How to Save Money on Cereal

People who are broke often joke they’ll have to subsist only on cereal. With even that commodity often costing more than $5 box, it’s no longer a joke—or always easily affordable. You can save money on cereal without compromising taste with a few simple steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Large plastic bowl with lid

1. Go generic. A lot of supermarkets have a generic version of brand name cereal types that in most cases taste similar to high priced brand name competitors. A case in point is the brand name corn flakes, which sell for upwards of $2.99 for a 14-ounce box. The generic supermarket’s 14-ounce box is 99 cents. Read the ingredients on the box to compare specifics if you are ever in doubt.

2. Mix and match. Use the generic, cheap cereal to mix with the more expensive cereal. This way the expensive stuff will last longer. Pour several varieties out of the box into a big bowl with an airtight lid. You will still get little pockets of flavor from your favorite expensive cereal but you won’t be putting all your money where your mouth is.

3. Watch portion sizes. Many people eat twice to three times the amount of the cereal’s recommended serving size. Not only does this burn up the cereal faster, but it adds lots of calories. Most cereal portions are 1 cup or less. Keep the portion size in that range. It may look skimpy at first, but your stomach will get used to it.

4. Bulk it up with fruit and nuts. If the portion size still seems too skimpy, add fresh fruit, raisins, walnuts, sliced almonds or other goodies to your cereal bowl. Buy fruit and nuts on sale so they are not pushing the budget too high, either.

5. Look for sales and specials. Cereal of one type or another is constantly on sale in many supermarkets. Check out sale circulars or browse the aisles for sale signs. Make it a habit to buy cereal that’s only on sale, buying extra when it’s a particular variety you like. Unless you have mice in your pantry, unopened cereal can stay edible several months before use.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy bigger when possible. Larger quantities usually come out cheaper, unless the smaller boxes are on sale. Do the math.
• While you’re at it, look for milk that’s on sale so you don’t negate all the money you’re saving on your cereal.
• Some Web sites offer all types of grocery coupons. Some are printable on the spot, others require you to register and wait for them to be sent to you. Search for “Cereal coupons” or check out Resources below for sites.
• Don’t mix and match cereals that are not a good mix, like chocolate and fruity candy cereals. .

Resources

• Printable grocery coupons
• More grocery coupons

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[BlairElizabeth3]

on 12/15/2008 Grocery sales are the way to go. I just got name brand cereal (Kellogg's) today for way less than I would spend on generic brand. The total came to $3.90 for 10 boxes.