Nine Ways To Save Money Grocery Shopping

Eating isn’t cheap. And I’m not talking about eating out. I’m talking about the food we buy from the grocery store and prepare at home. Did you know that the average family spends about one-third of their income on groceries? That’s a lot of money. Shopping also takes time. So, if we’re looking for a way to save time, and save money grocery shopping (and most of us are), finding ways to keep food costs down and spend less time “hunting and gathering” is helpful.

 

 

Frugal living requires efficient use of resources; time and money are major resources. You can save money and time while shopping for groceries. Here is a list of nine

Pro tip: If you are looking for an easy way to save money, you have come to the right place. Read this article about nine ways to save money grocery shopping. 

Track your saving from grocery shopping. Read my article on how to track grocery savings. 

 

 

Nine Ways To Save Money Grocery Shopping

Make A List And Stick To It

A shopping list is always necessary. Go through your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer and make a list of what you need for a given period of time—like a week. If you do this before you shop, you’ll know what you need. You’ll be less likely to spend money on what you already have, and you won’t forget to pick up that essential ingredient for…let’s say tonight’s dinner.

Look At The Top And Bottom Shelves

As you shop through the store, look at the top and bottom of the displays. To catch your attention, items with pricier brand names are stocked at about eye level. It’s common for people to find the product they’re looking for in that area, take the first one they see, and move on. If you’ll look at the shelves above and below the item you spotted, you’ll frequently find that same item—minus the brand name—at a lower price. For example: If you’re looking for canned tomatoes, the cans that are typically at eye level are the more expensive, well-known name brands. Take time to look and there’s a good chance you will find a less expensive brand (maybe generic) of tomatoes nearby.

Try Generic Brands

It doesn’t matter if you’re shopping in the store or online. Go for the generic brands. Most generic brands are just as good as the name brand items, and if they’re not acceptable…well, the next time you shop, you can go back to the brand you like.

Here’s something a lot of people don’t know: Many of the generic brands are made by the same companies that produce those name-brand items we love. They’ll just send a quantity of their product to a bulk breaking facility and it gets packed into “off-brand” boxes. I know this so because I was an OTR truck driver for a few years and carried quite a few of those loads.

Compare Prices

If you’re shopping at the grocery store, compare prices. You can do this if you’re shopping online, too. It’s not difficult. If you have two boxes of macaroni and cheese and one box is $1.10 and the other is $1.50, look to see how many servings each box makes. If the box that is $1.10 makes 2 servings and the box that’s $1.50 makes 6, you know you’re getting a better deal if you buy the $1.50 box: You get more for your money. This is a frugal use of your time, but it will also save you money grocery shopping.

OK. I know you understand that I’m using macaroni and cheese only as an example, but many foods are less expensive per serving if you purchase a larger size package. But…you might be thinking something like, “Wait a minute! There are only two of us. We don’t want to eat mac and cheese three nights in a row.” I used to feel the same way, but that was a long time ago. Now I’m more into “Hey, I’ve got a base food for several meals.” I can cook up the whole package and have it as is with a salad tonight. Tomorrow I’ll add some chicken and broccoli, and for day number three, how about covering it with spaghetti sauce; I really don’t mind eating leftovers.

Just as an oh bye the way, if you buy in bulk you are able to save more because you buy more but it’s on sale or discounted.

Buy What’s On Sale

I always cringe when I say, “Buy what’s on sale.” I hope you realize I’m not telling you to buy only things that are on sale. If you tried to do that, it would be next to impossible to put together a week’s worth of decent menus.

Here’s what I mean: If you buy something that’s on sale and you would have bought even if it were not, then you have saved some money. If it’s something you bought only because it was on sale, there’s very good chance you won’t use the item and you’ve saved nothing. In fact, you’ve wasted money. However, take advantage of sale prices on items you use frequently.

Use Coupons And Discounts

Not all that long ago coupons were limited to in-store use only. That’s not the case today. Now you’ll find many that are useable in-store and online. In fact, some companies are trying to boost their online sales and have coupons that can only be used for electronic purchases.

I like to use coupons, but in my opinion, there are only a couple of circumstances when they’re a good deal:

1) A coupon is a good deal if you would have bought that item anyway.

2) A coupon is a good deal if the item you are using it on is less expensive even without a coupon than the brand you would have normally purchased—but only if you will use the substitute.

Use Rewards Credit Card

I’ve talked about this in other posts, and I’m not kidding. I use my rewards credit card for everything I buy. And every evening I pay the credit card off. I carry a zero balance.

I love using a rewards credit card. My rewards credit card gives cash back—not miles, not free movie passes—and it pays on every purchase I use it for, not just a pre-determined list of things. (Not all rewards cards are the same. You need to know the policies of the bank that issued your card before you try this method to save/earn money.)

Using my rewards credit card is just one more strategy to save money grocery shopping.  Truthfully i save money on everything i buy.

Before I move on, I want to stress that carrying a zero balance is what makes using my cash back rewards credit card a frugal practice. It has to be paid off before I’m charged interest. If it isn’t, it becomes a financial liability.

Shop Online/Pick Up At The Store

Up to now, I’ve been talking about strategies that can save money grocery shopping. Important as money is, it is only one of your assets. Time is another. Being frugal, I work at maximizing my time as well as my money.

There’s a fairly new concept in shopping that has been getting quite a lot of promotion: Shop online and pick up your groceries later. Of course, you need to locate the stores in your area that offer this service, but their number is increasing.

I love this idea because you can “shop” leisurely. Take your time, get the best bargains, and arrange for a convenient time to pick up your groceries.
There are a couple of additional benefits to shopping like this:

1) You can shop from literally anywhere.
2) You aren’t tasked with keeping your children in tow as move through a store.

Shop Online/Have Purchases Shipped To Your House

This is a twist on the preceding tip.

Shop online. Then, have your order delivered to your house. This is another way to save some time.

I often say that one object of being frugal is to maximize resources to improve lifestyle. Well…once again you are not dragging an unwilling/unhappy spouse or children through the store as you try to get the best deal. (You know from experience that when they are uncooperative, they can make your shopping trip less than pleasant.) Peace is a lifestyle improvement. Also, having your groceries delivered can be a real-time saver. You still can take advantage of coupons and sale prices.

Some stores will deliver to your house for free, but others may add a charge for delivery, so you may have to choose between money and convenience. Depending on your whole lifestyle, either could be deemed frugal.

Conclusion

Save money shopping. It’s not difficult: Make a list and stick to it: Pay attention to the price and price-per-serving of the items you’re buying: Look for less expensive substitutes: Balance ways to save money grocery shopping with ways to make the experience more convenient.