Slash your grocery costs

October 2, 2008 on 9:04 am | In How To's and Helpful Tips | 2 Comments

Originally uploaded by ambrosialove

Did you know that the average family of four spends almost $5,000 a year on groceries?  Which means you’re probably laying out a hefty portion of your household’s disposable income to feed your loved ones. The good news: Grocery shopping is one area where you can drastically reduce spending. With just a few proven tricks and some advance planning, you can take a big chunk off your supermarket bill and start leaving more money in your wallet. Check out our four-part plan.

Make a price book
This easy system helps you keep track of the best prices for your favorite products: You’ll know at a glance if you’re getting a deal.
• Use a 3 ring binder or spiral notebook that will fit in your purse.
• Create food categories. Such as canned goods, boxed foods, produce, meat, dairy and snacks (nonfood items can also be added). You can also download a price-book sheet at organizedhome.com/make-price-book-save-money.
• Record your receipts. Make five columns running down each page. List the date, what you bought (including the brand name), the size and the price. (Make a note if the item was on sale.) Jot down the name of the grocery store, warehouse club, food co-op, local farmers market, convenience store or even gas station where you made the purchase.

Bring your binder. You’ll be able to look up a product and know at a glance if it’s an unbelievable deal. Set maximum price limits for groceries and give them a pass when the cost is too high. You’ll begin to notice trends, too, such as how often your store offers sales on canned goods, paper goods, meat, etc.

Create a coupon system
Organize your coupons to help you find the best bargains.
• Buy a coupon holder. Carry your coupons to the store in a 5″ x 7″ photo album. Use sticky tabs on the page edges to organize coupons by food category. Or, if you want to combine your price book and organizer into one, buy clear plastic photo sleeves to fit into your binder.
• Clip coupons. But cut out only the ones you’ll really use–sorting through too many can be cumbersome, and you may overlook one that’s especially valuable. Regularly weed out coupons that have expired.
• Use them wisely. It might be tempting to apply a coupon to a full-priced product, but if you wait until it’s on sale, your total savings will be much greater, and the resulting cost will be comparable to the price of the generic-brand item.
• Also, look for double and triple off on coupons – these are hard to find but once in a while a store will have them.

Shop smart
Reap additional savings while you’re in the store.
• Eat before you shop. Going to the store with a rumbling tummy is one of the biggest budget (and diet!) busters. Why? Everything looks tempting on an empty stomach.
• Bring cash. You can’t overspend if you’re not carrying any credit cards, debit cards or your checkbook. Use your price book, shopping list, coupons and fliers to estimate how much you’ll need. Plan for any in-store steals you run across by bringing an extra $10.
• Tote your tools. You’ll need your price book, coupons, shopping list, a small calculator and a pen when you shop. If all this sounds too complicated, check organizedhome.com. The site has free shopping forms, including sheets for your price book, grocery lists, pantry and freezer inventories, and menu forms. Keep them all in your price book, and you’ll be ready to go!
• Be strategic. Look up high and down low on supermarket shelves for the best prices, check behind items at the front of the shelf for larger bonus sizes, and shop the perimeter of the store to find your grocery basics.

Did you know?
Brands pay a premium to place products at eye level in the middle and ends of aisles. Avoid these pricey items!

Find grocery savings online
Use your computer to find coupon sites and circulars from your favorite stores.
Couponmom.com
This site provides free grocery coupon lists for 36 grocery stores in all 50 states.
Groceryguide.com
Find the best deals at supermarkets and drugstores in your area at this site.
Coolsavings.com
Choose from more than 40 different free grocery coupons.
Hotcouponworld.com
This site’s loaded with message boards and advice on couponing and sale shopping.
Centsible.net/groceries
Get links to grocers’ Web sites for online coupons and weekly advertisements.
Thegrocerygame.com
Weekly sale prices are matched with manufacturers’ coupons and sale fliers for the best savings at your local grocery store. The site tracks sale histories on items and tells you which coupons to use and when. Try it for $1 for four weeks, and if you like it, a subscription costs $10 every eight weeks. Even without a subscription, you can access free resources, including coupons for national brands.

Save money at the store, reduce waste and simplify your life.