Money Saving Tips for the Modern Day Food Forager

It's a given. People need food to survive. Just as our ancestors did of long ago, we still have to go out and forage for our food supply. The biggest difference of course is the huge advantage of us having supermarkets, price clubs, and the discount super-centers in which to select our food. That and of course not being eaten alive by our intended meal that day. Reminiscent of our kinfolk in the distant past, selections on the how and way we gather our food, depends on the person doing the gathering, or in present day terminology, the grocery shopper.

Even though there are no wild animals ready to pounce on us from the frozen food section, hidden among the aisles of breakfast foods, canned vegetables, and snack crackers lurks a different beast. Its name is the 'money beast', and it's waiting to chew a hole in your budget.

Knowing How to Hunt

Knowledge is not a powerful weapon. The application of knowledge is. Reviewing this list of ten shopping tips before your next food gathering foray won't help you save any money. However, if you apply some of the ideas covered in this document, there is a good chance you will stay within your spending limit.

1. Don't shop on an empty stomach. Eat a light meal or snack before grocery shopping. Hunger has a way of inducing you to buy food that looks good, but don't really need. Also, refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages or other appetite inducing substances before you shop.

2. Use an itemized list to shop from so you do not overbuy. Stick to the list. Adding items to the list as you shop, doesn't really help with saving you any money.

3. As you shop, keep track of your spending. A better way of saying this is set yourself a money limit. If your food budget only allows you to spend $50 on groceries, don't put $75 worth of groceries in your shopping cart. At the cashier you will have pull $25 from another source, or face the embarrassment of pulling the items from your final transaction due to you over purchasing.

4. Buy off brand or store brand products. Off brand and store brand products are a few cents cheaper than brand name items. If you are concerned about the nutrition factors on the cheaper items, compare the nutrition labels on the container. When family members are hungry, they usually don't care. If they don't eat it this time, don't buy it next time.

5. Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season. Almost every piece of fruit or vegetable in your grocer comes from other parts of the world where produce can be grown year round. This eliminates many 'Seasonal' items. If you really want the best deal on seasonal fruits and vegetables, check with local farmers markets first. Most produce on display at the farmer's market are grown locally, and you can sometimes negotiate for a better price.

6. Look for reduced priced items; buy one get one free deals, and closeout specials. Buy only what you can use. The urge to buy inexpensive foodstuffs, leads to unwanted and unused items taking up space in your pantry. Other people may need the items more or have better use for them than you do.

7. If you buy something in bulk, separate into smaller packages and store them away for use as needed basis. Meats, poultry, and fish, can be separated into portions and frozen until needed. Pasta, flour, sugar and similar foodstuffs, can be stored in containers or bags and stored away. Date the package to insure the food is used in a timely manner.

8. Always, carry coupons when shopping and use the coupons whenever you can. Don't buy items just because you have a coupon. Buy only what you will use. Coupons are like tools. Use them properly and you will benefit. Use them wrong and you will pay more than you intended for your purchases.

9. Stock up when stores have sales on the items you use. Shop the ads. Look at the store flyers to see what is on sale. You might have to purchase some items at one store and other items at another store, but if the stores are close to each other, do it. If the store you shop at does double coupon days, shop then.

10. Cheaper is not always better. Is the $.99 item a better value than the $1.99 item? Look at the packaging before you buy. (Big box, small quantity? Large bag-Big air?) The idea is to save on foodstuffs, not the pretty wrapper surrounding the food. The only thing packaging is good for is recycling.

Keeping The Beast at Bay

Before venturing out on your next foraging expedition, determine how you can cut expenses on your future trips to the grocery store. Make a sound shopping plan and stick to it, use good buying habits, and select the best possible food choices for the money.

Even if you don't kill the money beast, at least your shopping budget won't be at the top of his favorite foods list.