We’ve all seen in movies the excitement and spills that lie ahead in a dystopian future. However, very few offer helpful tips on how to save on groceries amidst the murky economic climate.
But donโt fret! I got 10 must-have suggestions to help you find the best deals, reduce unnecessary spending, earn rewards, and improve your grocery shopping experience so itโs less melancholy and more reasonably bliss.
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1. During the week, go shopping.
Supermarket management and financial experts alike concur that on weekends, grocery stores, especially the more well-known ones, can resemble zoos. Not only will going shopping on a Wednesday night provide you with a better experience, but it may also result in financial savings. Because they are preparing to turn over merchandise for the influx of customers on weekends, grocery stores typically offer better prices and discounts during the week.
Weekly coupon deals are also usually released on Wednesdays. If you do all your family’s grocery shopping on one day, you should give Wednesdays a try.
2. Join the loyalty program at your local grocery shop.
This suggestion may seem apparent to many shoppers. For others, it may serve as a timely reminder. Signing up for a store-specific rewards program is a quick and simple method to gain access to deals reserved for loyal customers. While not every grocery store has one, strategically utilizing programs at other locations you frequent can have an impact.
3. If your store has an app, download it.
My neighborhood grocery store, Publix, offers digital coupons via their handy app. Store coupons are a third avenue for saving money, and the flexibility the chain provides in mixing discounts can save you much more money. Customers at Publix can stack coupons, which means they can combine a store coupon or competitor coupon with one manufacturer coupon to save on a single item.
Likewise, not all stores have mobile apps, but many do, and they’re more user-friendly than ever. Check whether your store has it and then download it. It will assist you in learning about sales and special offers. On top of that, your weekly supermarket excursions can earn you fuel points, cash back, and even free things.
Alternatively, and an honorable mention, Fetch is fantastic app to save on the grocery purchases. You can accumulate points toward gift cards by scanning in your print or digital receipts. You can make your printed receipts profitable if you can take a photo with your phone. And getting points is simple! The Fetch rewards app works for any printed receipts for select stores including grocery stores.
4. Recognize unit prices.
The little price tags placed on the shelves at grocery stores provide a wealth of helpful information. Aside from the item’s name and overall price, it will also include the unit price, the cost per ounce/pound/liter when you purchase that package. This number is provided to assist you in comparing products that come in different sizes. When comparing two packets, say, one with 24 banana muffins and the other with 12, it effectively breaks down the cost per muffin so you can identify the best deal without performing any math.
Also, don’t be scared to use your calculator. I am notorious with my handy calculator and notepad ready to do the math! When comparing items, the unit price is frequently not displayed on temporary sale signs, so you’ll need to do some quick math when applying coupon savings to the unit price. Nonetheless, understanding unit costs is one of the best methods to get the most bang for your buck in the aisles.
And to make your grocery trip organized and enjoyable, I made a Grocery Shopping List and Pantry Essentials Printable! Elevate your cooking game with this resource. Discover smart shopping, pantry organization, and optimal storage times for ingredients.
Simplify meal prep, reduce waste, save money, and create culinary masterpieces with ease and preparation. Unlock the secrets to a well-stocked kitchen today!
5. Build your own price directory.
Simply watching the prices of your weekly essentials can teach you a lot. When you shop at multiple locations, you can compare costs and make that store your first, or primary, stop. After a few weeks, you may see a trend in the markdowns, allowing you to stock up on things when they go on sale and avoid paying full price. You can also decide whether it makes more sense to forego store-bought keto yogurt, almond butter, and muffins in favor of making (or growing!) them at home for less.
6. Get the store brand.
Name-brand cereals, spices, and baking ingredients, together with prepared goods, have some of the biggest markups in the market. According to some estimations, choosing the store brand can save you 5 to 50% off your cost. Also, guess what? Store brands are insanely good! In fact, when you read the ingredients compared to the brand names, itโs practically the same.
And it doesnโt just pertain to food. Many customers are unaware that the FDA regulates generic brand medications and requires them to include the same active ingredients as name brand rivals (1). Similarly, most store brand cleaning solutions include the same ingredients. Another case where reading the label may help your cash.
When it comes to price comparison, brand name products might be more expensive, leading many buyers to assume they are paying for a greater level of quality. That isn’t always the case, as I’ve discovered, so where does the extra cost come in? Advertising! Big brand names pay for commercials, magazine ads, and other forms of advertising, all of which must be repaid in some way. As a result, the price is higher. Contrary to popular belief, quality, nutrition, and taste are frequently unrelated.
7. Don’t go food shopping if you’re hungry.
The old advice still holds true! If you go to the grocery store with a grumbling stomach, you will leave with more items than you planned when you entered through those doors; this also applies to non-food products!
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) experiments were conducted by Bangor University researchers on a set of volunteers who are given ยฃ80 ($129) to spend on groceries for a week (2). The subjects’ capacity to distinguish between fraudulent “special deals” and legitimate discounts was tested by the research team. Their initial findings indicate that at 23 minutes into the fictitious shopping trip, the subjects’ brains appear to have stopped giving it their all. About forty minutes in, almost every customer started making emotional rather than logical purchases. And as anyone who enjoys snacks a lot may confirm, buying on impulse can be risky.
Put a snack bar in your purse or a snack mix in your glove compartment now so it’s there when you need it later!
8. Put two or three things back before you check out.
Retailers are adept at persuading consumers to add more goods to our carts. Talkers on the shelf! The enormous end caps! The eye-catching packaging! I examine what’s in my shopping cart before I proceed to check out. Usually, I take out two or three unnecessary items. saves me more than $10 on each trip. I also take a glance and walk away from the clearance table too. That table seems to be placed strategically at the checkout. Chances are, they do not have a product I use consistently so it’s an obvious choice to move along.
9. Plan to shop on restocking days.
Grocery businesses have set hours for operation. Twice a week is when most grocery stores replenish their inventory. Two days a week, the store will receive a sizable supply of merchandise to stock, in addition to the independent vendors who visit the store to replenish their inventory.
Choose a day to shop on once you find out when the store truck arrives. How come? Because the store needs to make room for new merchandise the night before or the morning before a shipment. This implies that they will reduce the price of some things to free up shelf space. The marked-down merchandise is often placed in the same area of the store every week.
Additionally, if you wait until later in the sales cycle, you are less likely to find things listed in the store’s sales circular. This is especially true on restocking days.
10. Be savvy when it comes to the costliest item.
Except for vegans and vegetarians, meat is typically the most expensive food item in our grocery budget. Worse, there aren’t many coupons available for raw meat. You may still find some great prices on meat, though. I found that having a Costco warehouse membership was incredibly helpful. Back in September, I brought 3 pounds of chuck roast at a grocery supermarket about $6.99 a pound. Two weeks later, I brought 5 pounds of the same cut of chuck roast package at Costco for about $5.19 a pound. Clearly, Costco was the better deal!
Keep in mind and if you have the storage space, get a better deal on a ribeye steak by bulk buying. You can cut the slab into individual cuts, trim the fat, and package them in freezer storage bags to use for homecooked meals. Saving you money and eating better! This awesome butcher did a visual demonstration of how to properly cut the meat and a pricing breakdown thatโs worth a look.
Another tip if you donโt have access to a bulk warehouse membership: consider mark-downs at your local grocery store. Buying beef at a discount is nothing to be terrified about. The sell-by dates should always be checked when you go supermarket shopping.
I’ve been known to wait to buy meat at my neighborhood store if I notice several items with the same sell-by date. On that date, I’ll return and restock. The store will mark down meat if it is not sold by the sell-by date. Since they are not legally permitted to sell anything after its sell-by date, they typically mark it down significantly since they want to sell it that very day.
As long as you defrost it and prepare it within the suggested time range, frozen food is absolutely safe to consume (3).
I truly hope that these strategies for saving money on groceries help you save a ton of money on your next shopping trip! Did I miss something valuable? Feel free to share your suggestions in the comments!
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Charles says
Thank you very much,sweet soul Jasmine ๐
Jasmine Feliciano says
Thank you so much for reading, dear Charles ๐ hope it was helpful!