Saving Money at the Grocers - Part 2, Simple Ways to Save Money
Coupons – I am not an avid coupon clipper because I don’t purchase a lot that offers coupons. However, on certain items I will do a quick check online to see if the manufacturers have any deals. This takes me about five minutes.
Keep ahead – KNOW what you have and on what you are running low. When my laundry soap is halfway gone I start watching for it to go on sale. I always look to see if staples such as flour, sugar, rolled oats, and canned tomatoes are on sale and buy one or two if they are. If you keep up with what you have and what you will need soon you have the flexibility and option to purchase things on sale instead of full price.
Check your prices – When I’m shopping I write down the price of what I am buying next to the item on my list. This helps me keep track of what is being spent and it also helps verify that I am being charged the correct price at checkout. Twice I have been overcharged by $.05 -$0.12 on several items in one trip – I took the issue up with the store’s manager and not only did he refund the overcharged amount (including the free items because the price was wrong) he gave me a $10 gift card for the next time I checked out.
Know the store policies – Most of the stores in our area give you an item free if the price rung up is not the same as on the store shelf or in the ad. There are also stores that will price match on certain items.
Stick to your budget – I have a monthly grocery budget that I average to what is generally available for each week. Even when shopping for things to stock up I never go more than $10 over my budget. Since I plan ahead it is just not necessary to buy ten bags of flour or 64 rolls of toilet paper at once. Buying too much for the future can steal from your current needs and in most cases doesn’t really save you any more money. Staying within your defined budget (or very close to it) develops the discipline you need to keep from going into debt and/or get out of debt and begin saving. Remember, there will always be another great sale next week.
Time is money (and gas) – Even though finding the best deal around town for each item on your grocery list sounds like the right thing to do it is often a waste of money. First, the obvious – every trip to each subsequent grocery store eats up gas and puts more wear and tear on your car. Yes, the stores may all be within a five mile radius of where you live but when you factor in every stop and start of your car, turning the engine off and on, and sitting at the red lights you are most likely spending more money on gas than you are saving at each stop. Second, your time is worth money. When you spend three or four hours running to four or five stores you are using time that could be spent on other more important and needful things (or you just wear yourself out and are too tired to do these things). I keep my grocer’s visits to two stores (a farmer’s market style store and a regular grocer) once a week and allot no more than an hour and half to two hours. My time is more valuable being home instructing my children, keeping a home, and making healthy meals than driving all over town for a ten cent cost difference.
