Have you noticed that grocery prices seem to be out of control? In today’s world, we need a plan to save as much as we can and live within our budget. If we can figure out how to save money on food, we may have to charge our credit cards just to survive. Here are the top 10 grocery strategies that can help you save money and live debt-free when it comes to grocery shopping.
1. Never shop without a list. To get the most savings, you must have a game plan. Make your plan according to the weekly offers. Your list is your action plan. Without a listing, you will be much more influenced by marketing strategies that encourage you to buy higher profit items. Food companies spend more than $7 billion a year on advertising. Studies have shown that most shoppers make 2/3 of their purchase decisions in the store, often spending twice as much as they anticipated.
two. Know a good price. This is a skill that you need to use every time you shop because it only develops over time. Did you know that 20% of items featured in special offers are at or near full price? You don’t want to fall victim to the illusion of a good deal. You want to find items that are 25% off or more. Don’t assume bigger packages are a better deal. Sometimes small and medium sized packages sell faster, so stores will accept a lower markup. Pay close attention to unit prices.
3. Buy high value sale items in as many as possible. The goal is to never pay full price. The more you store when prices are low, the less you’ll need when prices are high.
Four. Stack items before you need them. When you wait to buy things until you need them, your ability to save money decreases. When you can buy a three-month supply of items, especially those you use frequently, you have much greater purchasing control. For example, if you see an item you use a lot at the lowest prices in three months, buy a three-month supply. By the time your supply runs out, the selling price is likely to return. Also, focus on stocking expensive items like meat, cheese, peanut butter, and coffee. Keep your freezer 2/3 full so you have room for unexpected bargains. Fill the other 1/3 with plastic water bottles. Plus, save most of your freezer space for meat and cheese instead of vegetables or frozen dinners.
5. Be careful when shopping for non-food items at the grocery store. Grocery stores will bring you in with low prices on food and try to make money on things like toothpaste.
6. Consider joining a warehouse club like Sam’s. Of course, you can save money by buying in bulk. However, this one depends on how much you spend. Do not join a store if your annual purchases will not be more than 20 times the cost of the membership fee. For example, if the fee is $30, you would need to spend $600 a year to get the maximum benefit.
7. Buy store brands. There are 3 types of brands you can buy. They are national brands, store brands and economy brands. National brands are the most expensive. For example, 50% of the price of a box of cereal pays for national brand advertising. Own brands are usually of the same quality as national brands. However, they spend much less on advertising. Store brand products are typically 20% cheaper than the national brand. Cheaper brands often cost 20-40% less, but can be of lower quality or irregular in size.
8. Look at the cash register like it’s your money. Because it is! An investigation by Money magazine found that due to scanner errors, up to 30% of supermarkets can overcharge their customers. So if you don’t pay attention when your items are being searched, some sneaky scanner may eat your lunch!
9. Avoid prepared foods. Prepared foods include items like frozen dinners, canned casseroles, or hot foods from the deli. While these items are convenient, they are usually more expensive. If you like comfort, here’s a suggestion. When cooking, make double batches and freeze half for future convenience.
10 Learn to substitute ingredients and experiment. If a recipe calls for a spice that you rarely use or don’t have, substitute another or omit the item. This helps avoid trips to get a single item. Save time and money because most people can’t go to the store and buy just one item.
Although grocery prices are out of control, there are steps you can take to get your budget under control. Use these top 10 strategies to help plan your next trip to the grocery store. By making a few small changes, you can live within your budget without going through your credit cards.