Grocery Shopping on a Budget
Grocery shopping on a budget provides one of the best opportunities for many people to save money and control their spending. Unlike fixed expenses such as rent and car payments, grocery bills can vary from week to week, depending on the choices you make. While it may take you a few weeks to develop new grocery shopping habits, you'll be rewarded with more money in your pocket. You may even see improvements in your diet.
Other People Are Reading
-
Do Your Homework
-
Before you head to the store, check the ads for the grocery stores in your area. If you don't subscribe to a newspaper and the stores don't mail out ads, visit the store website to learn this week's special. Take a tour through your cupboards and refrigerator and consider what you have on hand. Then make a list of meal ideas for the week. This could be a formal menu or a list of seven to ten dinner ideas to choose from. Base these meals around ingredients you already have on hand, and store specials. Then make a list of everything you need to buy to make these meals and to provide breakfasts, lunches and snacks for your family. Once you've made your list, check the ads again and search for less expensive substitutes for more expensive items on your list. For instance, if you wrote down a bag of chips for snacks or lunches, think about substituting healthier and cheaper carrot sticks, or home popped corn. If you usually have bacon for breakfast and sausage is on sale, choose sausage instead. Think ahead to ways you can use up leftovers, or multiple meals you can make from a single purchase, such as a roast or whole chicken. Challenge yourself to trim your list as much as possible.
Shop the Perimeter
-
Along the perimeter of most grocery stores you'll find fresh vegetables and fruits, meat and fish and dairy products. Inner aisles tend to contain packaged and canned goods, candy, soda and snacks. To save money, confine most of your purchases to the outside aisles. Don't pay extra for packaging and additives, or empty calories. Look for in-season fruits and vegetables. If fresh prices are too expensive, as they may be in winter when little fresh produce is in season, check the frozen food aisle. Frozen vegetables can be as tasty and nutritious as fresh vegetables. Buy store brands as much as possible. These products are often made in the same factory as the name brand and can cost much less.
-
Avoid Prepared Foods
-
When you buy a box of seasoned rice, you're paying for the box and the advertising as well as for the rice and seasonings. You may also be paying for a lot of preservatives and additives. Instead of buying convenience foods like these, check out some cookbooks from your library and search for recipes online. Buy ingredients you can use in many dishes. For instance, for the cost of one box of seasoned rice you could purchase a large bag of rice you could prepare many ways for several meals. Learning to make your own salad dressings, seasoning mixes, cookies, bread and other dishes can save you money. Cooking from scratch also allows you to control the ingredients in your food. You can use less sugar, salt and fat, resulting in healthier meals for your family.
Use Coupons Wisely
-
Shopping with coupons can save you money, but only if the product is something you normally use. If the price of the brand name product with the coupon is still more expensive that the store brand without the coupon, and your family likes the store brand just as well, there's no need to use the coupon. Find coupons in your local newspaper, or trade for them with others online. You can also log on to coupon sites and print coupons to take to the store. If your store offers a loyalty card, sign up for it. The cards are usually free and can save you money every time you shop.
Other Shopping Venues
-
Don't confine your grocery shopping to the grocery store. Dollar stores offer food items and staples and may be less expensive than your local grocery. Some convenience stores offer bargain prices on milk and bread. Stores that specialize in discontinued items often sell canned and boxed foods. Check the expiration dates and avoid opened packages. Wholesale stores such as Costco and Sam's Club sell large packages that may be less expensive for some items. Compare per-unit, per-ounce or per-pound prices to know whether you're getting a deal.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit picking bananas image by michael langley from Fotolia.com
