These days, most of us are looking for just about any way to save a buck. Luckily, the price of gas has come down in recent months but that’s just because demand is down. In fact, demand is down for just about everything, which has thrown the economy into a tizzy.
Grocery shopping can be a large part of your household expenses. If you want to save when you go shopping for food, first look at your grocery buying habits in terms of wants and needs. You can do this by creating a master shopping list. You create this list only once, so take your time. Then laminate it for repeat use with a dry erase pen. Your master grocery list helps you in several ways:-
1) Since it’s comprehensive, it helps you from forgetting items - saving you extra trips to the store (which saves you money)
2) Because you only include the foods you prefer to feed your family (in terms of a healthy diet), you avoid impulse purchases – which are usually junk or comfort foods,
3) Your master list should exclude items that aren’t smart purchases, like bottled water or soda. Stick to your master list and reap the savings.
Some other ways of saving when shopping include avoiding high end grocery stores. They (you) pay for their fancy stores through higher prices. You can find quality food at a regular grocery store. You can also limit the number of trips to the store. This sounds obvious but, if you track this carefully, you’d probably be surprised at the actual number of trips you make each month to buy food. And each “little trip” usually adds up to more than you plan.
Finally, in lieu of your master list or if you’re having trouble putting it together, try just keeping to the perimeter of store. You’ll usually find the necessities around the edges of the store; meat, poultry, seafood, produce, bread, and dairy. The aisles are where you find the junk food; chips, soda, convenience foods, etc.
The bottom line is to shop smart and buy what you need, which is usually healthy food. Both your family and your wallet will feel better for it.
For many, many more money saving tips and a sample master shopping list, check out www.saving-money-tips.com/
Happy Shopping,
Suzanne
