I save a great deal of money by taking just a few moments to organize my supermarket shopping. Initially, I review at least two supermarket ads that are close in proximity to my home, for it’s counter-productive to save a few dollars if you have to spent more in gas and time to get there. Once I have my ads I first look at the loss leaders. These are items that the supermarket actually loses money on to get you in the store, and are located on the front and back of the sales circular. Stock up on these items to the limit, but only if you need them. Some people buy sales because it’s a good deal, not because they necessarily need the item.
Then, make a list of the things you need. Impulse buys such as magazines, dessert and alcohol cost alot of money and the supermarkets are literally banking on you buying them once the loss leaders entice you inside, so do your best to stick to your list and your sale items. Coupons are a wonderful way to save money, for sure, but also in-store sales on store brands can save as much if not more than brand name items with coupons. Supermarkets such as Lowes Foods and Kroger always offer double coupons and this can add up.
My rule of thumb is to never buy anything that’s not on sale. Eventually everything goes on sale, so it does take a bit of time and research to watch when the items you need are marked down and if possible, track this. I assure you, this saves at least half off your grocery bill (yes, half!). As you’re shopping, if you see a very good buy such as an item that is 30-50% off, stock up on it until the next sale. You will continually be getting that item for 30-50% off for as long as you have a sharp eye. Do that with everything, and you will always be paying 50% less than the person next to you who is not paying attention, or who rationalizes that it doesn’t save that much or isn’t worth the time. Trust me, it’s worth the time!
Here’s another tip. Shop the perimeters of the store as opposed to the middle. The perimeters have produce, meat and fish, and dairy. The center of the store has mostly packaged and processed food. Processed foods are fun and save time but aren’t that healthy and are often very expensive. I rarely buy pre-packaged treats and prefer to make my own at home. I never buy soda or even juice, my kids drink water. We don’t buy bottled water of course, we buy a filter every six months for our refrigerator. This saves alot right there and saves the environment from waste.
The best tip of all is this: check your receipt. Many times the receipt is in error in the stores favor. One month I did a little research and tracked all the errors. The result? The receipts were wrong 66% of the time in the store’s favor for a total of 35 cents to seven dollars error on average. That may not sound like much, but start adding it up and it can come to hundreds of dollars over the course of a year. Always check your receipts everywhere you go and you will “save” money you didn’t even know you lost.
