Use these money saving tips to save on groceries and reduce your overall bill by 25% or more this week. Learn the importance of planning ahead and what’s needed to shop smart. Select a few tips to try this week. Then, compare your grocery receipt to previous ones and watch your savings add up!

PLAN AHEAD

Organize Your Refrigerator in 4 Easy Steps - A clean and organized refrigerator can help you get the most out of your hard earned cash. Make the following steps a part of your kitchen cleaning routine.

Create Simple and Delicious Family Meal Plans - If you know the type of food your family likes to eat then you are well on your way to creating meal plans that are suitable for your family’s needs. Try these tips to create a meal plan today.

Customize Your Grocery Shopping List - Making a shopping list and sticking to it is a small tip that can save you huge bucks. When you shop with a list, you are more inclined to stay within your budget and avoid budget busting impulse purchases. Follow these steps to help you create a customized shopping list.

SHOP SMART

The Smart Way to Use Coupons for Groceries - You can save money using coupons for groceries if you know when and how to use them. Follow these tips for using coupons at the right time to double and triple your savings.

Save Money on Meat Products - If you are looking to save money on meat purchases there are a few easy steps you can take both at home and during your next trip to the grocery store.

Improve Your Grocery Shopping Habits - What you may or may not be doing while in the grocery store is affecting the outcome of your overall bill. The following tips will help you replace poor shopping habits with more productive, cost-cutting routines enabling you to save money on groceries.

Shop once a week. Pick a time and day that is convenient for you and build other tasks around your grocery shopping trip. If you have to pick up a few items before your weekly trip, make sure you put them on a grocery shopping list and stick to it!

Shop during off peak hours. Go early in the morning or late in the evening. Stores will be the busiest on the weekends so take advantage of 24 hour venues to accommodate your schedule.

Leave the kids at home. Small children can be a distraction when trying to shop for groceries. They may tempt you to shop on impulse as they pick out items that appeal to them. Accordingly, if they are disobedient you may forget to purchase some of the items on your list which may cause you to return to the store again later in the week.

Eat before you shop. It is not uncommon to find the scent of freshly baked bread, pie and other desserts wafting through the store. This is not a coincidence. Store operators know that hungry shoppers are inclined to spend more than intended. Eat a meal or light snack before heading to the store.

Know where to look. When you venture down the aisles, be sure to look for products above and below your eye level or your child’s eye level (if it is a product marketed to children). These items are often times the most expensive. Take the time to look up and down (away from the initial product) that catches your eye.

Count the costs. Know how much it takes to make the dishes your family loves. Calculate the cost of a larger size item vs. buying two or more of its smaller counterparts to see if it truly gives you more for the money. Compare coupon discounts with store brand prices. Figure out if you really save money making a dish from scratch versus buying a prepackaged version of the dish. Taking the time to do these comparisons can make a huge difference in your savings.

Pay with cash. Leave the debit and credit cards at home and bring only enough cash to pay for the things on your list. It’s so easy to swipe a debit or credit card to make purchases but when you have to pay with hard earned cash, something about it triggers you to think twice.

TIP – Save money on groceries by knowing where and where not to shop. You may feel tempted to grab an armful of your groceries while paying for gas at the convenience store counter, but this is a costly mistake. The price mark up on typical grocery store items is very high at convenience stores. Accordingly, groceries stores should be avoided when looking to purchase toiletries. Leave the all-in-one shopping for places like Walmart and other super centers.

I save money on meat products by planning meals and shopping at wholesale clubs. I typically purchase enough meat to last at least 3 weeks. After I finish shopping, I divide the meat into gallon size plastic zip bags then freeze it until I am ready to prepare a meal. If you are looking to save money on meat products here are a few easy tips you can follow at home and during your next grocery shopping trip.

Plan your meals around what’s on sale. Purchase your local Sunday paper (or the Saturday preview) to view in store promotions. When shopping, take advantage of meat products “reduced for quick sale”. Prepare or freeze these bargains the day of purchase. Stock up when you find really great deals on items your family enjoys the most.

Buy in bulk. Compare the price of smaller packages of meat at your local grocery store with those at warehouse stores like Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s, etc. For example, you might be better off purchasing a 10lbs. bag of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast once a month versus purchasing smaller, more expensive packages weekly.

Serve meat less often. Serve meat 2-3 times a week instead of daily and serve only “fist size” portions. Prepare other dishes like baked potatoes, salad, pizza, pasta, etc. as a main course on the days when meat is not on the menu. Instead of serving meat as the star of the meal include it as an added ingredient. For example, chop up 2-3 chicken breasts in soup versus preparing chicken breasts for each individual.

 Avoid purchasing pre-packaged or pre-sliced meat. Make your own ground beef or ground turkey patties instead of buying the patties pre-packaged. Slice steak into strips for stir fry or cut beef into cubes for stew. Cut chicken into strips for chicken fingers or into chunks for nuggets.

I generally only use coupons for groceries when I can find items that are on sale.  Otherwise, the store brand version of a product is usually good enough for me. Here are a few tips to use coupons the smart way when shopping for groceries.

Pick up the Sunday paper. There are many savings to be found leafing through the Sunday paper (or the Saturday preview) with scissors in hand. Look at supermarket inserts and take advantage of “value” days, “buy one get one free” deals, and other promotions. Apply coupons to already discounted items and watch your savings double or even triple.

Search for coupons via other sources. In addition to the local newspaper, there are now a number of places online where you can find coupons for groceries and download them for free. You should also check your shopping receipt for coupons that print from the register. Look on the packaging of products that you’ve purchased and search coupon mailers and magazines for additional ways to save.

Get organized. Purchase a coupon organizer or use a small plastic file sorter. Most office supply stores and places like Walmart carry them. Categorize and label each tab (ex. breakfast items, snacks, household items, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc.) They are easy to carry and can also hold other items such as your grocery shopping list, a small calculator, pen/pencil and a small notepad.

Contact your local supermarket. Visit the store website or call your nearest grocery stores to find out if they double coupons. Some will double up to a certain amount while others only offer this service to their customers on specific days.

Pile extra savings into your cart. Use the coupons you bring with you along with the coupons you find in the grocery store aisles. Remember, the best way to save money using coupons for groceries is to use them when an item is on sale.

Don’t forget about rebates. Some stores also have rebate centers which are another great way to save. While you are in the store, sign up to receive the key chain swipe card and reap the benefits of your grocery store’s value savings program.

TIP

Match the coupons you’ve clipped or downloaded with the items on your grocery list. Take only the matching coupons with you to the store. This will help you refrain from buying an item that you don’t need just because you have a coupon.

More grocery savings tips…

Review past receipts. Before you make your grocery list for the week, review the receipt(s) from your last shopping trip. This will help you quickly identify impulse purchases and areas where you might need to cut back.

Highlight budget busting purchases. Highlight items on your grocery list purchased on impulse (items that you did not intend to purchase before you entered the store) then highlight junk food that you purchased (potatoes chips, donuts, soda, etc.). If you can live without these items, you are well on your way to reducing your bill. Add the remaining items to your list for next week.

Create a basic list. Type your normal shopping list. Add to it any essentials you would normally need when trying to stock up. Save the list on the computer and print it out. Bring a pen/pencil with you to the store. As you put items in the shopping cart, write the aisle number next to each product on your list.

Update the list. Before your next trip to the store, update the list to include the aisle numbers in the grocery store. Add the names of any products that may have been missing from your original list. Include a category for “Other” with a few blank lines for the times when you want to purchase a special treat. Save the file and print out several copies for future use.

Post the list. Use a magnet to post your grocery shopping list to the refrigerator door or tack it to a bulletin board. Add asterisks next to items with a coupon. Keep one coupon attached to the list so that you don’t forget to take them with you.

More grocery savings tips…