Lower Your Grocery Bill

Following are five ways to save on groceries: 1) Shop high and low. Higher-priced items are likely to be chest height while bargains will be at the top or bottom of the shelves. Reach a little to save a little. 2) Don’t shop hungry. It’s harder to resist impulse items when you’re starving. Have a snack before you shop. 3) Make a list. When you’ve planned your purchases ahead of time, you’re more likely to stick to your budget. 4) Not all bargains are bargains. Don’t buy two pounds of tomatoes just because they’re on sale. If you end up throwing them out, you haven’t really saved. 5) Compare prices. If you buy the same things every week, shop around for the best prices. You may end up shopping at multiple locations, but you’ll save on weekly staples.

When in the meat section, look for discounts on meat that needs to be sold by "today's date". If you are going to cook it, or freeze it when you get home it doesn't matter anyway, and you'll be able to stretch your grocery budget dollars.

Consider getting a small kitchen garbage can specifically designed to reuse plastic grocery bags. Its smaller size (14-quart capacity) to accommodate the size of the bags will require more frequent emptying, but the trade-off is that you'll never buy kitchen garbage bags again. You can find one online for under $10.00.

Super strong and super expensive triple-ply garbage bags may be more than you need. Sure, it may be able to handle broken glass and a gallon of water without leaking, but how often are you going to be faced with that scenario. It's more likely your kitchen trash bags will have to withstand the pressures of dirty paper towels and stale toast so just buy the cheap ones.

Compare prices of non-food items at the grocery store. House wares, pharmacy items, greeting cards and holiday items may be purchased for less elsewhere such as Wal-Mart, Target, the Dollar Store, etc. Cleaning supplies can be a big part of the total at the checkout line.

The product is usually a major brand, without the added high cost of advertising. For instance, Duncan Hines makes generic store brand cake mix. However, purchase generic items or brands you haven't tried in moderation until you're sure of the quality. Give it the family test first. If nobody will eat it/use it, then it's no bargain.

When buying meat at the grocery store, look for "family packs" or "value packs". These bundles of beef cost less per pound and you can divide the meat up and freeze what you don't use right away.

When buying pre-packaged fruits and vegetables for a flat cost, i.e. 5 pounds of potatoes for $2.50, weigh the bags and find one that weighs more than 5 pounds. The printed weight is the minimum that the bag may weigh, but you'll frequently find ones that are 1/2 to more than one pound over the stated weight.

If you have almost empty bottles of salad dressing in your refrigerator try this simple trick for preparing extra meals. Buy some chicken breasts in bulk the next time they are on sale and divide them in to regular serving sizes in freezer bags and add the leftover dressing. You can then freeze the individual baggies until the day before you need to use them. If you put them in the refrigerator to defrost, they will marinate at the same time. This will provide variety in flavor and still let you prepare chicken your favorite way.

Freshen up leftovers to cut down on food bills. Baked chicken one night might be fajitas the next night, or a chicken salad, or chicken topped pizza. This saves money and time by extending your shopping trips.

Buy fresh ground beef and turn it into 25 to 50% more by mixing it with beans. Cook one pound (dry) pinto or navy beans in water. When cooked and tender, mash them and add to the meat. You can then use the meat to prepare a dish as you normally would, or freeze it to use later.

In order to grocery shop efficiently, you need to be organized, stay focused, and pay attention to things like unit pricing. This can be challenging when you have a three year old chanting "I want Gummy Bears!" in your ear. Whenever possible, grocery shop alone, or if you must bring the kids, make sure they've eaten and that you've brought along a favorite toy to keep them occupied.

If the high cost of milk is keeping you from serving it as often as you should, try powdered. Nutritionally, powdered milk is the same as fresh milk. It may taste slightly different at first, but it's much less expensive and you won't find yourself running to the store as often.

Take a minute to pick up a grocery ad flier as you enter the store. Ad fliers found in the store sometimes have items that weren't featured in the paper. Don't forget to keep an eye out for unadvertised specials. There are lots more bargains to be found weekly than you'll find in the weekly store flyers.

It's costly to purchase items you already have, especially if they aren't on sale. Keep a running grocery list at home to avoid buying items you have home in the pantry. Then wait for sales, load up and make a killing at the checkout.

Pre-made, ready-to-eat foods are generally more expensive than make-your-own meals. Avoid prepackaged and convenience foods. For example: two pounds of carrots cost about $1.29, compared with $7.16 for the same amount of precut carrot sticks.

Manufacturers can only raise prices so high and so often, before consumers take notice. Some are trying a new tactic to increase profits, they are reducing the amount of food in the package. For example, you may see a sign for a great price on bacon, where the packages are traditionally 16 oz, only to find that the great price is for just 12 oz.

Take an hour or so to plan meals two weeks in advance. The extra time will save you a bundle, because you'll avoid last minute (budget-busting) trips to the grocery store, and it will lessen the temptation to order out (double budget buster!) Having a master menu plan will ensure that you always have the ingredients on hand to prepare a cost effective, healthy meal.

A window box on a balcony, patio or in a kitchen window can yield home-grown herbs and vegetables, which are beautiful plants as well. Find out when it's safe to grow outdoors in your area. If you like fresh herbs, a window box will yield a fresh supply for pennies. Savings really add up at $1.79- $2.29 for a small bunch of cilantro or parsley. The same goes for sprouts. They can easily run $1.29 in the store, but cost about $.02 per batch at home. The home sprouted version represents a savings of 99% over the store bought price for very little effort.

If it's hard to find the time to grocery shop, consider ordering your groceries online. Paying an extra $5 to $10 dollars (delivery charge and tip) for delivery may seem like an extravagance, but many people find that once they get the hang of it, their grocery bill actually decreases! This is because while selecting groceries online, you have the opportunity to plan your weekly menu around what's on sale, and since you're not in the store, you're less likely to make "impulse buys". To top it off, you can still use coupons.

Get in the habit of carrying a notebook while grocery shopping. Take note of what competing stores charge for items you use on a regular basis. You may find that some stores have great advertised specials, but charge significantly higher for staple items you use regularly, such as bread, milk and eggs. The sale items are called "loss leaders" in the grocery business and the store is willing to lose money on those transactions, knowing you will earn them a fat profit by paying more on everyday items.

Don't assume that you are getting a bargain just because a store has an elaborate display for a certain brand product. Check the aisle where the product is usually sold, and you may find other brands of the same product being sold for less.

At thegrocerygame.com you can register your local supermarket and they will match the current sales with recent coupons that you can cut out of the coupon circulars from the Sunday paper. They then show the final cost (sometimes free!) on items that you may need. You can give it a try for very little risk by signing up for a four week trial for just $1.00. After that it is only $10 every eight weeks.

If the store is out of stock on an advertised or unadvertised sale item, ask if there is any more stock in the back. If not, request a rain check. A rain check will allow you to purchase the item at a later date and still get the sale price even if the item has gone back to its regular price.

Before leaving on a trip, pour leftover milk into empty water bottles and put them in the freezer. When you return home, take them out to thaw in the refrigerator. This way the milk won't be wasted, and you won't need to run to the store right away.

If the date on the egg carton has already passed, and you want to know if the egg is still fresh, try this: Fill a glass with water, then place the egg in the glass. If the egg sinks, it's good. If it floats, it is no longer fresh. Don't assume you need to throw away a carton of eggs because the date on the carton just passed.

If you have a large family to buy for, consider joining (or starting) a food co-op. Each group is going to have it's own rules, but basically once or twice a month, the group pools it's money and one member goes to a wholesaler to buy bulk items for the group. The items are then distributed evenly among the group. The benefit of this is greatly reduced prices and generally fresher food.

You may think the Sunday paper is expensive but it will pay for itself and then some. Even if you're on a tight budget, it's a great source for weekly sales and great coupons. Check websites like CouponCart.com, CoolSavings.com, and shop on double-coupon days if your grocer has them. Clipping coupons can easily save $30 a week on a big grocery bill. That's $120 a month and over $1,400 a year!

A good place to find grocery coupons is on the back of your grocery receipts. Stores that offer club cards track what you buy and use that information to provide relevant coupons on the backs of your receipts. Many of the coupons are worth $0.50 - $1.00 off.

Avoid being overcharged by watching the grocery clerks as they scan your items. Also, double check your bill before leaving the store. Incorrect pricing and overcharging is way too common. You're your best consumer advocate. Watch where the money goes. After all, it is your $$$.

If you like fresh food at great prices, a local farmers' market is a better choice than a grocery store or supermarket chain. When you buy from the farmer, the produce was probably picked that morning. As an added bonus, locally grown produce is usually the cheapest when it's in-season, because a grocery store didn't have to pay to have it shipped from another part of the country.

Instead of buying pre-packaged microwave popcorn, take a paper lunch sack, add two tablespoons of popcorn kernels, fold the top of the bag over and microwave on high for approximately two and a half minutes. Turn off the microwave when the popping slows down. Add salt to taste, give the bag a good shake and your done.

Buying a large bag of onions at the store is much cheaper than buying them individually. However, most people probably can't use a whole bag before they start to go bad. Next time you need onions, try this: Buy the big bag and some snack size zip bags. Set aside a half hour to chop all the onions at once, separate them into the small bags, and store in the freezer. This way any time you need onions for a recipe, you just grab a bag and you don't have to worry about chopping.

Save by buying foods that are in season. Eat seasonal foods that cost less because of large supplies, such as fresh lettuce, spinach or strawberries in late spring and early summer or apples, squash or sweet potatoes in the fall.

If you have a hard time resisting impulse buys at the supermarket, which can wreak havoc on your grocery budget, try shopping for two weeks of groceries at a time. You'll need a comprehensive list, but once you get the hang of it, you'll find that you save time, save on gas, and save on your total bill, because it's one less visit to the store where you might be tempted by Ben and Jerry.

Buy your spices at ethnic markets for a fraction of the supermarket prices. For example, Indian markets usually have great prices on curry and cinnamon because those spices are frequently used in Indian cuisine. Venture into a traditional ethnic market for savings on foods that are staples in their culture.