Money is tight these days for many families and many are actively looking for ways to reduce regular expenses as much as possible without sacrificing their quality of life.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to cut down on your food expenses, which are often the second highest category of monthly expenses after your housing payment. There are a number of smart solutions that will help you reduce the amount that you spend on groceries each month.
Here are some of my favorites.
Stock Up On Shelf Stable Products
One of the simplest ways to save money at the grocery store is to stock up on larger quantities of shelf stable products that you use regularly when they are on sale. Grocery stores often rotate the products that they have on sale at any given time, so if you are patient, you can get great deals on a wide variety of products. Larger quantities are often priced cheaper per unit than smaller packages, so you get more for your money by shopping this way.
Tailor Your Menu To The Sales Flyer
Another great way to save money at the grocery store is to tailor your weekly menu to the items that are on sale that week at your local grocery store. Many grocery stores put out a weekly sales flyer that lists all of the items that will be on sale at that location for the next seven days. You can tailor your purchases of perishable items, such as meats, produce, and baked goods, to the sales flyer to save the most money on your shopping trip. If there are items on sale that you are not familiar with, there are numerous websites and mobile apps available that can provide you with recipes that will help you prepare those items in delicious ways.
Stick To A List
Making a grocery list is one of the simplest ways to save money at the grocery store, but it is a technique that many people neglect. Grocery stores are experts at encouraging customers to make impulse purchases of items that they may not even need. Having a list in hand of the items that you need to purchase can help you reduce or even eliminate impulsive purchases. Make your list before heading out to the store after looking through the sales flyer and reviewing what you already have in your cabinets.
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