Cheap Grocery Shopping Tips
- To avoid buying unneeded items and having to make return trips for forgotten items, list your meals for the week and the needed ingredients before you go grocery shopping. Make a menu list based on ingredients you have on hand and items that are on sale at the grocery store. Only buy what is on your list to limit excess spending. Avoid shopping on an empty stomach to avoid impulse buying.
- Pair coupons with sale items to drastically lower prices. Note the coupons that you're planning to use on your list to keep your trip organized. Websites such as The Krazy Coupon Lady and Southern Savers match area grocery store sales with coupons. Additionally, experienced coupon clippers on the sites can help you decide if the resulting price is a good price for different items.
- If you have extra storage space, stockpiling can save you money. To stockpile, you simply buy goods in bulk when they hit their lowest price available. For example, if you typically buy toothpaste that is $4 a tube at regular price, but you notice that with a sale price and a coupon you can buy it for $1, buy as many tubes as you can store and use before its expiration date. If you do this with a majority of the items on your grocery list, you can net drastic savings over time.
- Many consumers like to shop at one grocery store; however, if you take time to compare the sales at two or more stores, you may find that shopping at a few stores will be worth the effort. For example, one area store may have better quality meat for lower prices than another. Make sure the savings difference between the two stores is greater than the price of gas to travel between them.