How can I save money on grocery shopping? What are your best tips?

Answer 1

Do not shop when you are hungry. Only buy things you -need-. only buy things that are on sale or clearance. sometimes the name brand stuff isn't always the best!

Answer 2

1. Coupons
2. Never go when you're hungry. If you haven't eaten all day and you go shopping you're more likely to purchase things that you don't really need. Trust me. I've gone in starving and have come out with an unnecessary box of Little Debbies.
3. Have you ever tried shopping at a Super Wal-mart or another store like that? They are usually a little cheaper. I recently started buying stuff from their after exclusively being a "food snob".
4. The Sunday paper. Or the mailers that come during the week. At least once a week, there is a mailer that comes with different grocery stores and the sales that are going on. Look in those. They usually have like 10 for $10 deals and buy one get one free stuff too....

Answer 3

First never shop when you are hungry.

Second .....Make out a menu for the week or 2 weeks depending on how often you shop.

Third......Make out your grocery list from the menu you have made out.

Fourth....Check to see what you have on hand when writing your grocery list.

Fifth....Use coupons only for an item on your list. Never buy something just because you have a coupon.

Six.......Cook all your meals from scratch.....never buy convenient foods...They are not healthy and a waste of money.

My late husband was in the Army and chose to be paid once a month. This is how i managed my grocery shopping. I made a menu for a whole month and made my list from that menu.
You will be amazed at the money you will save on groceries this way.

Answer 4

I keep a running list. When I go to the store I shorten it to only what I need that day. I always go right when they open, less people, that way you don't get stuck behind a couple people chatting and look at something and think "I could use that too!" I do clip some coupons, and I have the store card which gives me more discounts. And what they claim is on sale isn't necessarily the cheapest. I've gotten Del Monte brand for cheaper than Safeway brand. Their 10 for $10 isn't always cheaper, it's a teaser. Buy meat in bulk and repackage it yourself for the freezer. Shred your own cheeses. Cheap pasta is good (just not Martha Gooch). And don't buy the overpriced dressings, it's cheaper to make dressing at home.

Another trick is I set up an Excel spreadsheet to track food expenses (only food, not TP or detergent). It's amazing to look at it when you think you need something, and you bought some last week!

We went from over $500 a month to under $300 a month for two of us.

Answer 5

Start with making a list of items you need to purchase before going to the store.

Next get all the sales ads. Find the items in the ads that are on your list and make another list of sale prices and the store.
(Many stores will match sales prices of other stores, ask at yours to see if they do)

Find coupons on items you use alot, Sunday papers are good places to look. There are many sites on line that have coupons as well.

Going to the grocery every week is a job especially feeding teenagers. We usually have $250 but end up with in the $150 to $200 range just from ad matching and coupons.

Answer 6

There's nothing random about supermarket product placement. When it comes to the grocery store, every single product is placed in a well-thought-out location. If this concerns you, some tips are provided below to assist you in spending less money at the grocery store and teach you about some common marketing ploys.

Write up a shopping list and take advantage of discounts: If you purchase only those items on your shopping list, you won't overspend. Who needs all those expensive impulse items anyway? Study your weekly supermarket flyer and identify "loss leaders." These are sales items being sold at a "loss" in order to "lead" you into the store to buy pricier items. Try and plan your shopping list around loss leader items and stock up. Combine coupons and rebates with sales items for extra savings. The trick is to never pay full price on anything.

Shop the perimeter of the store first: Items such as milk, bread, meats, dairy and fresh fruits and vegetables are typically located around the perimeter of the store. If you shop for these items first, you'll fill your cart with the groceries most important to your family. Afterwards, you can collect the rest of the items on your list. Marketing teams recommend placing sales items in "end cap" displays at the front and rear of each aisle. It's their hope you'll walk up and down the aisles in search of these end caps, throwing random items in your cart along the way. If you shop the perimeter first and stick to your list, this is less likely to happen.

Look beyond eye level: Pricier name brand items are placed on shelves at eye level. This is because marketing executives feel shoppers would prefer to reach for attractive packaging in a convenient location rather than hunt for a bargain. Moreover, items attractive to kids are placed at a kid's eye level. If you look higher or lower on the shelves, you're bound to find bargains.

Eat before you shop: Have you ever noticed the first thing to hit you when you enter the supermarket is the smell of fresh baked goods? There's a reason for this as well. Baked goods are located at the entrance to the store so the aroma of fresh bread and other treats will make you hungry. Hungry people tend to shop more impulsively.

Leave the family at home: If you leave the kids at home, there are less people filling the cart with their must-have items.

Shop with cash: You'll never be tempted to overspend if you leave credit and ATM cards at home and bring only enough cash for the food on your list.

If you follow just a few of the tips, you're bound to save money. Don't give in to temptation and convenience. Take the time to plan out a list and be aware of common marketing ploys.

Answer 7

with a family of five i have to budget tightly. my rule is only buy what u absolutely need. like milk, bread, eggs, and meat or veggies if u are vegan. if u must by veggies and are not a vegan go with canned or frozen veggies and only what u like not some off the wall stuff u will try , by a gallon of milk and make it last for more than 3 days like 2 weeks, and eggs too. no ice cream, cakes, pies or any sweet desserts unless it is birthday related or a special occassion. when buying meat by econonmy packs they may be more expensive but u will have 3-4 dinners on them. bread by 4 loaves and make it last a month. eggs well u have to divide them and make them last at least 2 weeks. I have a tight budget and this is what we have to do or we are out of food in the middle of the month. i spend 250.00 a month of groceries and no extras involved. meat is super expensive here and so that is where i really have to budget for that.

Answer 8

first where you shop, second coupons, third back to one.. use special times to shop, near the end or just prior to the store restocking there shelves... little know secret the prices drop just before delivery's to make room, .
another secret. shop for fruit and veggies for that day's dinner.. then you can shop for items at there peak (or JIT just in time), they are cheaper, and better,: most folks shop for theses items to stay in the fridge or shelf for several days... this is a waste of energy to store the items and costly as not ripe items cost more to maintain all the way around. and shop around... some places has better meat, other paper products and so fourth.. and don't forget bulk shopping.. at least one month of products three would be better.

Answer 9

Be prepared; list in hand and stick to it, shop early in the day when not hungry, look for buy one-get one free deals, use coupons (only when they save you money, under the store brand price), do not buy an item just to use a soon to expire coupon and always recheck your register receipt for errors.

Answer 10

Plan your meals for the week.
Always shop with a list.
Stick with the list.
Buy store brands
Use coupons.
Never go to the store hungry.
No impulse buying.
Look for items on sale.
Write down prices as you go and keep a running total.

Good Luck