14 Great Ways to save Money at the Grocery Store for Girls on a Budget ...

1. Use Coupons

It’s a good idea to take just two minutes to browse through the coupon magazine when you get to the grocery store. Cutting coupons is one of the best ways to save money on groceries.

2. Avoid the Middle Aisles

Unless there is something on your list in the middle aisles, there’s no need to go down them. That is where they keep the snacks and frozen foods.

3. Avoid Red Meat

You do not need red meat to get protein. In fact, factory farm raised meat is terrible for animals, your health, and the environment. If you are going to buy meat, be sure it’s from a local farm family. However, red meat is not necessary and it does add a significant number of dollars to your bill. Instead of meatballs made with beef, try meatballs made with ground turkey. They’re cheaper and healthier!

4. Don’t Buy Brand Names

Did you know that marketing strategists target children? This is why it’s a nightmare getting through the aisles with kids. Buy generic cereals, for example. They taste just as good and are cheaper.

5. Don’t Shop Hungry

Going to the grocery store hungry leaves you without any control. Let your brain, not your belly decide what goes in the shopping cart.

6. Avoid Prepared Foods

Because they are full of excess salt, prepared foods add to the obesity crisis here in America. You may think it’s much quicker, but the truth is even making a simple wrap is just as quick and so much better for you. Prepared foods are also are outrageously priced.

7. Eat within Season

Excellent restaurants know that serving food in season makes it all the more delicious. By eating food in season, such as peaches in August, you’re buying them at a cheaper price than say peaches in the winter.

8. Avoid Bottled Water

Bottled water is overpriced, some water bottle companies are stealing water from Native American lands, and it’s not necessarily cleaner. Your best option is to buy a filter and some sturdy BPA free water bottles.

9. Don’t Buy Marinade Rubs

Marinade rubs can be $5 for a little jar. Why bother? Just look at the label, figure out what’s in it, and then make it yourself at home with your own salt, pepper, vinegar, spices, and whatever else you need.

10. Buy in Bulk

It’s a smart idea if you plan to buy some things that you want to last a long time if you live solo, like toilet paper, or if you are raising a family. Become a shopper’s club member to a bulk foods store. In the end, you’ll save lots of money.

11. Lean down

The priciest items are placed at eye level. Crouch down and you’ll see the same thing, different company, for a lower price.

12. New Baby on the Way?

If you think cloth diapers are what they showed in movies from the 1940s, with nothing but a cloth and two safety pins think again. Cloth diapers now come with rubber inserts, adorable covers, linens and are able to be reused after being washed. They are much more advanced these days. Spend the wad of money on ordering a year supply of cloth diapers online. The boxes of diapers are shipped to you, and all you have to do is tell them what size your baby (or babies) need. You will save $500 if you use cloth diapers instead of buying disposables at the store, and that’s generic disposable diapers. The brand names cost even more. Skip the jars of baby food. Simply purée carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, apples, peaches, green beans, pumpkin, etc. and freeze them in containers. You can make enough baby food to freeze to last three months if you have a big enough freezer.

13. Shop on Sale Day

Do you really need that bottle of ketchup right now? Be sure to shop on sale day.

14. Check the Fruits and Vegetables

Be sure to check the sell-by date, if they are ripe and firm, and don’t have any brown or white spots on them. The worst thing is to get home and realize that container of raspberries you bought already has spores.

Hopefully, on your next shopping trip, you’ll notice a reduced price.