Get More for Your Money: Grocery Shopping on a Budget

In today's economy most of us know the meaning of struggle. When a gallon of gas costs $4.00 a gallon it's hard enough just getting to work. Saving money at the grocery store is quite easy. If you are willing to put in a little time and leg work and it can save you big in the long run.

First you need to figure out how much you can afford to spend on groceries per week. This will vary according to the size of your family. A family of six will spend a lot more than a family of two. Once you have come up with your limit do not deviate from it.

Plan your meals. Grocery shopping once a week is a lot cheaper than going every day. With your meals planned you can see what you already have and what you will need for each days meals.

Make a list and stick to it. Categorize your list. You'll be less tempted to grab unneeded items if you aren't going from one side of the store to the other and back.
Clipping coupons is also a great way to save. You can find these in you Sunday paper, on line and even at the grocery store, but beware just because you have a coupon for an item doesn't mean you need it or that it's the best value. Buying store brands instead of name brands will also help you stretch you grocery dollar, they are usually cheaper and just as good.

Before you go to the grocery store check out their sale papers. Make a list of sale items you need from each store, if the stores are all relatively close together go to all that have things you need. If they aren't close to each other go to the one with the most needed sale items. you don't want to spend the money you are saving in groceries to be spent on the gas getting you from one grocery store to another.

Cutting out nonessential items will probably be the most difficult tip to accomplish, but if you can do without it don't buy it. You don't have to cut out all the unnecessary things, if you really want a candy bar then get a candy bar, just cut back the amount of things you know you can live without.

Stock up when you can. If you find something you use a lot of on sale buy, buy, buy. You can store it and use it as needed. Buying in bulk is usually cheaper also. You can always separate it into smaller portions and use as needed.

Lastly, always check and compare prices. Just because item A is cheaper doesn't mean it's a better deal. The price tags will have a per unit price. For example, if item A is $2.49 and item B is $2.97, but item A's price per ounce is 14.7 cents per ounce and item B's price is 13.4 cents per ounce item B is the better deal because you get more.
Happy Shopping