Ever had that sinking feeling at checkout when the register keeps ringing up though you wish it would stop? Before you know it, you’ve quickly blown past any semblance of your food budget for the week!
Fortunately, saving money on groceries can be easy. This grocery shopping guide helps you with ideas to save more and spend less.
Read more: 29 ways to keep your fresh produce fresher for longer!
The supermarket segment has seen an influx of non-traditional players. One strategy to save money on groceries is to simply change where you shop. Here’s a quick rundown of what alternatives might be near you:
Instead of changing where you shop, try changing what goes into your shopping cart. Private labels (aka store brands) are huge overseas, but not here at home. That’s a shame because buying the store brand lets you save up to 30% without clipping coupons.
Try it just once the next time you’re at the supermarket. If you like what you buy, you save money that time and every time going forward when you buy it again. If you don’t like it, go back to the national brand. Just about every store will give you a refund or exchange the store brand for the manufacturer’s brand.
Read more: Why you may want to avoid bagged lettuce
There’s an old trick in the snack business where the extra-large package will cost more per ounce than a regular-sized bag. Snack manufacturers make the assumption that people who go for the extra-large bag are not price sensitive.
Paying attention to unit pricing in the supermarket can be your ally at time when food manufacturers are trying to sneak by reductions in the amount of product they’re selling you. Manufacturers are doing this especially when the packaging promises that the product is “new and improved.”
Not sure what unit pricing is? Take a look at this example:
Here’s a common scenario you might encounter in the supermarket: You’re buying the store brand of napkins and you’re confronted with the choice of either a 250-count package or a 500-count package. Which is a better value? Most people would think the larger package because you’re buying in bulk, right?
Not so fast. Look at the small unit price numbers, not the actual price. The 500-count package (top illustration) has a unit price of 0.70¢, while you the 250-count package below it has a unit price of 0.67¢. So the smaller package actually offers more value for your dollar.
Coupons aren’t just silly little strips of paper anymore. Today you can get deals and coupons right on your smartphone at the click of a button. Try playing around with these free apps to get started:
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