With your dollar stretched to the limit by everything from rising gas prices to the soaring price of milk and produce, saving money on your weekly grocery bill is almost like an art form.
There are some tips that can save you quite a bit of money each time you go to the market, and those savings can add up month after month.
To start with, unless you’re in a bind and really have no choice, avoid shopping at small convenience stores for groceries. The price you pay for that convenience comes in the form of more expensive products. Everyday items may n
ot always cost more at a convenience store than they would in a large supermarket, but usually, they do, and they virtually never cost less.
When you are in your local grocery store, look for corresponding store brands of essential products. The generic store brand will almost always cost less than brand-name items, and, in most cases (although not all), there’s negligible, if any, difference in the quality of store-brand products like pasta, drinks, cereals or toaster pastries. You’d be surprised at just how much savings you can realize just by swearing off brand names in favor of generic items.
If you must buy the brand names that add extra dollars and cents over generic versions because of their advertising budget and package design, then another way you can save without sacrificing the brand-name item you insist on choosing is to arm yourself with coupons. Buy a Sunday newspaper, grab a circular when you enter the store or look online for store coupons. Bring a bunch into the store with you, and you could save a lot of money.
If you shop regularly at the same store, get a store card and keep it on your keychain. Every time they ring your purchases up, they’ll scan your card, and as those scans accumulate, you’ll become eligible for additional savings off your weekly purchases.
Bulk shopping can also save you money. Get the biggest boxes of cereal, the largest bottles of soda or containers of juice, and the most oversized packages of potato chips or pretzels. Items in larger packages invariably cost quite a bit less per unit than those in smaller packages.
Finally, if it’s not too inconvenient or too great a distance away, shop for your groceries at the big box stores on the highway. They may not always carry meat or produce (for those, shop at the largest supermarket you can find), but you could potentially save a mint on the rest of the things on your grocery list. Remember this general principle: The bigger the size of the store, usually, the lower the price of the products you’re seeking.