With the price of groceries rising higher and higher, everyone is looking for ways to save. If you don’t have the time to do extreme couponing every week, use these simple tips to cut a chunk out of your grocery bill.
5. Do not be brand loyal.
Instead, buy off-brand when you can. Did you know many of the big brands also manufacture the off-brand? They know they will never get the cheapo consumers (like me!), so they make money with whatever product you choose. Examples of companies that create both the name brand and off-brand include Sara Lee (baked goods), Reynolds (wraps, storage containers), and McCormick (seasonings, extracts, sauces, gravies). Of course, there are some things that don’t taste quite the same (Kraft Mac n’ Cheese has my heart). But, be willing to at least give the off-brand a chance. See this Consumer Reports article for more on the value of off-brands – most actually DO taste the same and are fractions of the cost.
4. Price match.
Many stores will price match. If I’m shopping at Walmart, I always bring the flyers (and a pen!) for other stores since they price match everything. This can lead to great savings on dry goods and staples like milk, eggs and bread. Just show the cashier the insert before he/she rings it up. Helps avoid visiting multiple stores and can easily be done on the spot.
3. Actually look at the sales flyers and use matching coupons for extra savings.
You don’t even need to buy a paper – all store sales flyers are available online! Stock up when there’s a sale on something you use frequently. (For example, we have a deep freezer so the other day I bought 15 packs of frozen veggies for $1 a piece – normally $2.29 – since we use them for nearly every dinner). Additionally, look for bonus coupons online. For example, sign up for mPerks at Meijer, and instantly get $5 off your order when using it for the first time.
Use coupons. Just don't let your child eat it...Oops! #momlesson
2. Buy produce when it’s in season.
Something I will never take off my grocery list is fresh produce. Buy produce when it’s in season and develop your meal plan with those items. Use this website to see what’s in season in your state when. When freezable items are on sale (i.e. blueberries in Michigan right now), purchase them by the lug and freeze them to use throughout the year.
1. Bring your own reusable bags.
Because A.) It’s better for the environment and B.) Most stores (many small chains included) will knock 5 cents off for each bag. Every little bit helps! Store them in a place where you won’t forget them – my spot is next to my daughter’s carseat on the floor of my car. Before baby, I’d keep them on my front seat’s floor.
Bonus tip: Use bargain blogs. I love them, as they do all the work for me! Subscribe via email and look through each email prior to leaving for the store. See some of my favorite money-saving blogs here.
What are your favorite ways to save at the grocery store?
Couple of things that I wanted to point out:
If you have a Aldi’s nearby – there produce and fruit are a good deal – just be sure to look it over to make sure that it looks good – we did stop buying potatoes there only because when you peeled them for potato salad or mashed potatoes you could see where they had been plowed up – like a black line – nothing was the matter with them to eat but looking at they weren’t so hot.
Also those recyclable bags – they carry germs in them – so be sure to wash them.
Thanks for the Aldi’s tip! I’ve never been there, but I know there are stores around us here in Michigan.
GREAT point about the bags. I almost pointed that out! Definitely wash those babies out. I generally take a Lysol wipe to them too just to be safe 🙂
And if you happen to find one – you need to bring your own bags to their store – they also sell plastic bags, or you might get lucky and find a box to put your items in. 🙂
Good to know! Thanks so much for your helpful tips 🙂 Im totally checking out Aldi’s for produce now!
I couldn’t agree more – especially on the off-brands. This past winter I spent a lot of time working on trimming our grocery budget. All of the things you mentioned were spot on. One thing I learned was beware of endcaps. Sometimes you can find good deals, but they also try and put more expensive products there because people like to grab quick and aren’t paying attention to the price. Also to not shop at eye level. Usually the most expensive products are eye level so now I always look up & down to see what other options there are for the same products. Thank Stone Philips for those tips from Dateline. 😉
HA, thank you Stone! Yes, endcaps are the devil for sure…they get me all the time though. Great tips per usual, girl!
Great tips! I love price matching! I found a site, Pinchingyourpennies.com that will let me just print out all of things I am looking to buy with the cheapest price in my neighborhood. Though, I haven’t done it for a little while–I’ve been slacking.
I’ve never heard of that site. Totally checking it out and bookmarking. Thanks for sharing, GGM!
Wee ‘Burb loooves playing with my coupons. So now I keep some expired ones around for her to crumble and munch on when I go shopping.
GREAT thinking. I just went through my expired ones. I’ll stick some in my folder so I don’t have to worry about little K eating the good ones 😉
We are very good about bringing our own bags. And while there are some products I am brand loyal about, I would say that the majority of my pantry is Target Brand, so that’s good, right? 🙂
YES! I LOVE Target brand. I haven’t tried any Target brand things I haven’t liked. My fave is definitely their trail mix selection. So yummy!
Great tips! I agree with #5. I always check to see which brand is on sale that week. But coupons? Yeah, I need more work with that! 😉
You just need to make a habit out of it. It is a lot of work, but so worth it when you learn you save $50! That’s a night out 🙂