Most families struggle to stay on budget at the grocery store. It’s easy to go overboard, even on healthy items. Use these 10 grocery tips to stay on budget and not derail your debt management efforts.
ACCC’s grocery tips can make a difference.
Smart Grocery Tips to Save Money
To find extra money to put towards debt, some have to take a good, hard look at their grocery budget. There are many tried and true ways to save money on groceries. Usually, the first thing people think of are coupons and bulk shopping. These are great tips, no doubt, but sometimes you need to do more to get serious savings for consumer debt. Here are 10 easy ways that can help you save money when grocery shopping.
- Use cash to buy your groceries. Simply put, you run out of cash and no more food! It’s a great way to motivate yourself to stay on track. You might think twice about those extra treats you used to buy.
- Plan meals using similar ingredients. Once you commit to one ingredient over several meals, buy it in bulk to save money.
- Make a list of everything you need. Stick to the list. After a while, you will get good at estimating prices so you can have reasonable expectations of your purchasing power during the month.
- Check for reduced produce deals. Items that are expiring soon are super cheap and still edible. Ask a store clerk for help locating it if it’s hard to find.
- Buy bulk instead of single serve packaging. While big bulk stores can be alluring, they might not be necessary to save money. Grocery stores typically offer bulk amounts of their store brand for a great price. Then you only need one stop and have no annual membership fees.
- Sign up for customer loyalty programs. Even if you only go to a particular store once per month, it will save you money every time you go.
- Pay attention to product placement. The best deals are up high, down low, and on the ends; avoid the main aisles and middle shelves.
- Pass on pre-made and frozen foods. Make meals ahead of time and freeze them yourself. You will still get the ease of frozen food after a little prep work. Your meals will probably be healthier and just how you like them too!
- Avoid deals that encourage you to purchase extra items you do not need, especially if you are eliminating debt. However, if you have some wiggle room in the budget, indulge in some stockpiling once in a while since it does save money in the long run.
- Check out a few stores to make all your purchases. Consider time and gas costs when evaluating the value of shopping around town. Everyone’s situation is different.
Making some adjustments in your spending habits can help your grocery budget stretch. Use these grocery tips the next time you head out to the store to keep your financial goals moving in the right direction.
If you’re struggling to pay off debt, schedule a free credit counseling session with us today.
