Ten Tips to
Save Money at the Grocery Store
With the rising cost of food, everyone is looking for
ways to save on their grocery bills without sacrificing
nutrition. Here are ten money saving tips.
Shop for the best priced items only. If you see something
at a great price, buy ahead. You'll be able to create
a pantry/freezer filled with items that you've obtained
at the absolute cheapest price. Eat just from your pantry/freezer
and shop only when you see great deals. A well-stocked
pantry and freezer is like money in the bank.
Find space in your home for a pantry or bulk storage.
When you can find anything at a great price, you need
room to store it. Creative storage can be found under
couches and beds, tops of closets, under end tables
(get a long table cloth to hide what lies beneath).
Learn how to freeze or can properly so preserve great
food finds. A recent grocery trip netted me 10 lbs of
broccoli for only .29/lb. I froze it and saved $15 over
the frozen food aisle broccoli.
Cook and bake more from scratch. This will save you
hundreds every month! For what it costs to buy most
store-made/manufactured items, you can make double or
triple the amount at home for the same money. Why pay
for their expenses when you can make things yourself
from scratch and cut out the middleman? Not to mention,
your homemade will probably taste better, too!
Make sure to use up leftovers. Generally we eat leftovers
for lunches (saves on buying lunches out). I also get
creative and reinvent leftovers into other meals. We
also have "buffet" night (somehow the kids
find buffet night more fun than leftover night). If
you don't want to finish up leftovers this week then
throw them into the freezer for another week.
Meat is probably THE most expensive items on the grocery
list. Don't hesitate to purchase marked down meats.
DO be prepared to cook or freeze the meat within 24
hours. We Americans typically eat far more protein than
needed (adults need about 4-6oz/day which a piece of
meat about the size of a deck of cards and this doesn't
include eggs, beans and dairy product proteins we consume).
Consider adding more grains and vegetables to your plate
before meat so you can stretch the budget.
Vegetarian. Adding just one vegetarian or "less-meat"
meal to the menu will save money. Something as simple
as replacing half a pound of hamburger with black beans
in tacos will basically double the number of meals you
can get out of one pound of hamburger.
Buy local and buy seasonal. Shipping expenses are tacked
onto everything we buy. Buying locally and seasonally
and properly canning or freezing the harvest saves considerable
money over buying non-seasonal or local items in the
dead of winter.
Growing your own fruits and vegetables. Even if your
garden is a big pot on your condo deck, think of how
much money you can save on homegrown herbs, lettuce
or tomatoes. If you don't have land to use, see if your
town, apartment building, or condo complex has community
plots where you and your neighbors can share a piece
of land for growing vegetables.
Buying in bulk at wholesale clubs and through purchasing
cooperatives can save you money. My club membership
is worth the savings just on yeast and flour alone.
Purchasing cooperatives are groups of people who get
bulk buying power and share the work of sorting the
order. Make sure you understand your responsibilities
if you join a purchasing cooperative.
Other articles by Tammy:
Money &
Marriage: What to do before you say "I do"
Feeling Rich
When Your Savings Account Says Otherwise
Contact Information:
Tammy Paquin
www.frugal-families.com
.
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