No matter how I find ways to cut my grocery bill, it always seems too high. Sound familiar? I put together a list of my favorite ways to save on groceries in hopes of digging up a few more dollars. Please add your tips by leaving a comment.
1. Shop on a full stomach and with a list so you’re less inclined to buy extras.
2. Buy ahead of need. If it’s on super sale get an extra cart. Who cares if other people give you the stink eye?
3. Be a freezer diva. Like, I can totally stuff more meat into my freezer than you can!
4. If you stock up, make sure the items you buy freeze well. Bargain hunting can bite you in the bum.
5. Coupons, coupons, coupons. Clip them from the mail and print them online.
6. Don’t be fooled into thinking any one store – even Costco – has the best prices on everything. (If they did, we would all shop there and everyone else would go out of biz.)
7. Compare prices on the 20-30 things you buy most often. Once you know which stores typically have the best prices on each of those items, you’re set. (In my neck of the woods, Trader Joe’s has the best prices on milk, eggs and butter. Albertsons super sales have the best prices on meat, and ethnic grocers have the best prices for fruit and veggies. Everything else is a toss up.)
8. At the end of the month if you run out of grocery money, eat out of your pantry and freezer. Get create with recipes or turn to leftoverchef.com.
9. Check meat prices with the butcher. The pre-packaged stuff is not always the lowest priced.
10. Eat veggies in season. They are more likely to be on sale.
11. Check out your local farmers. How important is price v. benefit of eating locally grown food v. value of organic produce to you?
12. Grow your own herbs, which can be super expensive.
13. Write the manufacturer of products you love, explain how loyal you are and ask for coupons.
14. Check your receipt. Clerks and machines make mistakes all the time. If you catch an error ask them nicely to make it up to you.
15. Go vegetarian when possible. Protein from vegetarian sources like soy and beans is about a $1 cheaper per person per meal than animal protein.
16. Join the loyalty program at every grocery store.
17. Treat food as a discretionary item, not a necessity. Grocery stores are packed with luxuries. Hello organic milk? Fancy cheese? Prime rib?
18. Snoop around until you find the day-old bread rack. Freeze/eat within 12 hours or prepare for an invasion of green mold.
19. Shop based around meals you plan to make that week. Mid-week trips to grab one missing item can result in many extra purchases. Gum is on sale!
20. Invest in re-usable grocery bags. Many stores give you a discount for bringing your own bags.
April 24th, 2009 at 7:42 am
I look for reduced produce early in the morning to allow us to be able to eat healthy but not pay a fortune! They mark salads down several days before they are “bad”. Spinach can last a week past its expiration day.
April 24th, 2009 at 7:58 am
GOOD TIPS!! I’m just jealous because we don’t have any bakery outlets in our neck of the woods.
Fortunately, I have been able to find similar discounts at my local grocery store that sells the day old breads off a cart in the back of the store. It’s the same concept, just on a smaller scale!
I also have done well saving a lot of $$ in the butcher’s department.
Enjoyed your post – thanks!
April 24th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
When buying chicken, instead of buying the name brand, buy the store brand. A butcher clued me in that, at least at Albertsons, the store brand is the name brand and it is usually cheaper. Also, when whole chickens go on sale, buy them and ask the butcher to cut them up for you. It is a better deal than buying the already cut up pieces.
Thanks for the great post!!
April 25th, 2009 at 7:47 am
Personally, I do not consider organic milk a “luxury” item. I prefer the milk I serve my family antibiotic and growth hormone free. I have found Trader Joes to have the best prices on organic dairy and produce.
April 25th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
The number one thing that has saved me money on groceries is STOCKING UP ON MILK. If i run out of milk every week and have to go to the store, I’ll buy $30-50 worth of groceries while I’m there and half of it goes bad before I can even eat it. I started stocking up on the containers of soy milk that don’t need to be refrigerated.. then, I’m much more likely to just eat out of my pantry for a few weeks longer. I can always add a quick trip to a produce-only store (though these may be easier to find in the ethnic areas of LA) or a farmer’s market for produce in between.
June 12th, 2009 at 3:07 am
[...] $.11 per kilowatt hour. Of course, if you unplug your extra freezer you have less space to be a freezer diva, which has many money-saving [...]
June 17th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Too bad I was away when this was posted.
Number 21. Price matching at Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart will match any local competitors ad (not internet) for items they carry. In the case of food, Wal-Mart will even match a competitors private label item against Wal-Mart’s own (Great Value, Sam’s Choice, etc.). You must have the ad with you, and it must not be expired, and the store yo are matching must be in the local area. Wal-Mart will match Target, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, K Mart, Best Buy, Fry’s, etc.
No driving around to all the stores when you can go to one with your fist full of ads in hand!
Of course, Wal-Mart Supercenters do not carry every item, but they are competitive.
The opportunity to price match is less at stores that do not have a full size grocery department, but if your local Wal-Mart carries the item, they will match.
They do not match Sam’s Club, but it’s rare for Sam’s to have an ad with prices listed, usually around the holiday periods.
However, I believe that overall Winco Foods has the lowest prices day in and day out of any grocery store. Too bad so few locations in southern California.
SO_CAL_RETAIL_SLUT…Expanding In July!!
June 18th, 2009 at 11:25 am
[...] My 20 best tips for saving at the grocery store [...]