Buy Basic Groceries

Saving money on your grocery bill can be a bit confusing. If you are not a coupon-super magician, nor have the time to learn the feats of the frugal shopper, you'll benefit from learning how to minimize your shopping expenses by buying just the basics.

Canned beverages can be a major expense. If your family is used to enjoying a weekly supply of cola, you can switch to a drink mix or tea to save a good deal of money. The healthier option would be to switch to water altogether. According to Coca-Cola's website, the average American consumes about 412 Coca-Cola's during the year which could cost a family of four approximately $620 for the year based on the average cost of cola in 2009. One can of sugar-free drink mix, costing approximately $3.70 in 2009 would cost $127 annually for the same number of servings as colas. That's an annual grocery bill savings of $493. You'll save even more money if you buy generic, or switch to water.

Microwave dinners and quick fixes can be another high expense on your grocery bill. Your best bet is to get into the habit of freezing leftovers or putting some freshly made food aside in air tight containers for a quick meal or lunchtime microwaveable dish. For example, according to prices in March 2010, a family can make eight servings of spaghetti with meat sauce for approximately .76 cents per plate, whereas, frozen spaghetti dinners can cost between $1.00 to $3.00 in 2010. If you make your dinners and freeze them versus buying the frozen, ready made ones, you can save as much as $1170 annually if you usually buy 10 of those dinners per week.

You don't need so many snack foods each time you grocery shop. You can save money by purchasing fresh items instead of snack foods, and while your family might whimper and complain that they have to suffer through bananas and apples because a bag of chips costs $2.50 a bag, you'll be doing them a great favor. Ten bananas would cost about $3.00 based on the average size of a banana and a cost of about .55 cents per pound. With chips costing around $2.50 a bag, buying two bunches of five bananas versus two bags of chips per week could save you $104 per year.

Save money by buying groceries with staying power and prepare dishes by immediately freezing them. You can buy dried beans, canned vegetables, and other keepers so that you can minimize your trip to the grocery store. By buying powdered milk when you go out to buy your normal milk, you can save a trip to the store when your normal milk starts getting low. Once your last gallon of milk gets to be about two thirds gone, you can mix it with the powdered milk so that the powdered taste is not so bad. If you haven't had powdered milk since the great depression, then you will be pleased to note that the formula for making it has changed a bit. It tastes comparable to real milk.

You can save money by decreasing your grocery trips from every week to every other week. You'll save at least $20 per year based on a six mile round trip, $2.74 gasoline cost, and a car that gets almost 20 miles per gallon.

If you follow all these tips, you will save $34 dollars from a weekly grocery bill, or $68 if you factor in that you'll be shopping bi-weekly. Use store coupons to maximize your grocery savings, and keep an eye on when the best savings will be happening at your favorite stores. By buying the basics and learning how to get the most out of those grocery items, you can drastically reduce your grocery bill, especially in combination with savvy coupon use and bargain hunting. You'll not only save money on your groceries if you follow these tips, but you might increase your family's overall health, and that is the best savings you possibly get for changing your buying habits.