How to Grocery Shop like a Money Saving Pro
Do you feel as though your grocery bill is starting to get out of control week after week?
Or maybe you have no idea how much you’re actually spending on groceries each week and you find yourself feeling really pinched by the end of the month?
In my opinion, the grocery bill is one of the easiest bills to manipulate. By simply taking the time to learn the money saving tactics that I have listed, you’ll be well on your way to lowering your grocery bill.
Read on to discover how to grocery shop like a money saving pro:
1. Learn the sneaky ways grocery stores get you to spend more.
Did you know that some of the “sales” you see from week to week are just sneaky tactics to get you to buy more?
From the sales, to the grocery cart size, to the layout of the store, grocery stores have learned the best ways to get their customers to spend more than they intended.
In this post, I’ve outlined in detail, several sneaky ways grocery stores get you to spend more.
2. You Need a Grocery Budget.
Having a grocery budget is crucial to lowering your grocery bill.
After all, if you don’t have a budget, you don’t know how much you’re spending or saving!
You need the guideline of a budget in order to help you improve your spending habits and to get you closer to your lifetime financial goals.
Here are some grocery budget worksheets that you can print off to help you create a grocery budget.
3. Meal Planning will save your sanity and budget
If you want to learn how to grocery shop like a money saving pro, meal planning is a must. Not only will it help you lower your grocery bill each week, you will regain so much sanity in your busy life.
By planning a weekly menu, you’ll be using what you already have on hand in your house, creating a specific grocery list and avoiding unnecessary trips to the grocery store.
Here is the step by step on how I like to plan our weekly menus.
I have also created an very useful Meal Planner that you can get for $7 here.
4. Start Building a Stockpile
Stockpiling, or the Buying Ahead Principle, or another way of terming it, “Buy lots when it’s on sale, so you never pay full price for the things you need”, is one of my favourite way to save grocery money in the long run.
Buying several of the same item when they’re on sale rather than buying one item not on sale, will save you heaps of money.
Here are some great tips on how to build a frugal pantry.
5. Don’t be Brand Dependent.
Another way to save money on your grocery bill is to use a variety of different brands.
When I need a certain product (tomato sauce for example) I always look at all the brands available and choose the one with the best value by taking into account the price and size.
I’ll admit though, sometimes brand does matter to our family. It’s Heinz ketchup or nothing at all!
6. Shop at More Than One Store.
By shopping at a couple of different stores, you have the potential to drastically reduce your grocery bill each week.
If you’re shopping at only one store, you’re most likely paying full price for many items that could very well be on sale at the store just down the road.
Say for example, you need some cheddar cheese. If you bought it from the one grocery store that you always shop at, you’re paying $7.99. But if you drove 2 minutes to Shoppers Drug Mart they have it on sale for $2.99. You just saved yourself $5.00 for two minutes of your time.
7. Look for Markdowns.
Grocery stores mark down items they want to sell quickly.
Sometimes the food is about to hit its best before date. One of the places I’ll always look for markdowns, is the meat department. Any markdowns are about to expire, but I know I can use it that night or freeze it for a later date!
Other times they are discontinuing a particular product and just want to move them to make room on the shelves for something else.
8. Buy in Season.
Buying fruits and vegetables in season, or when they’re at their prime and grown closer to home, can cut a big chunk off your grocery bill each week.
When you buy fruits and vegetables in season, you tend to get the best taste too!
Here’s a chart you can download that outlines in season produce that you can reference time and time again.
9. Use Those Coupons.
I’m a firm believer that coupons can save you quite a bit of money on your grocery bill each week.
I know many of you already use coupons so you know the benefits.
But perhaps others of you aren’t sure how to use coupons effectively, don’t see the benefit in using them or don’t know where to find them. Here’s a series I wrote about How to Coupon in Canada that should be beneficial!
One thing I’ve been implementing more these days, is using cash-back apps like Checkout 51, Eclipsa and Caddle. These work well for a busy life.
10. Price Match to Save Money and Time.
Try price matching to find a really effective way on how to grocery shop like a money saving pro!
Many stores in Canada offer a price match guarantee. They’ll match the advertised sale price of any competitive retailer as long as it is the exact same item and in the current sale period.
They’ll even accept coupons on top! 🙂
If you’ve been wondering how to grocery shop like a money saving pro, I hope that this post gave you hope and a starting point! By implementing the tips provided, you should start to make headway with saving on your grocery bill.
There’s nothing more satisfying than saving money on something that you have to buy on a regular basis, especially when it can be a large percentage of your monthly income!