"Save Money on Groceries
By Never Paying Full Price"

Miscellaneous

• Save money on groceries by cutting back on paper products. You can probably get by using less paper products and disposables. See our section on Living Green for more information that may be of interest to you.

• Grocery stores only advertise a certain amount of the items they have on sale. Watch for unadvertised specials while at the store or maybe even in store free grocery coupons.

• Make sure you have a stock of items on hand at home that you use. Buy them on sale or clearance instead of having to pay regular price when you need them.

• Don't be tempted to buy something just because it is a great sale and you think that you and your family may use it. If you're not sure whether or not you'll use it, don't get it.

• Consider having breakfast for dinner once or twice a week. It is a good hardy meal and breakfast items are relatively cheap.

• Become familiar with your grocery stores for alternatives they have to various products that you use. The alternatives may be just as good if not better with a more desirable price that will fit into your grocery budget.

• Go to the grocery store at off peak hours so that you can whip through quickly. Avoid after work and weekends. That way you can maximize your time while you save money on groceries.

• Avoid the “danger zone” isles where they have junk food and impulse foods. Things you may have a weakness for but have very little nutritional value. Only go down isles that contain items that you're looking for.

• You might want to have a calculator handy to make price comparisons, especially if the store does not show the unit prices.

• Try your hand at vegetable gardening. Your produce will be vine ripened and will taste better than you can get at the store. Tending a garden is good exercise too!

• Take an inventory of what you have in your pantry, freezer and refrigerator. You'll be able to figure out what you'll need before you go.

• Remember that no store dominates the market place for the lowest prices. Keep your eyes peeled at various stores in order to effectively save money on groceries.

• If you're too busy to keep a pricing book, as most people are, then at least keep a mental note of how much things cost from store to store. It should be one of your strategies to save money.

• It the grocery store has an advertised special that they run out of, ask for a rain check. The store will gladly issue you the rain check and give you an adequate time to return to get the sale item.

• Due to volume discounts you will find that larger stores are usually less expensive then smaller stores.

• Try to eat less meat. Meat dominates our food bill amounting to more than 30% of the entire bill! You will save on groceries by preparing some good meatless meals.

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