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- Shop on non-peak days; Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are less busy and items are usually marked at much better prices these days since it’s harder to get shoppers in the door at these times.
- Be picky about expiration dates: For bakery items, meats, dairy, and packaged fresh produce, don’t take items from the front of the shelf. The store pushes the items soonest to expire to the front and stocks the back with more fresh items.
- Stock up on deals: Items such as shampoo and deodorant can be stocked up on safely when you have a coupon since you know you will use them. You should never have to pay full price for these items since coupons for them are easy to find in print, online, and on phone apps.
- Take advantage of coupons: Use coupons whenever you possibly can, but only for items that you will use. Keep your coupons organized so that you know what you have.
- Keep your pantry, fridge, and cupboards organized: If everything is in disarray, it’s easy to miss items and buy duplicates that you don’t need. Lot’s of money is wasted due to disorganization.
- Buy in bulk whenever possible: If an item is easy to freeze, buy it in large packages, cut it down to meal size, and freeze. When prices for in season fruits and vegetables are reasonable, buy a large amount and freeze it.
- Use cheap cuts of meat where you can: Cheap and often tough cuts of meat can be used for soups, stews, broths, and slow cooker recipes. The tough cut of meat that you start out with will melt in your mouth when cooked low and slow. Use beans, rice, and pasta as cheap fillers in meals where you can.
- Keep your eye on the bottom shelf: Stores put the items with the highest profit margins on the middle shelf since they catch the eye of consumers easily. Many times, items with the biggest bang for your buck are stored on lower shelves so don’t forget to look down there.
- Shop less frequently: Shopping for groceries every week can inflate your bill. Instead, it’s ideal to make one big shopping trip a month and then to just return to the store weekly for fresh produce. When you do go in to the store solely for produce, head straight to the produce section with just a hand basket that can’t be filled with items that are non-essential.
- Cook at least one cheap meal per week: Plan on making a low budget meal once a week by doing things such as putting cheap cuts of meat in the slow cooker. This means that you are spending less money on a least 4 meals a month which means your grocery bill will shrink.
- Make your own things: Try making homemade dish detergent, laundry detergent, fabric softener, etc. You can find recipes for DIY items all over the internet-especially Pinterest!
- Don’t shop hungry: Have a snack before heading to the grocery store; shopping hungry can lead to making unneeded purchases.
- Shop at more than one store: Allow yourself time to stop at more than one store in order to find the best deals. Maybe one store is great for produce and another one is great for meat.
- Shop late at the deli: Going to the deli after 7 pm may help you to rack up some savings. Often times, things like roasted chicken and deli salads can be sold at a discount later in the day since the store is eager to sell them before closing time.