ when you buy two or more of a certain item. many times the stores raise their prices on these items so that your .50 cent coupon actually costs you a dime or more.
We have a large garden and a freezer. We grow and can or freeze most of the vegetables and some of the fruit we eat. We buy meat when it's on sale and stock up. Often you can buy roasts cheaper than cut meat. A pork loin roast makes beautiful butterfly pork chops with very little work. An outside round roast can be cut into steaks for marinating and stewing beef. We buy cheaper cuts of meat too and either marinate them or cook them in the crock pot. All the food in the freezer is freezer wrapped and labeled and dated. When I put new things in the freezer it goes under what is already in there so I use the oldest stuff first. Food can get lost in the freezer and wasted because it is too old or freezer burned so a neat freezer with everything labeled and dated cuts down on waste. We seldom have many left overs because my husband cleans them up for lunch the next day but if I happened to have some I'll freeze them and use them for soup another day. It's amazing what will go into my soup pot but it always ends up tasting good.
We stock up on paper supplies when they are on sale too. I'm not a great coupon clipper but I do use them when I have them and I check the coupon board at the supermarket
Set a budget for groceries and keep a log of how much you spend and what you buy. Other actions depend, in part, on where you live. For example in countries like Thailand and the Philippines street vendors are very common and their prices are less than the grocery stores.
Buy fruit when it is in season and give preference to local producers which may have the additional benefit of avoiding the contaminants in food produced using toxic pesticides and fertilizers.
Also look for food that is high in nutrition; food high in nutrition will satisfy the body longer resulting in eating less.
Another way to eat less and reduce the total grocery bill is to use smaller plates/serving sizes. People often overeat when the plate is large.
Plan your meals first, buy only what's on your list, and use what you buy.
Don't go grocery shopping while hungry, you'll splurge on impulse. Go when you're full.
Use your freezer to avoid throwing out bad food.
Save leftovers. If you know you won't want the same meal the next day, freeze it.
If one meal calls for an item that goes bad within 3 days of opening it, plan another meal for the next night that uses it.
Buy store brand items as often as you can.
Grow some of your own food, even if it's just a little bit on a balcony of an apartment.
Cook more meals from scratch.
Use coupons and watch for sales.
They sell meat cheaper the closer it is to the 'sell by' date, which isn't a problem if you cook it that night.
Avoid buying foods that aren't in season.
Buy some things in bulk, freeze it or store it.
***I do not recommend buying the cheaper, processed, unhealthy foods all the time. You'll pay for it in medical bills and quality of life.
We don't need to grocery bill, the money we are spending on gorcery is not an issue compared what we spend on other item. A cell phone bill over #100, Dish cable another at leat $70, a movie for almost $10 etc. How much food we can eat a day ?
We have free 3 TV network, plus $8.00 Netflix or even better Amazon Prime TV, why people spend so much money on cable ?
Grocery bill, no big deal, just make sure buy the healthy food.
I buy all our meat at an Amish market. Not only do they raise the animals themselves, the also do the butchering and packaging. There is no dye added to make the meat look red or corn filler added to stretch out the meat. The chicken actually looks healthier then the poor excuse for chicken you see in the grocery store. Its also way cheaper then at the grocery store and much more healthy. The veggies they sell are cheaper too, maybe by just a few pennies but pinching pennies is something we have to do now because of the economy.
I think one of the main things to switch when trying to cut your food bills down is to compromise your tastes. What i mean is rather than buy the food brands that you are used to, try out some generic or lesser known brands. They are normally much cheaper than the big companies that have been around for years and can sometimes taste the same.
As for meats, one tip that i learned is to buy meat packages. They tend to be cheaper in the long run. Buying meats from the supermarket can put a huge dent in you wallet and many times the meat is not the best quality. Visiting your local butcher or meat store can save you tons of money when you look at the packages they offer.
We grow a large garden every year and freeze and can enough squash, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc. to get us through the year. I make and can my own jellies and jams from our fruit trees. We also raise a pig for butchering yearly as well as supplementing our groceries with wild game. We have a chicken coop with several hens, so we never buy eggs. We use venison to make our own breakfast sausage, and summer sausages. Coupons also go along way towards cutting the bill. Of course this is all a LOT of work, but totally worth it. Not to mention that the veggies taste so much better than what you can buy at a grocery store! We eat very well, very cheaply.
Besides couponing, I have a strategy that has seemed to work wonders for our family. When I go shopping, I only buy for breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese, yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, etc.) and lunch (Hamburger helpers, Mac and Cheese, ham and turkey, bread, etc.) Then, around 1230-100 I send out text messages asking what everyone's schedule looks like, who will be home for dinner, and then I plan according, but I buy all of our dinners fresh. Fresh veggies, fresh meat, all cooked right then and there. I also only make what will be eaten that night. If there are leftovers, they have to be gone by the next day (usually someone takes it as lunch to work). I think leftovers are unsanitary and I believe that more food gets wasted that way. If no one tells me what they want, I just get whatever sounds good to me and I make individual Tupperware containers for everyone so they can eat as they get home, then food isn't sitting out, but there's no risk of contamination because each person has their own plate. That's how I do it and honestly I've found it to be more efficient. This only works if you have someone who stays at home though. I have a 5 month old son that I stay at home with.
What type of attitude you have towards spending money makes a person of integrity focused only on grocery shopping.
What food needs you have on paper and checking off each food item becomes easier as you stick
to your list.
Looking at the shelf price per ounce is a determining factor you can rely on. Quality of your food item does make a difference. This blue ribbon tip will help your shopping experience with enthusiasm. More and more store brands have improved.
One excellent way to save money is paying for your grocery items with your dollar bills .Put the change in a large container every time you come home from grocery shopping. Stick to this saving technique becomes easier as you see the coins build up . Smiling as the amount steadily grows.
The more practice you get sticking to your food list becomes rewarding .In the long run when you have met your monthly food budget needs saving more from your income plus time and energy. Learning to save on your food budget crates a brand new look at spending money helps you feel great about your accomplishment.
Avoid going to a grocery store tired or hungry makes your shopping experience a successful journey.
Branded and non branded food is food, at the end of the day, we are in a recession, so the government cannot expect much. Buy the products produced by the supermarket your purchasing in! Or, sometimes supermarket have 'special offer' in which the customer can take advantage of.. So take advantage of it! Do not buy too much of any one product though. My mother cut the bills down by 500 euro, it just goes to show that you can mind your money when you want to. Although, even before the recession we could have been doing the exact same.
Dollar Tree Grocery Shopping
Tip one: shop around to see which grocery store is cheaper. Compare the same brands at each store and compare the price to see which one is cheaper.
Tip two: some times great value products taste like the original brand, and it's a great way to save time and money. Great value comes in many varieties such as meat, ice cream, snacks, bread and even sodas.
Tip three, the final tip: sales occur in grocery stores monthly on mostly every food item. This is a great way to save time and money on your grocery bill a year- because many people go shopping for grocery once a month.
This is an easy one as I have had to live on next to nothing at various times in the last 14 years.
First know your order: 1. First stop is the DOLLAR STORE!
2. Next (if you have one or one like) the GROCERY OUTLET.
With going to these two places first, you will save over 50 percent!
Before you go: Make a menu for 1 week.
Stuff yourself with a 12 incher at SUBWAY for 5 dollars.(take own drink).
Buy only what you have on the list, very hard to do at the dollar store:)
Do not smoke any weed before you go, wait until you get home, LOL!
