Not Sponsored: Are you enjoying my money saving series? So far, I've talked about ways to save money on both beauty and fashion products. I hope you get a couple of useful saving tips out of each one. Today, I would like to talk to you about saving money on groceries. We all have to eat, but food prices (due to inflation) keep going higher and higher. So what are you going to do? You have to change some things (lifestyle changes). Let me help you out.
WAYS TO SAVE MONEY SERIES:
Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
1. Evaluate What You Already Have In Your Kitchen / Make A List
On a sheet of paper, write down the food you already have in your kitchen. Do you already have chicken? Do you already have steaks? Do you have potatoes? Do you have spaghetti? Now that you have a list of what you already have, pair those items with either other things you already have or things you will need from the store.
The point of this, is to make a concise list BEFORE going to the grocery store. You don't want to go to the store and guess whether or not you have a can of tuna or not, ground meat or not, rice or not. It's important to know. Another great thing about this, is you're putting together specific meals for yourself. You're pretty much putting an outline of what you're going to eat. That way, you're not just haphazardly buying a lot of stuff while shopping at the grocery store. The key is to NOT overbuy or overspend!
2. Change Brands, Quantity And Some Other Things
I know you're saying, wait Kim ... hold up ... I love my brands! Well I do as well, but trust me there are some things you can change. For example, EGGS! I love eggs, but I've made a change. A dozen BROWN eggs are cheaper at my grocery store than white eggs! Yes, they are (Be sure to check your store's prices on brown eggs)!!! They taste just the same to me and my palate. Nutritionally brown eggs and white eggs are identical. FYI, "white shell eggs come from hens with white feathers, while brown shell eggs are produced by hens with brown feathers." Next, MILK! Change your milk habits. Change the size and brand that you buy. There's always a huge selection of brands when it comes to milk. Buy one of the cheaper brands. Also are you throwing away milk? If you are, you need to purchase a smaller size. I'm down to only buying a quart. I was wasting too much money on half-gallons. During winter months, you're probably not eating very much cereal. All of these are cost-saving methods. Other grocery items you can change are spaghetti brands, sauces, toilet tissue, paper towels, start buying whole vegetables and cut them up yourself (instead of buying prepackaged stir fry vegetables), change your bread brand (to the store brand), change your cereal brand (to the store brand). Cheese and ice cream, you really don't want to change. Whenever you can go generic or cheaper do so.
3. Become A Member / Get The Grocery Store's Loyalty Card
Be sure to sign up for the loyalty card at your favorite grocery store, if they have one. Because when you check out and they scan your card, you will see your TOTAL go way down. It's a beautiful thing to see when you're standing at the cash register, or else you will be paying full price for everything. If for any reason you forget your loyalty card, ask if you can input your telephone number (it should work just the same). You can get these loyalty cards either in store or apply online (and they will mail it to you).
4. Brand (MFG) Coupons / Online Grocery Coupon Websites / Get The Grocery Store App
Coupons use to be so easy to get! In a galaxy far, far away almost everyone received a newspaper. You would cut the coupons out (Sunday paper) and bring them with you to the store. As a young child, I remember getting fanatical with it .... saved about $200 worth of coupons ... went with my grandfather to the store and boy was he a happy camper, when the lady started scanning them. His bill ended up being almost nothing. I was the original coupon OG! HaHaHa
Brand (Manufacturer) Coupons
There are probably brands that you buy on repeat (toilet paper, yogurt, snacks, batteries etc). Write them all down, then go to their website. Somewhere on the brand's website, will be an area for coupons. You can print them out for use at the store of your choice etc. That is one way to save money.
Get The Grocery Store App Of Your Favorite Grocery Store
Once you download your favorite grocery store app (Walmart, Kroger etc) onto your cell phone, many brand coupons (Tide, Kelloggs) are already on there. Choose the coupons you want to use, show the cashier (she will scan it) and your total grocery bill will decrease.
Online Grocery Coupon Websites
Online grocery coupon websites are another great place to save money. Use sites such as Coupons.com, Lozo.com, Capital One, Ibotta, Coupon Cabin. There are a number of sites, so find the one that best suits you.
5. Use Cash Back Apps To Get Even More Savings
Just as I suggested you use Rakuten and others for cash back on clothes. Do the same for your groceries! Try such cash back apps like Ibotta, Checkout 51, Fetch and Shopkick (gift cards).
6. Know Where To Shop (Big Chain, Wholesale, Specialized, Drug Store, Online Store)
Big Chain and Wholesale
When you have to get a lot of groceries, the rule of thumb is to shop at your Big Chain Grocery (Walmart, Target, Winn-Dixie, Krogers etc) or Wholesale Grocery Stores (Costco, Sam's). They usually offer the best price for the amount of groceries you buy. If you're single, Wholesale may not work best for you, because usually products come in large quantities (which you may not use right away and may expire).
Specialized, Small (Convenience) and Neighborhood Grocery Stores
These stores can be more expensive due to their convenience and size. These stores however, usually make up for it in QUALITY. I usually buy choice cut meets and specialty items (freshly baked bread, bakery items, wine etc.) from these stores. But to to do big shopping, no. They do run sales! So monitor their sales and you'll catch some deals.
Drug Stores
Drug stores (Walgreens, CVS, etc.) carry more than prescription drugs nowadays! Join their loyalty reward card program and monitor their sales weekly. You can find some great deals some week!
Online Stores
I'm talking Amazon! Even though you can order groceries through Whole Foods, I'm talking pantry items. If you eat instant grits, cereals, granola bars, bagged snack items, nuts etc. you will probably find a great deal on those items at Amazon. Just think! That's less for you to haul from the grocery store.
If the economy is not affecting your pockets, then subscribe to a grocery delivery service like Shipt. I used Shipt, until grocery prices started skyrocketing! HaHaHa I still have my subscription. It's an amazing service. Read my post on Shipt. It contains some helpful tips!
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