15 Tips on How to Save Money on Groceries

Grocery shopping is something that every household has to do and it can be a drain to the family budget. There are smart ways to shop for groceries that can save you money at the register. I used to shop once a week for groceries and never use coupons, look at ads, or plan a list and would come out of the store spending 50% more than I would have with a little planning. When my lifestyle changed two years ago and I became a work-at-home mom I realized that I could make changes and keep my money in my wallet. Check out these tips on how to make the most of grocery shopping for your family.

1. Set a budget. This system below will not benefit you if you don't set a realistic budget. Decide if you are going to start shopping once a week, twice a month, or once a month. I myself go once a month and usually go to the store a few times a month to get bread and milk when I run out.

2. Take inventory on pantry basics and make a list of items needed. Pantry basics are things like sugar, spices, and flour that you can not do without that should get on the list first.

3. Make a meal plan. Once you have the plan made, check your ingredients to see what you need to purchase at the store and list them. I also put a section on my meal plan for snacks and school lunches. If you have children you will need to plan on this especially if they carry lunches to school.

4. Check out your local grocery store ads for deals. I take a highlighter and mark foods that I need in the ad. Another tip is that some stores will match other's ads prices if you present them with the current ad, this should keep you from having to go store to store to get all of the deals. See your store for more details.

5. Use Coupons. These little things can save you a bundle on your grocery bill if you take time to clip and sort them for your use. You can keep them organized with a coupon wallet or a Couponizer system. Once your list is made go through the coupons and note on your list if you have coupons that pertain to items on your list. I get my coupons from the Sunday paper, directly from manufacturers, internet and coupon trains. A coupon train is something that you can join on the internet at numerous sites and yahoo groups where people send coupons to each other in hopes of getting some that they need. Be sure to sign up for all of the newsletters online for the manufacturer's that you use in your home. Examples of that would be to sign up for Betty Crocker and Pillsbury newsletters and periodically you will receive coupon in the mail. If your local store has a website that offers a newsletter sign up for it also.

6. Print Internet Coupons for the items that you don't have coupons for that are on your list. If you are going to use internet coupons make sure that you check your store policies to see if they accept them. Wal-Mart has a coupon policy on their website for all of their stores and if this is one of the stores that you go to I would advise you to print the coupon policy off and carry it with you to the store.

7. Join any frequent shopping programs offered by your local stores. In my town we have a Kroger and they offer the Kroger Card that saves you money on items that you purchase in the store. Another added bonus with the card is you will periodically receive coupons in the mail that can be used. Also, frequent use of the card can also earn me cents off at the gas pump.

8. Check to see if your stores double the coupon value. My local Kroger will double coupons that are under 60 cents off. Think of how much you can save on an item. I will give you an example. Last month I had 5 coupon for Macaroni Grill meal starters for $1 off of one. My Kroger had them on sale for $1.50 each. I picked up 5 these meal starters for $2.50. That means that 5 planned meals for the month just got a boost for just $2.50.

9. Create a price list of regularly purchased items so that you can have it to aid in deal shopping in the ads.

10. Shop alone. If you shop with your husband, significant other, or children they may entice you to jump off your list and that will end up blowing your budget.

11. Don't shop if you are hungry. I suggest eating before you go to the store. That way you won't fall prey to the store's marketing ploys to get you to buy things that are not on the list.

12. Try to go early. Sometimes you can get lucky in the early morning hours between 7am through 9am on good meat and bakery deals.

13. Carry a calculator and keep up with your total. This will help you keep up with your budget. I found a calculator at my local dollar store that had a lanyard attached, I love it because I can put it around my neck and it is easy to keep up with.

14. Buy store brands. Even with coupons sometimes the store brands will still be cheaper than the brands. Most store brands are an exact match for the brand's ingredients.

15. Watch the scanner for any pricing errors and alert the cashier immediately.

Grocery shopping can be time consumed so plan to do it on a day where you can take your time. These tips will not work in a rushed situation. For me because I try to do my grocery shopping once a month my planning before grocery shopping will take me 2 days to complete. I hope that these tips can help you keep money in your wallet and food in your pantry.