7 Awesome Tips for Saving Money on Groceries ...

1. Research Store Coupon Policies

One of the most important tips for saving money on groceries that I can give you is to thoroughly research your local stores' coupon policies. Knowing the policies of all of the stores around you will help you to decide where best to shop. If there is a Price Chopper in your area, chances are that is your best bet. Price Chopper doubles the value of any coupon up to 99 cents. They also offer you some spectacular deal like Buy One Get TWO Free on various items. Their reward card system also helps you save money on gas.

2. Clip/Click/Print Coupons

You should always use coupons if you’re trying to save money. I spend about an hour every week, right before I shop, cutting out coupons from the weekend paper. I also go online to Coupons.com and a few other coupon-offering websites and print all of the wonderful coupons there. Price Chopper and a few other stores allow you to add coupons to your reward card so you don’t need to carry the extra coupons with you!

3. Keep a List Throughout the Week

I used to make a list prior to grocery shopping, but I found that I would almost always get home and remember I needed something I hadn’t been thinking about at the time I made the list. I now have a running list on my fridge that I add to as I run out of things or notice that I’m low on them.

4. Meal Plans

I tend to slack on this a bit, but if you stick with it, it will save you time and money. Prior to shopping plan out your meals for the week. Leftovers from Monday’s meals should be used for Tuesday’s meals. Leftovers from Wednesday should work well with Thursday, etc… It will leave more space in your fridge, you won’t be wasting leftovers and you won’t be spending money on brand new ingredients for all seven days of the week!

5. Stock up

Many stores will occasionally have stock up sales, whether they call them that or not. A few weeks ago, for instance, PC had bread and English Muffins Buy One Get Two Free. Bread products freeze very well so we bought 6 items and froze most of them. Shampoo and conditioner are frequently Buy One Get One Free. Whenever there is an item on massive sale that you USUALLY buy frequently, stock up. You’re going to spend the money on it eventually anyway, why not spend the money now and save some in the long run?

6. Weekly Flyers

Most grocery stores release a weekly flyer in the newspaper (or online). Check through them and use the items that are advertised on sale to create your meal plan for the week. It’s helpful to know what all of the sales are before you even enter the store. It saves you a LOT of time plus, the faster you’re in and out of the store, the less likely you are to impulse buy.

7. Eat before You Shop

If you shop while you’re hungry, you will deeply regret it. Even my husband, who is very frugal, will add ten extra things to the shopping cart if we shop while he’s hungry. It’s best to eat a meal, or at the very least, a snack right before you head out to shop. The more full you are, the less full your cart will remain.

Following all of these awesome tips for saving money on groceries will leave you with more money in your pocket and less time spent in the store. By keeping to these tips I save $40-70 on every shopping trip. Check the Internet for “coupon matchups” at your local store. It will save you a ton of planning time because it does half the work for you. Do you have any tips for saving money on groceries?