How to save tons of money on groceries

Saving on groceries isn't difficult. With these simple steps, you can learn to curb unnecessary spending at the store, and can save hundreds of dollars each month! This is money you could be using to pay off debt, increase investments, and could eventually lead to an early retirement.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Some money for groceries
• Clipped coupons
• A little time to plan

1. Save time! Place an order for Angel Food Ministries (http://www.angelfoodministries.com)-- a huge time saver. This program is amazing! There are no income requirements, and anyone can order. If you have a large freezer, this is a fantastic way to stock it up. At the end of the month, pick up your order and you have a month's worth of quality food in less than 10 minutes of time. You can even find menu plans and recipes using Angel Food for the month at the Hillbilly Housewife website (http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com).
2. Save on gas and groceries at the same time! Try to limit your trips to the grocery store to just once or twice a month. Not only will this help you save money on groceries, but it will also stretch your gas bill too. The key to this is keeping a freezer and pantry well stocked, and planning some menus out in advance. The planning component becomes much easier as you go along, since you can reuse the same cycle of recipes again and again.
3. Max out your savings. Match coupons with sale ads for maximum savings, or buy generic. These days looking up sales flyers for just about any store in your area can be done online, saving a tremendous amount of time. Since most local newspapers contain coupons in the Sunday edition, shopping on Wednesday or Thursday can help you take advantage of loss leaders with matching coupons. Many stores offer to double or triple your coupons, so the savings start to add up fast. If your store doesn't offer this, find one near you that does. You can even print online coupons, if your store accepts them.
4. Stock up and save. If it's a good deal, stock up! If you purchase items regularly and have the space, stock-piling is a great way to save money. This works best for items such as toiletries, toilet paper, etc. Only do this if you know for sure the item will be used.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep drug stores and dollar stores in mind when stocking up on pantry items.
• Don't buy something just because it's on sale -- make sure it is something that will be used.