5 Easy Ways To Save At The Grocery

Have you ever got to the check-out line and realized you didn't bring enough money to cover the total cost for your groceries. I have. Do you want to know why? I didn't plan, go by a list or even keep track of the cost of each item I threw in my cart. I came up with 5 easy ways to save at the grocery.

One day I was in a hurry and I stopped at the grocery to pick up a few items. It was intended to be a quick stop and I didn't even bring my purse in. Since I stopped with the intent of grabbing a handful of items, I had stuck two twenty dollar bills in my coat pocket along with my cell phone and keys. I didn't need more than that for a couple of things right?

Well, I didn't get a couple of things like I had planned. Next, I was ringing up at the register and I have so much stuff that I had to sheepishly ask the cashier to let me run out to my car and get my purse. She was gracious and luckily the store wasn't busy.

However, I remember how I felt when I got to the register and my total was much higher than I had anticipated. I vowed to try to find ways to save on my grocery bill in the future. Which brings me to the list below of 5 ways I have found to save on your grocery bill.

Having a List is an Easy Way to Save at the Grocery

That sounds easy right? I can't tell you how much money I save when I use a focused list. This means I stay on task and (pretty much) just get what I need that is on my list. The list can be on your phone, an app or a good old-fashioned paper list.

Making the list out beforehand is useful and helps me plan out exactly what I need. The list helps prevent the rampant overspending I sometimes was guilty of in the past.

Sales Flyers

If I have access to the ad for that week it is easy to plan what I am going to buy. Honestly, looking at the ads will help me plan meals with seasonal and/or sale items. That can save a ton of money.

We are pretty flexible with our meals. Matching up coupons with sale prices to help lower my overall cost for food is a strategy I frequently use.

Meal Planning is an Easy Way to Save

Meal planning helps me make sure I have the ingredients on hand for my planned menu. I do the meal planning as I am checking sales in the weekly ads of my favorite stores. I like to plan meals in advance for a number of reasons.

Planning takes the stress out of deciding each day what to fix for dinner. It helps me use up ingredients I have on hand. I try to plan a combination of quick and easy dinners mixed in with tried and true favorites.

Coupons

A few of these ideas work well together. For instance, I plan my coupon use to coincide with sale prices at my local grocery store. Coupons can be very easy to find and use. Sometimes with a little planning and effort I can save a great deal of money.

Now it's not like those shows that used to be on TV with the carts full of food for five dollars. I am just not that talented although many people are.

I try to use a combination of store coupons and manufacturers coupons. If I combine these with sale prices I can get some great bargains.

Using Store Brands is an Easy Way to Save at The Grocery

I know there are people cringing right now and I totally understand. I do not always use generic or store brands. It really depends on the item on question.

Some of the store brand cereal at Target tastes just as good as the more expensive name brand cereals. I am good with that.

Laundry detergent is one area I do not like the generic brands. It seems like I use more of the store brand detergent. Tide laundry detergent is my favorite and I am willing to wait for sales (and hunt out coupons).

These are a few of the easy ways I decrease the amount of money I spend on my grocery bill. I realize not everyone will use all of these ideas.

However, even putting a couple of these into place may help keep more of your hard earned cash in your pocket. What are some of the ways you save money on your grocery bill?