Ten Quick Tips to Save You Money on Your Groceries Today

Buy Generics- Ok, I’ll admit, some generic food is just ghastly. But many stores have some pretty good generic brands that are as good as, if not better, than the higher cost brand name products.
Clip a Coupon – Don’t have your paper from Sunday still? Grab your grocery list and see if any printable coupons are available for the products you need to buy.
Make a Meal Plan – This is a HUGE moneysaver! Wandering the aisles without a list or any idea what will be for dinner each night is costly. You’ll end buying things you don’t need, having to run back to the store for another trip to buy the things you do, and eat out more often because dinner hasn’t been planned.
Shop Alone – I know this isn’t always feasible. The majority of my shopping trips include my youngest who is two. But he doesn’t ask for things in the store or sneak stuff into the shopping cart. It seems when my husband and older two children come with me that stuff (full-priced even!) appears mysteriously in the shopping cart. I save money when they don’t come
Compare Unit Sizes – Here’s how this works. Say the 12 oz box of Cheerios is priced at $2.49. And the 18 oz box is $2.99. Which is the better deal? Here’s a trick, look at the price label on the shelf. You will see a price on there that will tell you how much you are paying per ounce for each item. In the Cheerios scenario the 12 oz box costs $.20 per ounce and the 18 ox box costs $.16 per ounce.
Bigger Isn’t Always Better – Watch out for “Bulk Sizing” Or “Value Size” products. They claim to be a better deal, but not always. Sometimes buying the smaller item will give you a greater deal. Refer back to Tip #5 and check the price per ounce of each item.
Get to Know the Butcher – Markdown meat is my favorite deal. Meat is packed with a “sell by” date. Usually the day before or the day of the expiration of the “sell by” date the grocery store will markdown the meat to get it sold. My favorite grocery store (Harris Teeter) will markdown the meat 50% off the day before it expires. We either eat it that night or I stick it in the freezer. We’ve never had a problem with bad meat, and I’ve saved lots of money on organic beef and chicken. So ask your butcher the next time you are in the store when they they do their markdowns.
Pay Full Price – No, I haven’t lost my mind. But there are times when you need to buy groceries and your local store doesn’t have all the things you need to buy on sale. Head for your local Target, Wal-mart, or Aldi. The regular prices at those stores are typically lower than the regular prices at your local grocery store. If you have to pay full price, at least pay the lowest full price you can find.
Stockpile! – Are your kids Cheerios fan? Does your husband have to slather Frank’s Red Hot Sauce on everything? Buy your products when they are on sale, use a coupon if possible, and stock up! Buy enough to last your family about 12 weeks, which should be long enough to last you until it goes on sale again.
Buy It On Sale – This is a no-brainer really. But how do you know when a sale price is a good price to stock up on? I use the Grocery Game which is available by subscription. You can find a similar free version at Couponmom. Sale prices are matched with coupons and you can find out what the really awesome buys are.