Grocery Cart Smarts

As I plan & prepare for my "Food Stamp Challenge", it really hit me tonight how expensive food has gotten. So, in that spirit, here are some things you can try to take a bite out of your grocery bill.

- Shop on sale. Plan meals around what's on sale or properly store good deals for later. Realize that some advertised sales aren't as good as they seem or require you to buy more than you need.
- Shop in season. Food that's out of season is often more expensive, less fresh (& possibly less nutritious), &/or less tasty.
- Predominately shop the store's outer edges. The more processed, less nutritious, & ultimately more costly items tend to be in the middle aisles.
- Consider buying generics. Many products are of equal quality but cheaper due to less flashy packaging & no advertising cost. The company may even make the brand name version. These are often positioned on high or low shelves.
- Use store loyalty cards (now often required to get sale prices).
- Use coupons. Whether you clip a newspaper's paper coupons, print online coupons, or clip electronically, this can save some money. However, it's important to recognize if a coupon isn't right for your needs (e.g., need to buy too many, cheaper to buy generic, don't like/want the item, etc.).
- Consider buying some items in bulk. Larger amounts are often (but not always) cheaper. However, it's only a deal if you can properly store items & will use what you buy.
- Be willing to put in some work... when you can. Food that requires more work is often FAR cheaper than their "convenient" cousins. (E.g., bone-in vs. boneless skinless chicken; veggies vs. pre-washed & chopped veggies; dried vs. canned beans; etc.).
Exception:  If you don't have the time or inclination, throwing away food doesn't save money! Sometimes, it may be worth paying extra for "convenience"if you're more likely to eat the food as a result.
- Create a list of items you buy frequently. Figure out which store carries each item for the best price.
- Think outside the grocery store. Sometimes, other venues (drug stores, multi-purpose stores, dollar stores, or farms & farmer's markets) can provide better prices on certain items.


For more tips & a look at supermarket tricks, check out:
- Weight Watcher's Supermarket Psychology
- Bankrate.com's 10 Grocery Savings Tips from Store Managers
- Yahoo's Financially Fit How Stores Trick You into Spending More