Tips on grocery shopping and saving….

Eating is fundamental to existing…… and grocery shopping for home cooked meals is far cheaper than eating out. That said, some tricks to stay within your budget are all doable.

You should have a good idea already of what you spend on your grocery bill, so keep that figure in mind and now start using some easy tricks to whittle down your grocery bill, thus saving money in the process.

Never go food shopping when you’re hungry….. you are more apt to adding snacks and goodies into the cart when, in fact, you really don’t want/need them.

Check the store ad for the week, make a list, and stick to it. The ‘end caps’ at each aisle are the sale items but they also have other items on the regular shelves too.  You’ll get used to how your favorite store does this. And, although they have other ‘come buy me items’ in easy view, stick to your list.

The sale items usually will go on sale about every six weeks on a rotation basis.  So, if you’re running low on something, but can last another six weeks, wait.

If you have children, and they shop with you, the store will have things a child would recognize and ‘want’ at the child’s eye level, so watch that those little hands don’t reach out and add things to your cart.

If you can, use coupons…. newspaper coupons will usually be printed out to coincide with the store ads, saving additional money.  And every penny helps.

Stay away from the snack aisles….. snacks are unbelievably pricey and can be gobbled up without a thought while watching TV.  Try a week without putting any bag snacks in your cart.  Then check your total grocery bill.  I know you’ll be saving $10 – $15 each week by not buying them.  Put that savings into your savings account.

Instead of the bag snacks, make popcorn, or a vegetable / dip tray….. these are far cheaper snacks and better for your health.  Think….. bet you always have some veggies and dip at a get together with friends…… why not make one for yourself?

Don’t waste food….. cook a meal….. use leftovers for another meal the next day or two. Or pack the meal and freeze to thaw and re-heat on a night you’re running late or just want to avoid cooking.

Make your own coffee and put it into a take along mug….. any leftover coffee…. pour it into a container and keep refrigerated to use as iced coffee.

These are just a few ideas, but I’m sure you can come up with more of your own.  The idea is to save money while grocery shopping and add the savings to your savings account(s).