Top 10 Money Saving Tips for Spending Less at the Grocery Store (GP)

About the Author: I’m Paidtwice, and my family and I are focusing on eliminating our non-mortgage debt by 2010, which currently stands at a bit over $34K ($25K of that student loans). I had a wake-up call of sorts near the beginning of this year when I realized that no matter what we did, we always seemed to be just scraping by. I took a good long look at our true financial picture, and made a plan for us to get out of debt by the time our two kids start school (they are currently 3 and 10 months) and started a blog to talk about it. Please visit my site and subscribe to my feed. Thank you.

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1. Make a list and stick to it - planning is important

You can make the list based on what you need plus what is on sale by looking at the circulars for where you are going. Menu planning for your week by what is on sale in the circular can really save you a lot of money.

2. Don’t go to the store hungry

Everyone says this but it really is true. I even had trouble once when I went not hungry, but wearing chocolate-scented lotion. I kept smelling chocolate and seeing it too in the store and eventually I gave up and bought ice cream. Temptation is everywhere!

3. Take advantage of coupons or member cards

Some stores, like my local Kroger, have member cards that are free and you only get the sale price if you have the card. And if you don’t get coupons at home in circulars, you can find them online as well. Just google “coupons” or “grocery coupons” and you’ll find lots and lots of sites to help you.

4. Only go down the aisles you need

If you aren’t familiar with the store, look at the signs on the aisles. Don’t just wander through every aisle aimlessly - you are bound to find extra things that are just begging to end up in your cart.

5. Look at what is in your cart before you check out

Take out the stuff you don’t really need, wasn’t on your list, or you didn’t mean to buy but looked good when you saw it. You can even give it to the cashier and tell them you don’t want it any more if you don’t want to put it back.

6. Don’t be afraid to make substitutions, but don’t do it blindly

If you always buy the same brand of something, but you get to the store and another brand is on sale or costs less, don’t be afraid to substitute for the sale/cheaper brand! But make sure you don’t buy a year’s supply of something you’ve never tried… you may not like it as much.

7. Try store brands

Lots of them are made by the same people who make the branded items! Again, like the above, don’t buy 15 of something the first time, but buy a box of store brand whatever and try it. You may be surprised!

8. Go alone

Don’t bring kids, they’ll distract you and beg you to buy things that they want. I can’t do anything with all of my attention on my kids. But really, it is best to go alone. Bringing someone will cause you to lose focus on just getting what you need, and getting the best deal.

9. Buy in bulk/buy ahead, but not more than you’ll use

Buying in bulk is a great money saver, but on items that expire, it can be wasteful. Buying 50 cans of corn might seem like a great deal at the time, but 7 years later when you are throwing out 23 cans, not as good an idea. Just have an idea of what you use on an average week or month and don’t go crazy. Check the expiration date carefully, because some stores put things on sale when they are about to expire.

10. Bring cash only

I’m not brave enough for this one, but if you only bring cash, you can’t overspend. On the down side, if you don’t keep track of what in your cart, you may end up embarrassed at the checkout lane.

So there you have it, my top ten suggestions for saving money at the grocery store - nine of which I use myself! I am still working my way up to number ten, at which point I will become the Zen grocery master.