How to Save Money on Groceries
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With the worsening state of the economy, more and more people are looking for ways to cut back on spending. It turns out that one of the largest expenses families have each month is food. The amount you spend on groceries, however, does not have to be enormous. Following these steps below can help anyone significantly reduce the amount spent on groceries.
1) Buy Generic Brands–Many grocery stores, such as Kroger and Albertsons, offer their own generic items. These items are usually priced at a fraction of the name brand price. Also, generic brands such as Western Family and Malt-o-Meal offer very competitive prices. Oftentimes, you will be better off buying a generic store brand than you would be using coupons on a name brand. Make sure you do the math to see which option is better before you buy.
2) Use Coupons from the Sunday Paper–The majority of manufacturers coupons come from inserts in the Sunday paper. However, you do not have to have a subscription to the Sunday paper to get these coupons. One way you can get them is by purchasing them online. Ebay usually has coupons for sale. I have seen them as low as about $1 for 100 coupons, but usually they are around $2 to $3 for 100. Also, on The Coupon Clippers and other related websites, you can pick out exactly which coupons you want and purchase them for a small handling fee. An even better way to obtain these coupons is to get them for free! You can ask friends who get the Sunday paper if they will give you the coupons they will not use. I personally put an wanted ad on my local Freecycle and Craigslist sites asking for coupons and got several responses back! You could also check with your local grocery stores to see if they will give you the inserts from papers they do not sell. Remember to check to see if any grocery stores in your area double or even triple coupons. If they do, you can really get great bargains!
3) Use Coupons from the Internet–There are many websites that offer printable coupons.
Coupons.com offers a wide variety of them and so does BettyCrocker.com and Procter and Gamble. Some sites, such as Shortcuts.com, even allow you to load coupons onto your grocery store’s card. There are many sites that offer coupons, not just these. Do a simple web search to find them. I would also recommend setting up an email address just for coupons. Then, sign up for the newsletters for all of your favorite brands. They will often send you coupons in their newsletters.
4) Write Your Grocery List Out Beforehand– There is nothing worse than going to the grocery store hungry and without a plan. The best way to control your spending at the grocery store is to plan out what you will buy before you get there. There is no need for impulse shopping!
5) When Possible, Go Shopping With Your Parents–Okay, so this one isn’t going to happen for most people, but a lot of college students have parents who are very willing to pay for groceries if you just ask. I know my inlaws give us a large freezer bag full of meat whenever we come and visit. Don’t miss out on this one just because of pride.
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