4 Supermarket Saving Tricks that Slash Your Weekly Food Bill

Looking for ways to slash my weekly food bill beyond coupon use and stock piling sale items, I've discovered a few more money saving tricks at the supermarket. Try these four tricks to save money throughout the grocery store so you don't have to wait for a special sale to stock your freezer and pantry.

Use the Produce Scale

When produce items are priced by the item, such as .99 for head lettuce, use the produce scale to find the heaviest item. Produce items vary in weight and the heavier the item, the more you are getting for your money. Good Housekeeping suggests weighing every produce item, including bagged items, before purchasing.

For produce items that are priced on a per pound basis, select the largest items that weight the least. For example, when I don't want the added heat that pepper seeds give to a dish, I choose the largest peppers that weigh the least. That way I am not paying for pepper seeds that I don't want.

Head for the Freezer Section

Frozen foods are always cheaper than their boxed or canned counterparts simply because freezer packaging is less expensive. The selection, quality and flavor are almost identical between packaged and frozen foods, and bypassing the pre-packaged food isles and heading for the freezer section will save you money. Combine stock piling when frozen favorites (no worries of frozen food ruining) go on sale for even more savings. Supermarkets usually have a 12 week sale cycle, which means your favorite foods will go on sale once every three months.

Save on Pantry Staples

Some canned and boxed foods are must-have pantry staples, and some items are bought simply because they taste good. Save money on these items by looking at the right shelf height. The most expensive name brand canned and boxed foods will be at eye level, save money by looking higher and lower. Shoppers scan eye level shelves from left to right when they stop in front of a product display. Grocers know this and place their biggest money makers in those locations. The less expensive items will be placed on the higher and lower shelves, usually to the left of the costliest item. Bottom Shelf Bargains suggests that the best grocery deals are always on the bottom shelf.

Meat Markdowns

Save money on meat purchases by passing the 'prime' section and selecting the 'choice' versions. After the meat is cooked your family will never know the difference, but your grocery budget will. Meat market markdowns usually occur in the mornings, that's when you can snag the biggest meat savings on meats that are close to their expiration date. Place bulk purchased meats in Ziploc freezer bags and they will keep in the freezer for months.

Sources:

My Own Experience

Good Housekeeping

Bottom Shelf Bargains

Money Saving Madness