Save 25% on Groceries Right NOW!

Bring Cash and Carry a Calculator. You can't overspend if you're not carrying any credit cards, debit cards or your checkbook. Be sure to bring your shopping list, price book, coupons and fliers to estimate how much you'll need, and a small calculator and pen. Plan for any in-store steals you run across by bringing an extra $10.  It only takes one embarrassing situation at the cash register of having more groceries than cash.  

Stick to Your List.  Have you seen our shopping list calculator?  If you don't have a master shopping list, download Melanie's here!  Use Excel to customize it to you and then print it off and post it on your fridge so that you can write things down as you need them.  Make sure you take it with you, and don’t allow yourself to stray from your list.  No adding to the list once inside either!  Yes you may find smoking deals, but you didn’t budget for those additional purchases.  This forces you to be resourceful and creative.

Be strategic. Organize your list so that it reflects the isles of the grocery store you shop.  That way you save time and temptations by avoiding the isles that you don't need items from.  Remeber, that brands pay a premium to place products at eye level in the middle and ends of aisles. To avoid pricey items, look up high and down low on supermarket shelves for the best prices, check behind items at the front of the shelf for larger bonus sizes and shop the perimeter of the store to find your grocery basics. 

Stock Up on Items while they are on Sale:  Did you know that the items go on sale at the same time every year? It's true!  Use that to your advantage.  Here a link to an itemized list by month from LivingRichlyOnABudget.com that tells you when to start looking for items you use the most so you can save a bundle on them when they are on sale.  Add them to your shopping list during the months that they have on the calendar.  

Don’t go shopping more than once a week.  This will teach your discipline and save you lots of money.  You can make due with what you have on hand.  You and your family will quickly learn to write needed items on a list as you run out of them.  You may also want to include quantity.  We generally spend $25 every time we go to the store - even if we just went for a gallon of milk.  Not to mention the time and gas it took to make the trip...just don't do it!

I hope these little suggestions help you remember what you already knew or teach you some new tools to save money and feel empowered.  I wish you the best and happy savings till next time!

~Joanne