Saving money on groceries can be a real struggle. You can spend hours cutting coupons and reading ads only to leave the store shaking your head as you wonder where the money went. The stores want you to believe that their sales will do the trick. The manufacturers want you to believe that their coupons are the key. The truth is that both of these "cost savers" are a shell game.
The only way to truly spend less on groceries is to change the way you buy. These are my ten best tips that are guaranteed to save big dollars. This is how I feed a family of four on $75 per week (and we eat well).
1. Buy ingredients and cook. Regardless of coupons or sales, you will always spend less by buying ingredients and cooking them. Most people who spend more than they want to on groceries are buying meals, not ingredients. When you purchase meals (frozen, boxed, canned, whatever) you are not just buying the food. You're also paying for all of the labor and manufacturing costs that went into creating that product and delivering it to your store.
Universal Truth: Money and time are interchangeable. You'll need to spend one to save the other.
2. Watch the ads. You should pay attention to the ads at your store. Any market is an affordable place to shop when you only buy what's on sale.
Hint: If you don't receive ads with your newspaper, you can still check out the sales. Nearly every grocery posts their ads online, so you can simply visit the website and see what's cheap this week.
3. Shop on Monday. Think about it, when do most people shop? On the weekends, right? This is why you should shop on Monday. Stores stock up heavy on Fridays to make sure they're ready for Saturday and Sunday customers. After the shelves have been raided by the weekend masses, stores restock with fresh goods for Monday. However, you'll still be able to find a fair amount of bargains and markdowns on items left from the weekend.
Hint: The earlier you shop on Monday, the better the deals will be (the early bird wins this one).
4. Plan your meals before you shop. The biggest cause of overspending in the food department is a lack of planning. You forget to check the pantry before you leave and you can't remember if you have peanut butter, so you buy some just in case. When you get home, you find that there were two jars of peanut butter back behind the chips and marshmallows. Now you have three jars and that kind of duplicate buying quickly adds up. You should plan all the meals for the week before you leave home and list the ingredients necessary for each. Then check your pantry, cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer to avoid buying duplicates.
Hint: Posting the menu lets your family know "what's for dinner" ahead of time. This allows them to do all of their complaining at once instead of spreading it out through the week. You can also have the kids help with the menu so they feel like they had a say and got to choose some favorites.
5. Only buy what's on the menu. Another cause of overspending is buying things you don't need. If you want chips, put them on the menu and don't buy pretzels or cheese puffs. In order to make this tip work you will have to retrain your brain. If it's not on the menu, you don't need it (even if it's on sale).
Hint: It will be difficult at first, but just continually remind yourself that, if you stick to the menu, you will spend less.
6. Organize your list according to your route. Wandering in the grocery can be an expensive adventure. Organize your list according to the route you plan to take through the store, then stay on that route and don't wander or backtrack. By sticking to your planned route you will be less likely to buy things that aren't on your list, and you'll save money.
Hint: You'll also find that you finish the shopping more quickly and save yourself some time.
7. Set a budget and stick to it. Decide ahead of time what you will spend on groceries. Plan your menu in accordance with the sales and coupons. You may even want to break your budget down into subtotals for each section of the store (meat, produce, dairy, canned & packaged).
Hint: Breaking down your budget will help you keep track of your total as you shop.
8. Total each section of your list as you go. If you begin in produce, keep track of what you buy and record the produce total before moving on to meat. Totaling each section lets you keep track of your progress and help you avoid surprises at the check out. People often lose track of what they have put in the cart and end up with higher totals than they expected at the check out. Then, to avoid embarrassment, they spend more than they planned.
Hint: Totaling each section will help you know exactly what you've spent before you reach the check out.
9. Reward yourself for coming in under budget. If your planning and self-discipline pays off and you come in under budget, reward yourself with a treat. I like chocolate, so when I come in under budget, I pick up some "victory chocolate".
Hint: Rewards are good motivation provided that you reward yourself for positive progress and they don't push you over budget.
10. Pay in cash. There's a realization that hits when you count out bills that you don't feel when you swipe a card. Seeing your hard-earned money change hands helps you understand the investment you're making in food. Also, carrying a finite amount of cash insures that you only spend what you brought.
Hint: Cash isn't nearly as elastic as plastic.
There you are. My ten best tips for saving serious money at the grocery. Let me know if you found these helpful by leaving a comment below. Also, feel free to share this post with your friends and family. After all, who couldn't use a little more money in their pockets these days?
