How to Cut Costs at the Supermarket

Here are some well proven methods for saving money at the supermarket:

Meal Planning

Flip through your local grocery weekly ads and find out what are on sale. Then plan your weekly menu around items that are on sale. List each day of the week and plan your dinners accordingly. Fast dinners for busy nights and slow dinners for the nights we are at home. If ground beef is at a good price one week then you could plan on making Meatloaf on Tuesday and Hamburgers on Friday, this way you can buy ground beef in bulk and on sale.

Coupons

Using your coupons in conjuction of a sale is a fantastic way to save even more. Check your local grocery stores and find out which ones double or triple coupons and when. Try to save your coupons until they can be doubled or more.

Shop with a List

Each time you shop for groceries, always prepare a shopping list. Take into account what you already have in your fridge. Base your list on what you need to restock your pantry and what ingredients you'll need for your upcoming meals. When you are at the store: stick to your list.

Buy in Bulk

Buying items in bulk can cut down on costs. I like to bake a lot, so I tend to have lots of butter on hand. When I notice that butter is on sale, I buy 2 or 3 packs to put in my freezer. Buying in bulk when it's on sale can really save costs in the long term.

Bring Along a Calculator

A calculator can help you decide quickly which buys are more worthwhile. You can quickly decided if it's better to purchase the 24 oz. jar of peanut butter or the 16 oz.?

Who'd Have Thought

Shop early in the day. You get through the store faster with your list and spend less.

Shop when you're alone. Those little helpers can quickly boost your bill.

Never buy food when you're hungry; you will buy more.

Food Items Only

Don't buy non-grocery items, such as dishwashing liquid, shampoo, toilet paper, pet food, etc. at the grocery store. Discount department stores usually offer these for less expensive.

Check Again

As you're walking out of the store, double check your receipts. Not matter how careful you or the store staff might be, sometimes mistakes do happen. Catch them early so you can rectify the error on the spot. Once you get home, you'll have a hard time remembering to have that $.50 error corrected.