Seven Ways to Save Money on Grocery Shopping

It is well-known that a huge part of the family budget remains in supermarkets, farmer markets, and grocery stores. How to quit the supermarket with money in your wallet? How to learn to save on food and eat healthy food? It would seem impossible, but still, there are several ways to save on food, thanks to which you can save up to 30% of the family budget. So, let's take a look at the most effective tips for saving on food.

7 Ways to Save on Grocery Shopping

1. Make a shopping list and strictly follow it
To create a shopping list, start from making a menu for the week: breakfasts, lunches, and dinners should be nutritious enough and healthy. Inspect the products in your fridge and list ingredients that are missing to prepare your intended meals. Besides, you can use various mobile applications to remind yourself about the products you need to buy on the way from the office to home.

2. Compare prices in different stores
Buying everything in one supermarket is convenient. However, if you visit the bakery around the corner, you can get more delicious and cheaper bread. Also, you can familiarize yourself with available offers and promotions in various supermarkets. For example, you can study Kroger's ad on www.rabato.com and then compare it with alternative offers. If there is no time for monitoring, try to shop once a week.

3. Avoid impulse purchases
Do not buy products not from the list just because they are cheap or you suddenly want to buy that Chinese cabbage at a discount. After coming home, you will understand that you simply don't need it. Additionally, we don't recommend taking children to the store: their wishes are more difficult to resist. Nothing will save you from unplanned purchases.

4. Use discount cards
You may have to pay for the purchase of a discount card, but this is a one-time expenditure, while discounts can be used every time you visit this store. For example, Fred Meyer discounts allow senior citizens to save on grocery shopping more than regular clients. Meanwhile, bonus programs by Target, Menards, or Winn-Dixie will make your weekly shopping profitable.

5. Try the wholesale approach
Such products as flour, sugar, salt, pasta, and spices are always needed. Moreover, they have a long shelf life, so, if you see such goods at a big discount — you can try the wholesale approach and take it for future use. Moreover, prices in wholesale outlets are usually lower. So, if you buy 5 kilos of potato instead of 1 but save 10-20% on that — it will be a good deal. Alternatively, if you don't have enough storage space, you can share the goods with your relatives or friends, so you will quickly see the benefits of this approach.

6. Look down
According to the rules of merchandising, the most expensive goods are placed on the shelves at the level of the buyer's eyes, and the cheapest ones — on the lower shelves. Do not be lazy to check what is placed there — there is a high probability that you will find the same-quality goods but at a lower price. Also, don't go to the sections that you didn't plan to (divide the foods on the list by groups: meat, vegetables, and so on).

7. Don't overpay for a name or package
It is well-known that famous brand products are more expensive. But this is not always a guarantee of quality and taste. Take a closer look at less famous, but cheaper goods. For example, brands of retail chains like Walmart or ALDI have the same consumer characteristics and do not differ from the branded ones. The same rule applies to the packaging: milk in a simple package can be tastier and cheaper than in a bottle, and bulk products by weight are more profitable than those packaged in colorful boxes.

In Conclusion

As you can see, you don't have to be a pedant to save on food. Everyone can follow these recommendations. But most importantly, don't become a fanatic. Being in the club of extreme cheapskates doesn't make you a hero, but can lead to serious health problems.  Sometimes you can and should allow yourself something tasty — a piece of top-quality beef or fresh salmon steak. These simple pleasures will make your life more delightful.

Have you enjoyed our seven recommendations on profitable grocery shopping? Share your own experience with us and tell about your own saving tips.