​4 Easy Ways to Save on Groceries

​4 Easy Ways to Save on Groceries

Posted by Simple Girl on 20th Sep 2016

Feeding your family takes a healthy bite out of your paycheck, especially if you're of the ilk that hits the grocery store every day because you don't know what you're having for dinner until it's time for dinner. According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, food comes in third on the list of the biggest household expenses. While eating food isn't exactly something you can stop doing to save money, there are ways to stretch your food dollars so that you can afford the other fine things in life without giving up your fancy-pants stone-ground mustard and primo cuts o' meat. Here's how.

  1. Plan Ahead. Pick a day, any day, that you'll go grocery shopping each week. Then, do a little pre-planning: Make a list of the staples you use all the time, like oil, peanut butter, eggs, bread, butter, milk, and the like. Include non-food items like dishwashing liquid, napkins, tinfoil, garbage bags, and such. Before you go to the store each week, decide what you're going to have for dinner for the next six days. Make a list! With your list in hand, go through the fridge and pantry and cross off the items on your list that you already have. Then do the same with your "staples" list. Now you know exactly what you have and what you need, and you won't end up buying spaghetti when you already have piles of it in the pantry. You also won't get home and find that Gah! You forgot the cheese!
  2. Locate the Best Deals. Folks, with few exceptions, the store brands are just as good as the Big Brands that charge you a premium for all that air time. Sing along with us: Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Meyer wiener...The best part of wakin' up is Folgers in your cup...Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco treat!....It's Betty Crocker Ready-to-Spread Frosting!...these jingles cost a shoot-ton of money to create and shoot-tons more to air, and that's what you're paying for — not quality! So, buy the store brands when they're cheaper than the Big Brands. Clip coupons, join your grocery store's rewards program, and always check the unit price and price per pound when you're comparison shopping. And don't forget the bulk section! You can get oatmeal, nuts, pasta, rice, beans, and scores of other staples for a fraction of the price - and none of the packaging. There are lots of little ways to save, and those savings add up.
  3. Be Loyal. Jumping around from store to store in order to save money has some benefits, but it'll wear you out and cost you in time and gasoline. A better approach is to purchase most of your groceries in one place to earn loyalty discounts, cash-backs rewards and opportunities to save on future purchases. If you're going to puddle jump, limit it to two places, such as your usual grocery store for general shopping and the wholesale club for big bulk purchases of items you frequently use and tend to run out of quickly.
  4. Look For Substitutes. Olive oil will set you back over five bucks, but canola oil, which is also monounsaturated and heart-healthy, costs way less. Almonds are pricey, but peanuts are cheap. Fresh veggies are expensive, but frozen veggies are much less so. Ever compare the price of frozen French fries to that of a few actual potatoes? You should! So, put your brain to work thinking about what you can substitute with less expensive items without compromising the happiness of your taste buds, and you'll find that using plain old white rice for your famous almond peanut chicken dish is almost as good as Jasmine rice, which is prohibitively expensive. All it takes is a little creative thinking, and soon you'll be shaving dollars off your grocery bill faster than you can say