Saving More at the Supermarket

   By drodriguez  Dec 13, 2008
45

There are lots of things we can cut back on when trying to save a few bucks, but when it comes to buying groceries many of us are left gasping at the bill after checking out.  We have to eat right?  With rising costs of food these days and soaring unemployment rates it is really important that we all learn how to be savvy shoppers.

And many of us have already become a lot better at finding deals that will save a small bundle each week.  Shoppers are taking advantage of websites that offer coupons for everything from laptop computers to breakfast cereal.  According to the Indiana News and Tribune, 89 percent of the U.S. population uses coupons.  The traffic on sites like EverSave.com and RetailMeNot.com grows higher as the economy sinks lower.  On average, a family could save close to $10 a month on groceries by using coupons. 

Aside from saving with coupons you can find on websites and in newspapers a recent article from CNN also offered some great ways to save at the grocery store.

A great way to get more value for your dollar is to buy in bulk.  Bulk items are almost always much cheaper than individual products.  Things like toilet paper and paper towels should always be purchased in bulk since you know you will use them and they will not spoil.  Stay away from deals on perishables like milk, eggs and produce that will go bad before you can eat them.

Buying the store brand item over a name brand can also help you save quite a bit.  The ingredients and taste are often similar if not identical.  The only noticeable difference is usually the cost

CNN reports about a blind taste test conducted by supermarket expert Phil Lempert.  The test showed that with items like cereal, potato chips, and ginger ale a big percentage of shoppers either could not tell the difference or actually preferred the generic brand.

Making a list may not always be the answer to avoiding impulse shopping.  Robyn Moreno, consumer editor of Women’s Day, told CNN that shoppers with lists spend over 40 percent more than those who shop list-free.  This doesn’t mean you should forget the list all together.  Just think of the shopping list as less of a “wish list” and more as an economically planned list focused around menus for you and your family. 

For a complete list of CNN’s tips you can visit: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/07/09/food.bill/index.html


What do you think of the tips offered above on how to save at the grocery store?

Have you figured out a unique way to save more on groceries?
 

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kfolkerts by kfolkerts | Tucson, AZ
Feb 17, 2011

Coupons are awesome. I save much more than $10 a month. I am so thankful to have found them :)

mousie by mousie | Erial, NJ
Sep 07, 2009

There aren't as many good coupons today as there were years ago, yet I still use coupons , and I buy items on sale each week that I need and have coupons for. I save over $200 each month and that is over $2400 each year. I make sure we are stocked up for weeks and I buy food for holidays months in advance. Things will be getting much worse if the farms keep vanishing. The price of food is going to get ridiculous. I recently saw a story about many people are growing some of their own fruits and vegetables in their gardens and others in cities like NY have hens in their little yards. They are saving on eggs. We are going to see much more of this in the future it is almost as if mankind is slowly converting back to some old ways of providing for their families.

pjhebert by pjhebert | TEXARKANA, TX
Mar 23, 2009

Coupons, coupons, coupons. Sales, sales, sales. That the key to getting food for my family these days.

couponerdiva53 by couponerdiva53 | AUSTIN, TX
Mar 10, 2009

Try using mfg coupons with store cpns as to save more $$. I try to do this when I go grocery shopping. I am always looking to save $$ with these coupons as they do save alot for me. Hey if it saves me $$, I will spend the time clipping the coupons. With the bad economy these days, we all have to use coupons to stretch our dollars & get good deals & sales.

lilred70670 by lilred70670 | Albany, IN
Feb 28, 2009

I always use coupons and save ALOT of $$$$. It does take time and patience, but is well worth it. I had one cashier get "crappy" and tell me I was using too many coupons!! I asked her how much money saved is too much?! She didn't have a reply to that. I'm not as good at it as others who receive money back from the store, but I usually end up saving at least 40% off my bill. I also go to the company websites, like Bettycrocker.com, Pillsbury.com, etc. and they have coupons too. I also get samples and freebies from mysavings.com. When you receive a sample, theres usually a very good coupon enclosed.

kristyanna by kristyanna | queen creek, AZ
Feb 18, 2009

I just want to encourage everyone to use those coupons and get products even if they have no use for them....someone could use them..........so please donate them to a charity or nursing home in your area!!

805Therapy by 805Therapy | Ventura, CA
Feb 13, 2009

When shopping at Ralph's I look for the orange Managers Special sticker. But recently, purchased a prepacked salad with the sticker and later discovered the item was well past expiration date (Sticker covered the date). Yuck.

ihavebabygiggles by ihavebabygiggles | bridgeport, WV
Feb 09, 2009

i started using coupons once i became a stay at hom momma! it saves us quite a bit each month. i love it when my husband says, "wow that was quiet frugal!" i've heard of the grocerygame.com but not too sure about it...anyone have thoughts.!!??

liltingelf by liltingelf | Aurora, CO
Jan 26, 2009

I buy in bulk and have a chest freezer in the storage closet on my apartment patio. The storage allows me to freeze items for later. I go to the bread store and when I buy so many items I get free bread items from the shelf. I try to use coupons but it is hard to have tem with me when I am out and need to stop for something. There is also ways to make your own laundry soap and such. It all takes alittle effort but can add up!

comanchegirl by comanchegirl | windermere, FL
Jan 26, 2009

Coupons do help alot but I go to Sams and buy the big bag of chicken breasts and separate them into small family meals for the three of us in my family. i freeze those. I also buy the bulk ground turkey and separate that also into small meals. There are alot of ways to cook chicken and turkey. Sales help alot when using coupons at the grocery store. You just have to be creative and it is time consuming.

EmilysMomBecky by EmilysMomBecky | CLARKSVILLE, TN
Jan 24, 2009

Couponing has saved me a lot of money. Also, stockpiling saves money. I take advantage of sales and buy a lot of items when they are at a low price. By doing this, I haven't had to buy laundry detergent for over 6 months. It really helps to save money and we need to since we have four little ones.

flyawaywithme by flyawaywithme | Brighton, MI
Jan 23, 2009

Coupons are the way to go. It is like finding free money. I typically save $50 a week. I make sure to buy things when they are on sales, when I have a coupon and when store is offering double coupon. What beats a free product, how about the store pays me to take products home!

kayjus33 by kayjus33 | Keelin, WY
Jan 23, 2009

I use coupons sometimes, but my store here has great sales that you dont need coupons for. They always have 10 for 10.00 sales here and its usually on great things like cans of spaghetti sauce and packages of pasta, soup and things like that. So I try to buy as much of that as I can. I always take a list. I plan out what I am going to have for dinner for that week and buy only the things I need for that, plus breakfast stuff and non food things like toilet paper if I need it or dishwasher soap. I never buy anthing thats not on my list and I never go to the store when I am starving. We dont have much to pick from here is our small town, we have a Wal mart supercenter and an Albertsons, so between the two I can usually do pretty good for the week.

wendygambler by wendygambler | oneida, TN
Jan 22, 2009

I save tons of money using coupons on everything from HBA items to food. We shop whats onsale, match our coupons with the store adds, and sometimes walk out of the store with name brand merchandise that we only had to pay taxes on. My friend is a couponing queen, only paying taxes on everything, and sometimes recieving money back from stores.. the night before last, we got 6 packs of tp, 9 packs of maxi pads, 9 bars of childrens soap, 10 boxes of pizza rolls, 4 bags of veggies, 3 bags of rice cakes, 5 cases of soda, and 2 bags of chips, all name brand items for 26.00 total, tax and all.. plus I got a 10 dollar print out for savings on my next visit to that store. Can not beat those deals.

mellowyellow5619 by mellowyellow5619 | Coloma, MI
Jan 19, 2009

I love my coupons. My hubby thinks I am crazy by how addicted I am to saving money. I use coupons for just about everything. I can not tell you the last time I had to pay anything for toiletries(razors, shampoo, soap, ect. ) With coupons and sales I can usually get it for free then I stock up. I wish we had a CVS and Kroger close by because I have seen some people get unbelievable deals at those stores using coupons.