How I Save Money at the Grocery Store

I already wrote a post about how much I love grocery shopping but if you aren't careful, it can get expensive. Here are tips I use to help keep costs down.

1. Buy at the right time. This applies to buying produce in season and buying the special of the month. Every month, grocery stores sell specific items cheaper. For instance, March is frozen food month. So this is a good time to buy frozen foods.

2. Clip coupons. Yes, it's dorky and another thing to remember to bring to the store with you but it can be so worth it. I have saved over 10 dollars in a single trip just because of coupons. They really add up, especially when they're for products you are already buying.

3. Stick to your list. Impulse buys are always expensive because that is money you weren't planning on spending. Plus, if it isn't in your weekly plan (see next tip), then it's going to be harder to work it into your meals.

4. Plan ahead. Make a meal plan for the entire week. If you need to, make it super specific. I don't have to do that. I just make a list of things I want to make that week and make sure I have the food to make it before I go shopping. This way, you never let things, especially produce, go bad or expire.

5. Buy generic. Most of this is a mental thing. We have been conditioned to think that name brands taste better. For some things, this is true but for most things, it's the exact same product. Sometimes, it's even made by the same company as a big name brand.

6. Buy in bulk. This has two meanings. The first is that most of the time (but not always so be sure to check), buying a bigger box of something will be cheaper (per ounce). The second is that when something is on sale, you should stock up a little bit, especially if it's a staple in your pantry, so you don't have to pay the regular price next time you want it. For a lot of things, you can freeze them (bread, butter, most produce,...) so this will help keep things fresh when you stock up.

7. Stay away from processed foods. Sometimes you can justify buying these items but for the most part, they aren't good for you anyway and they're a waste of money. If you stick to the outer edges of the store (produce, refrigerated, deli...), you will have a healthier diet and save money.

That's all I have for now. I'm constantly trying to save money and stretch my dollar farther so if you have any other ideas, feel free to leave them in the comments.