How to Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half

Grocery prices are soaring these days and living on a budget can be challenging. If you want to save money on groceries, you need a game plan to insure your success. Let’s look at the 10 commandments of savvy shopping. I strongly encourage you to take these with you every time you shop for groceries. They will keep you focused on your half-price goal.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. 1. Never Shop Without A List.
   
   Never. This means that you are not allowed to swing by the supermarket on your way home from work. You can’t just run in and grab a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk. You will plan your grocery trips each week. If you have to go back for something mid-week, you will write down what you need and take the list with you…even if the only item on the list is bread.
   
   Shopping without a list is like aiming a loaded gun at your half-price goal. You will quickly find yourself thinking, “The cereal is on sale! I have to get it today, even though I know I have a coupon for cereal at home.” You will see some delicious-looking muffins in the bakery that you just can’t pass up.
   
   You will think you are dying of thirst and want one of those $1.39 sodas in the check out line. These 20 ounce sodas are half the size of a two liter, which usually cost 99 cent. You are paying 40 cent more for half the amount of soda just because it’s cold and convenient.
   
   Impulse buys always happen when you shop without a list. Even the strongest grocery shopper will fail without a list. This commandment is non-negotiable. You will ALWAYS have a list.
   
   I know what you are thinking. Lists take too much time to make. I don’t want to stop and take a whole kitchen inventory every time I go to the grocery store. That will take way more than ten minutes!
   
   There is an easy solution to this dilemma. You will make one list of all the items you ever buy. Look through your cabinets, freezer, and refrigerator and write down everything you buy on a regular basis. Then edit your list by the order you find each item in the grocery store.
   
   Be sure to include non-food items like toilet paper, soap, detergents, cosmetics, pet food, and other products you buy while grocery shopping.
   
   After a lot of trial and error, I have tweaked a grocery list to include an easy solution for sorting coupons, navigating supermarket sales, and saving a lot of money. You can get a copy of my personal list HERE.
   
   Once you have compiled this master list, you can make copies to always keep on hand. Post a copy on the fridge or somewhere easily accessible. Then when you run out of any item, you can just check it on the list. When grocery day comes, your list is ready and waiting.

2. 2. Never Shop On An Empty Stomach.
   
   It never fails. If I am hungry when I go to the grocery store, I come home with twice as much food as I need. Those doughnuts look so good that I just can’t resist them (even if they are expensive and NOT on my list!).
   
   Consider this commandment as your second weapon of defense. If you eat a little snack before you go browsing aisles of food, you won’t be driven by a growling stomach. Instead you will focus on your half-price goal and use some common sense!

3. 3. Never Buy Any Item that’s Not on Sale Unless You Have a Coupon.
   
   This is the cardinal rule for shopping success. Do not put anything in your shopping cart that isn’t on sale. The only exception is if you have a great coupon to reduce the price. Remember, even the smallest savings add up to reaching your goal.
   
   Some products never actually go on sale, such as milk and eggs. However, you can technically consider them to be on sale when you buy the generic brand. You are paying less for the same product. Many generic brands are made in the same factories as the name brands. They have the same ingredients, but different labels.
   
   Guard your shopping cart with care. Don’t let anything inside that won’t add to your total savings in the check out line. This will become a fun game as you scout out sales on your regular items. You will be excited to see how much you can save each week.

4. 4. Never Pay With A Credit Card.
   
   Skip the plastic and carry cold, hard cash when you buy groceries. Even if you have to stop by the ATM on your way to the store, this simple step will keep you within your budget every time.
   
   If your credit card is easily accessible, you will find yourself justifying going over your spending limit because you can. On the other hand, if the cash isn’t with you, you just can’t spend it. This will cut down on impulse buys in a hurry.
   
   Help yourself avoid the temptation to overspend by leaving all your credit cards and debit cards at home when you head to the grocery store. Don’t even use the checkbook. Get in the habit of carrying old fashioned cash.

5. 5. Never buy cosmetics at the grocery store.
   
   Grocery stores mark up cosmetics and other non-food items because they know you will spend more to avoid an extra trip to the drug store. Don’t fall for this trap!
   
   You can always find coupons for cosmetics in the Sunday newspaper inserts. Drug stores run cosmetics on sale year round and you can even print some killer coupons for them off online coupon sites. You should always opt for drug stores or discount stores like Wal-Mart when purchasing cosmetics.
   
   I have often gotten my makeup, shampoo, and hair accessories for pennies on the dollar, just by avoiding the cosmetic aisle at the grocery store.

6. 6. Navigate the Aisles Carefully.
   
   I’m not talking about crashing into displays. I’m talking about going down the aisles that hold nothing on your list. Every grocery store has signs hanging above each aisle. These handy signs will keep you from impulse buying if you take the time to read them.
   
   If you don’t have any canned goods on your list (remember that list!), then don’t even walk down the aisle with canned goods. Watch the signs carefully to avoid common pitfalls. The grocery store will slip in random items on unrelated aisles to seduce you into unplanned purchases.
   
   For example, you might see slotted spoons hanging on a rack on the dog food aisle. You might not even have a dog, but if you walk down that aisle, you might decide that you really need that slotted spoon. Now your grocery bill is five bucks higher. If you would’ve avoided the pet aisle to begin with, you would’ve saved five dollars.

7. 7. Stop Paying for Convenience.
   
   The most frequent drain on my grocery budget is convenience. I bet you have also paid a lot of money for convenience items without ever realizing it. Consider oatmeal for a moment. Most people buy the boxes of individual packets of microwaveable oatmeal. These are quite handy for breakfast on the go. But if you buy the regular old rolled oats, you will save a lot of money. You are paying a lot of extra cash for that flimsy paper packaging.
   
   The chip aisle boasts another big convenience rip off. Stop buying the small “snack packs” of potato chips, which will cost you almost double the amount of money per ounce. Instead, opt for big bags of chips (that are usually on sale) and divide them into Ziploc snack bags at home.

8. 8. Always Purge Your Cart Before You Check Out.
   
   Before you step one foot into the check out line, stop and examine your cart. Look at each item and ask yourself a few questions. Is it on sale? Do I have a coupon? Is this something I really need? Is this something I could buy later after I find a coupon online?
   
   After you take a close look at your merchandise, you can put back the items that you don’t really need. As you separate your wants from your needs, you will shave dozens of dollars off your grocery bill. You are well on your way to half-price shopping!

9. 9. Look Straight Ahead While Waiting In Line.
   
   The grocery stores stock the check out lines with impulse buys that are highly overpriced and extremely tempting. They make you stand in long lines and stare at chocolate, chap stick, batteries, hand sanitizer, and dozens of other items that you just can’t live with out. Or can you?
   
   The fastest way to ruin all your hard work is the look around while waiting in line. Protect your budget by staring straight ahead. Whatever you do, don’t start reading those handy magazines. You can ruin a whole week of coupon clipping with one issue of People Magazine if you aren’t careful. Really consider what those impulse buys are worth in the long run. Your best strategy is to just look straight ahead.

10. 10. Watch the Register.
    
    More than one cash register has malfunctioned in this day and age. Don’t assume that the cashier is paying attention to your savings. Watch every item’s price as it is scanned. Make sure it shows up on sale and speak up if it doesn’t.
    
    If you are using coupons or a frequent shopper card, make sure those savings are included in your total. Don’t feel guilty for watching the cashier’s every move. If the poor check out kid looks annoyed, just tell him that you trust him, but not his computer.
    
    You’ve worked hard to cut your grocery bill in half! Don’t let a computer error ruin your savings. After you’ve checked out, be sure to check over your receipt. If you were overcharged for an item, ask for the manager to get a refund. No amount is too small because every dime adds up to a half-price grocery budget.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember these important commandments for grocery shopping success. Write them down and tape them to your wallet. Better yet, write them on an envelope where you will carry you grocery money. This will serve as a visual reminder to keep you on track while you roam the supermarket.

[inkwolf]

on 3/22/2009 Very well thought-out article. 5*R