subject: 13 Ways To Save Money At The Grocery Store [print this page] The economy is down, money is tight, and you're trying to figure out how you can stretch your budget just a little more to make your money go just a little farther. There are many things you can do to cut your costs, and one of the best things you can do is make a few small changes when you shop for groceries. This article lists 13 ways you can save money at the grocery store.
1) Buy Store Brands. Most Grocery chains carry their own branded line of products - usually at a significant savings over national brands. You will have to try them out to see if they compare quality and taste wise with the name brands, and if they do, you'll be able to save money on them.
2) Shop Alone. If at all possible, find a time you can shop alone without the kids. When you shop alone, you'll be able to concentrate on your shopping and not on your children. Because you're not dealing with your kid's behavior, you won't have to rush through and grab things you don't need just to hurry out of the store with your misbehaving kids.
3) Shop at night. Just before the store closes is often a good time to get last minute mark-downs on meat and expiring items.
4) Buy It When You Need It (JIT). Known in business circles as "Buying Just In Time" (JIT) is an inventory strategy used to buy materials and products just before they are needed. This improves efficiency and reduces costs. Likewise, you should buy your produce, fruit and other perishable items JIT to reduce loss due to spoilage. How many times have you bought those bananas or pears that turned mushy before you got around to eating them?
5) Buy Bulk. The larger the size, usually the cheaper per unit, i.e., cents per ounce, dollars per pound etc. As long as it's something you'll eat or use before it spoils, you can save a bundle of cash by buying items in bulk. Warehouse Stores like Costco and Sam's Club specialize in bulk items.
6) Buy Canned Foods. Canned foods are often much cheaper than fresh or frozen alternatives. If the taste isn't critical, then canned foods are a good way to save money on many food items.
7) Cost Share. Share costs with family, friends, or neighbors. Buy the items you all need in bulk, then re-package into smaller sizes to divide amongst each other and split the costs. This is a good way you can benefit from the costs savings of bulk items without being stuck with more than you can use.
8) Don't shop hungry. If you are hungry when you go grocery shopping, you're much more likely to buy things you don't need, or buy too much of something.
9) Take your staples list. Have a list of staple items that you always take to the store along with your regular shopping list. Items on your staples might include flour, sugar, salt, beans, mayo, mustard, ketchup, spices, etc.) When you see staple items on sale, go ahead and buy them even if they're not on your shopping list for the week.
10) Take a calculator. You may want to compare per unit prices to find the best deal. For instance, larger cans are usually cheaper per unit than smaller cans, but you may find that the smaller cans are a better buy per unit, if they're on special.
11) Shop once per week. If you shop more than once per week, you're much more likely to buy things you don't need.
12) Shop at other stores. While you may buy most of your grocery items at one store, it sometimes pays to buy at other stores that specialize in certain items. For instance, Costco specializes in bulk items; Trader Joe's carries specialty items, organic, and health food items that are hard to find elsewhere.
13) Bring your own bags. Many grocery stores will give you a discount if you bring your own bags. Buy reusing bags, you help save trees, reduce pollution, and keep the environment green.
by: Jesse Whitehead
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