It pains me to watch people with good budgeting intentions, just get killed when they take that hard-earned money and go grocery shopping. Saving a ton of money at the grocery store is so easy if you just follow a good plan. I’ve always known you can save money with coupons. My grandmother used to clip the Sunday paper to collect coupons, then once a week they would go on tour and do their grocery shopping. They always had coupons; she was still looking for a better deal. You may also explore great deals on the internet like these amusing coffee mugs that are great gift ideas.
I’ve never been a big coupon clipper. My wife did the most by setting aside coupons for stuff she knew we would typically use. Recently television brought to light the power of couponing with the show, Extreme Couponing. These people would buy hundreds of dollars worth of groceries for under $20 or $30. This is why ‘Couponing’ tops my list of ways to help you save money.
Grocery Shopping Tip#1; Don’t be Proud, Clip Your Coupons
Coupons will save you a ton of money. The problem with coupons is it takes a ton of time to look, clip, strategize, and then travel to all the different stores to redeem the deals. I believe that is why so many people don’t get into couponing. Couponing takes too much time. What if we had a system set up that would eliminate much of the time involved? What if we didn’t go crazy with the coupons and took a time-for-dollar approach?
I found an excellent article at The Penny Hoarder talking about a couponing mom from New York. The article talks about how you can get a ton of coupons right online. There are apps where you can get coupons, and the coupons double in value at the store. Experience the progressive jackpot excitement with แจ็คพอตแบบโปรเกรสซีฟของ UFA. She also scours her local blog scene and connects with local couponing bloggers who all share secrets of the trade.
One fascinating strategy she shared is the power of making a profit with coupons to pay for other items in your cart that aren’t covered by couponing. Let’s say you have a $.50 coupon which doubles at the store. If the coupon is worded right and doesn’t carry a bunch of restrictions, you could potentially purchase a $.89 product for a dollar and create a profit in your shopping cart. Now, if you purchase enough of these little gems, you could potentially pay for other items in your cart with the profit out of that one deal.
That’s pretty crafty. There are some business people I’ve met who aren’t that crafty. I believe that is why so many ‘stay-at-home moms’ make excellent bloggers. Their mind has developed a sharp business intuitive sense, after taking care of their families and households for so many years.
Grocery Shopping Tip #2; Go Shopping with Your Mind Not Your Stomach
The adage of not going shopping on an empty stomach is true. I’m going to expand this into going with a list and a plan. I’ve always had a grocery budget, and I always had an idea of what I needed before I left for the store. But, I still had that one item that slipped my mind, and I just had to run back to the store.
So, several years ago I started making lists. I’d scratch out the items I needed on small scraps of paper, then ended up losing them before I went to the store. Really good the store list did. Now, I’m into this twentieth-century thing called a cell phone. I downloaded a cool app that lets me keep the list right on my phone, and it automatically syncs with my iPad.
I think, if you start getting into couponing, this will get you organizing your shopping trips better, and you will begin to save money by being organized as well as the couponing thing. They will work hand in hand. I added a link to the app I use as well as a couple of other interesting ones in the shopping resource guide.
Grocery Shopping Tip #3; Be a Power Sale Shopper
I’ve always searched for sales and deals when I went to the store. If there were an item on sale, I’d buy that one, usually, rather than the more expensive one. There are some exceptions to this. I also like good quality. There are specific items that I will gladly pay a little more for just because I think they are a bit better quality.
I think it’s pretty widely known, but I’ll mention it here just for those who don’t know. The more expensive name-brand companies make the store brands or off-brands. Some of it is the same stuff, just in a white-labeled can. Some of it is perfectly good; it just didn’t cut the top-of-the-line product because of size or shape. Most of the time these store brands will be of the same quality, just much cheaper. For these, I always grab the good deals.
Another thing I almost always avoid is any products sold through sampling. Hey, I’m not against sampling. I’ve filled up many times just going to the grocery store on Saturday mornings and engorged on all the samples people are giving away. I just don’t usually buy the samples because they are often overpriced.
They may say they are on sale. But, I can generally find a better deal on a different brand. Plus, I resist the temptation because it gets me off my list.
Grocery Shopping Tip #4; Get to Know Your Store Workers
I know I said there were three ways, but this one is so good, I thought I’d throw it in there. Get to know some of the workers at the grocery store. Now I know this tip isn’t for anyone, but for people who are shopping for a large family or spend several hundred dollars a week at the store, this could be a money saver. There are deals in the store that the general public rarely gets to know about.
For instance, a friend of mine went to the store to get some meat for something special at Christmas. When he was ordering at the meat counter, he struck up a brief conversation with the butcher at the meat counter. After explaining what he was making, the butcher steered him toward a cheaper cut of meat in the packaged area. The butcher had freshly cut it and ground it earlier that morning. That tip saved my friend about $10 just that day alone.
I’ve heard of people getting tips on when the meat usually goes on sale. Generally, Monday mornings are when the older meat prices drop hard. I’ve also heard people getting tips on which vegetables are the freshest. Also, people find out where the grocery stores get vegetables. Where grocery stores get vegetables will also give you an idea of age. The nutritional value starts to degrade as soon as fruits and vegetables are picked. The freshest vegetables are more nutritious than old ones. The degradation of vegetables is also the reason, sometimes, frozen is better than fresh. If they are flash frozen soon after picking, they will be more nutritious than fresh ones which are several days older. I like the taste of fresh vegetables more even if they are not as nutritious.
Grocery shopping tip #5; Use apps to get cash back
I thought about this one after I originally published this article, so I went back and added it in. I found out the incredible earning potential of shopping cash-back apps. So many people are using cash-back credit cards and cards to accrue frequent flier miles, I think these shopping apps on the phone are a pretty secret deal.
These are apps you can download before you go shopping, scan your receipts, and the app writes you a check for cash back on your purchase. Ebates are probably the largest and most well-used. Their list of retailers they work with is long. Places like Kohl’s, Macy’s, and Walmart are all partners with Ebates. If you do a ton of online shopping, Amazon and eBay are also partners of theirs.
I’m hooked on these shopping apps and find it is like a game to save money when years ago I hated shopping and cringed every time I had to spend money on anything. Now, between finding closeout and clearance deals, shopping apps, and couponing, I have grown to like shopping. I’m still really frugal though. Unless I can leave the store and feel I got an outstanding deal, I just leave the stuff on the shelf.
Till next time, be safe,
Kevin