How can I decrease my grocery bill?

Question

We are a family of 3 and I think my biggest vice is spending money on groceries. I'm the type of person who will spend too much money at the grocery store and then go home with "nothing to eat". I've started clipping coupons, but that doesn't really seem to make much of a difference? People tell me about triple-coupon days, but how do I know when that is? I do try to buy generic brand vs. name brand, but I'm also a huge label reader and very conscious of ingredients that are in our foods and I won't buy things with certain ingredients for health sake. What are some tips that have worked for you and your family?

Answer 1

Try to stop buying the convenience items. I caught my daughter putting a package of fresh sliced apples with a small amount of peanut butter in the cart. The item was over $3.50. It had four little packages of apple slices and 4 small amounts of peanut butter. Fresh delicious apples were 4 for a dollar and a small jar of peanut butter was a little over a dollar. I told her to slice them herself and put some peanut butter in a small container. She had enough of these 'snacks' to make at least 3 of the packages for over $3.50 each. Convenience costs extra.

Answer 2

Plan your menus. Make a list. Stick to your list. Don't go shopping while you're hungry. When you see something you use all the time buy 2 or 3 of it if it freezes or is not perishable. Get a newspaper with the weekly specials and plan your meals using those sale items. Try to stay out of the middle of the store. All the basic food groups are around the outside of the store. The exception is pasta and baking supplies. Good Luck.

Answer 3

I do several things. First I plan out my meals for the week or month, however you shop and put the meal ingredient's on a list. Then I clip coupons, but just for the things that are on my list, or things that I buy on a weekly basis. I don't use coupons to try new things unless it is a really good one! I also eat a good meal before shopping so that I don't buy things just because I'm hungry. I even go past the snack isle! Good luck.

Answer 4

The coupons really do add up though! I clip them like crazy, and I usually save between $6 and $20 a shopping trip.

I stay away from wal-mart because I end up spending too much money there. I shop at a normal grocery store. On top of the coupons from the paper, my grocery store has their own in-store coupons too. Plus, the in-store coupons are usually limitless (so if there's a coupon for buy one get one free, you can buy 20 of the item and get 10 for free etc...)

Answer 5

Make a list before you go shopping.
a) only buy the necessities for proper daily use
.....1. good nutritious food
.....2. basic cleaning products
.....3. basic toiliteries

b) never go grocery shopping feeling hungry
.....1. eat before you go
.....2. take a bottle of water with you
.....(reason: if you grocery shop while feeling hungry
then you are more likely to grab at expensive snacky unnutritional products & add to your bill)

c) work out a budget for every household expense that you have.
.....1. then set a limit to your grocery bill after bills are paid & any other costs taken into account ie petrol, etc.
.....2. stick within your budget & buy accordingly
.....3. take a calculator with you & add it up as you go when grocery shopping.

d) look at home brands on the shelves instead of the well known, expensive & advertised brand products
......lots of the home brands are really quite good & worth buying - much cheaper.

e) do alot of your own home cooking & baking.
.....it will be more nutritious & save you heaps.

f) start to buy more fresh fruits & vegetables - cheaper.

g) anything that is left-over & 'suitable' for freezing - freeze.

h) check your freezer frequently for the left-overs & heat & eat. (almost like a free meal really)

i) if anything of use to you 'on a "real" special' buy several & put away.

j) get to know your prices for products.

k) check the weights & prices of products when you are choosing.

TIP: It's all about taking care with your money & what you get for it. It may seem like alot to start with but you will soon swing into it as you learn prices & products etc.

OR

If you want to go the whole way. Start a vegetable patch & grow some veges & herbs to supplement your fresh brought stuff. It may open a whole new way of life for you & provide an interest.

Answer 6

I only buy what I really NEED and when I am almost out of stock I look at the ads and compare which store has the best deals. I buy them in advance so I don't have to pay regular price and I use coupons if I have some. My general rule is "IF I DON'T NEED IT, I'M NOT BUYING IT."

I am also conscious about the food that I buy, so I fix my own food using ingredients that I want using seasonings in moderation. I also compare poultry, meat and fish prices in different markets.

Answer 7

I know it sounds silly but i cut down on name brands, i only buy things i know we need or that i will cook or that will be eaten and wont go to waste, I use coupons and sometimes its an inconvenience but i buy certain things at certain grocery stores cause they are cheaper, and we do groceries every two weeks but if we dont need it i dont go, and i wont restalk until the kids eat it all and if it takes them to long i dont buy that product again cause i know it isnt a favorite in the house, i do however by alot of meat, then i put them in ziplock bags and separate it by meal so no meat goes to waste i hate to get off the subj but there is an obesity prob with children even though my kids love meat i give them there meat and 2 sides and sometimes maybe bread/biscuits, if they just had a game etc i give them two pieces of meat and i monitor there intake of sides too, i buy vegtables alot because i dont like to keep them long and i like them fresh and i dont like canned vegetables but it saves money here and there, and as far as snacks i monitor the kids intakes with cups, or however i can and for school i pack there lunches or i pay sometimes for a whole month ahead for breakfast and lunch, you just have to find what works best for you and dont over cook, when my kids which rarely happens, say they are still hungry i let them have a snack with a glass of milk or i pop popcorn and they split it, they are healthy and happy and i continue to feed them and not go broke, also dont overcook, leftovers arent that healthy for you so cook what you know will be eaten, also we only eat out like once a month and that saves money too

Answer 8

on average i spend 350 a month on groceries for 4 adults and a child i do the bulk of my shopping at Save a lot a discount grocery store i buy mostly staples there canned goods flour sugar ect, most stores like Kroger have triple coupon day on wed . get the sale papers and watch the ads you can get really good deals on some items like ketchup for 66 cents a bottle and heres a lil known fact Wal-Mart will price match a competotors ad i also save a lot on produce at wal mart being a employee 10 % discount so best advise use the triple coupons shop at a store that gives low prices and buy food to make meals with not junk.. never grocery shop while your hungry you tend to buy more impulse items that way

Answer 9

Make a master grocery list of the items you buy most frequently. Also make a meal planner and plan out your meals BEFORE going to the grocery store. Make a tally on the master grocery list of the items you need to purchase for this weeks meals (breakfast, lunches, dinners, snacks, etc.) and stick to your list while you are at the store. It will also help if you made a pantry list that you take with you to the store. The pantry list will have items you have at home "in stock" and it will keep you from purchasing those items since you already have them.

Good luck!

Answer 10

I refuse to buy milk unless 1 gal. is $3 or less! That is final, and gov need understand this freedom, not raising price and force we pay it!
Also, very limited of snacks and buy less-expensive cereals (or none if no milk); Icecream and popsicle my favorite but try to limit, this is luxury unnecessary for life. Compare ounces/pounds with prices/brands,
get "more for less" this way. When stores have sales, buy "only" sale items, not fall for bait and end up with basket full. You can shop different store on other days for other items on sale. Leave the kids home, then they aren't bother you for buying the Glory! Take certain amount of money, then leave the rest and all card at home, this force you to spend only that which you plan before in your right mind.

Answer 11

I understand the "nothing to eat" thing completely!! My advice is to look at the ads that come in the mail and look for sales. Wal-Mart price matches, and that can always save some money. Also, buy non-perishables in bulk at Sam's/Costco (like toilet paper and paper towels) because they cost more if you buy smaller amounts more often. Ask the cashier of your favorite store when the triple coupon days are; it varies by store I think. And to ensure that I have "something to eat," I concentrate on getting refrigerator stuff that I will actually SEE when I'm hungry like fresh produce, cottage cheese, eggs, milk, yogurt, that kind of thing. You spend less money on fresh things than you do on processed things. Good luck, hope this helped!