7 Surprisingly Useful Tips to Frugal Shopping ...

Believe it or not, tips to frugal shopping start in your own home! Before you leave, check your cabinets and refrigerator. I can't count the number of times I've stood in the grocery store and thought, "I can't remember if we are out of eggs/cheese/bread or not...?" and then bought them only to return home and find that we still had plenty of the item in question! By doing this, you eliminate unnecessary purchases which will cut back on your bill.

After checking your cupboards and freezer, make a list of the things you need. One of the best tips to frugal shopping is to plan meals around items that you already have at home. If you have tomato sauce and Italian seasonings, all you need to buy are spaghetti noodles and ground beef and you will have a meal! After making your list, be sure and STICK to it at the grocery store!

One of my top tips to frugal shopping is to remember to eat something before heading out. Nothing will urge an impulse buy like being hungry will! When you shop hungry, you're more likely to buy things you don't really need for the week just because they look scrumptious to you. Avoid this pitfall!

Coupons are naturally one of the tips to frugal shopping! I love the grocery stores that have coupons in their paper or on the shelves with the items for sale. Other places you can find coupons include the Sunday paper, online, or in magazines. You can also sign up to receive them in the mail!

Plan your weekly menu around what the local grocery stores have on sale that week. You can check papers and online to find out in advance what sales are going on each week. For example, if the roast beef is on sale, plan to eat roast beef one night that week. You'll be surprised by how much you can save by doing this!

Resolve to only take cash when you go to the grocery store. This is one of the best tips to frugal shopping of all. Having only cash ensures that you do not go over budget. Add things up in your head as you go and if you have any money left over at the end you can use it to buy items you WANTED but didn't necessarily need. It's often these items, ( cookies, ice cream, coke) that put us over budget anyway.

Here's a great tip to frugal shopping: When an item that you or your family use or eat often goes on sale, stock up on it! Its better to pay the lesser price while you can than pay full price later on, right? Especially when it's something you know you will need or use, it's worth it to stock up while the price is so low.

I know how hard it can be trying to grocery shop on a fixed budget, but these tips to frugal shopping can really help you if you stick with them! You have to make conscious decisions about what you purchase and the rest will be easy! Do these tips to frugal shopping help you out at all? Please comment below with your own suggestions and tips to frugal shopping!

Top Image Source: simplebites.net