Groceries consume a significant portion of a family’s income. Studies show the average American family pays $537 for food on a monthly basis, with $312 of that money going straight to groceries. Imagine if you can slash some of it consistently. How much can you potentially save in a year? Perhaps enough to take that out-of-town trip your family has been wanting to visit for a long time, right? Here are 7 quick and easy ways to save on groceries.
Coupons, Coupons, and More Coupons
Be a serious coupon user and combine these money-savers with in-store coupons and good sales. Many online retailers now offer weekly services for tracking sales in most states and grocery stores. They can point you to items that are currently at or nearing rock-bottom sales prices and give you alerts to manufacturer’s coupons you can redeem.
Go Wholesale Customers
Hungry for discounts usually stockpile large quantities of non-perishable goods including toiletries, rice and canned food. Before marching to the nearest Costco or BJs, though, make sure you have sufficient space to hold the supplies until you need them in the future. A well-sanitized basement with the right temperature conditions is a common supply room for avid wholesalers.
Choose the Drugstore
Drugstores like CVS and Walgreens sport generous deals on groceries and household items. As an incentive to attract customers to their doors and back again, these establishments offer really low and competitive prices on everything you can find stocked in their shelves.
Join or Form a Club
Businesses and families alike can stick together and form their private wholesale buying clubs. There are some logistics necessary, yet a buying club seems a more practical option if you do not have a warehouse-club style of store within your vicinity.
Cook At Home
Aside from being less expensive, cooking meals from scratch at home are much healthier than take-outs or frozen packages. If you have the time and the patience, you can even take it to a new level and make your own cheese, baby food, jam, and so forth.
Be One Step Ahead
Planning your meals for the entire week and jotting down the needed ingredients before heading to the grocery store can boost efficiency and cost-savings. This is a tried-and-tested method that eliminates the potential for impulse-buying.
Use Leftovers
Try to clean out your pantry at least once a month and use the leftover food for your next family meal, given of course that the food is still edible and unspoiled. Avoid wasting food by carefully checking labels and planning when to use them before even buying them from the grocery store. If you’re undergoing bankruptcy, these budget-saving tips from D. Thode & Associates Inc. can help you remain afloat.
Author Bio
Karleia is a freelance blogger. Away from the office she enjoys spending time with her daughters and husband.