Saving Money on Groceries Without Coupons

Jane Vee
We all dislike going to the grocery store with dread in our hearts of how much money we are going to spend. It is time consuming and tedious to sit and cut coupons. Some stores will not even honor them. If there was only a way to save on groceries without using coupons... This list might help if you hate to cut coupons. Here are some great ways to save money on groceries without using coupons.

Grow what you can eat. Regardless of whether you have a garden or not, you can still grow a lot of your own fruits and vegetables. Having a garden will give you a larger supply of food, but you can just as easily use pots to grow what you are going to eat. There are the hanging tomato vines that you do not even need to place on a surface if you have a small apartment, condo, or even house. You can use "flower" pots to grow a few potatoes, onions, or even lettuce.

Shop at discount stores. We all know going to the local store is usually more costly than shopping at giant food chains. You may want to shop at several stores for optimum savings. Make sure you are not going to spend more money on gas than what you are saving on the food.

Check the ads. Even if you do not want to use coupons, you should still look at the sales flyers for the stores. Every week most stores will list what they are going to have on sale and how much the items are. If these are items you regularly use and they are cheaper than the other stores, you might want to buy them on sale. Make sure to calculate cost of gas into your prices. If it will cost more in gas to purchase items on sale, stick to buying what will save you the most money overall.

Trade food with neighbors. In Brevard County Florida, most residents are lucky enough to have either an orange tree or a grapefruit tree in their yard. If your neighbor has oranges and you have grapefruit, you might want to exchange fruit with your neighbor. Most people are friendly and like to have a change every once and awhile. Exchanging fruit from the trees is a great way to be neighborly.

Local farmer markets or even local markets can be an inexpensive opportunity to purchase fresh food. Most farmers take the opportunity to sell their left over crops to individuals at the farmers market. You could also approach a local farmer to see if he or she sells to the public. Some farmers sell on a "pick your own" basis. You may have to go into the field, but you can pick your own food right off the plant.

Buy in bulk. When you purchase items in bulk, you usually get a better price than if you buy items individually or in a lesser quantity. If you have storage, you may want to put it to good use by storing larger sized food items until they are used.

Buy pre-made when cheaper. You have probably noticed that sometimes it is cheaper to buy pre-made or pre-packaged food. "Fresh baked" items are a good example of buying pre-made items cheaper than making them yourself. Bread and cookies can be bought already made and they are cheaper than making your own. A bag of chocolate chips cost the same as a container of chocolate chip cookies and you do not have to use the electric to run your oven.

These simple tips to save money are a lot quicker, easier than, and not as messy as cutting coupons. Use them to save money on your grocery bill.

Published by Jane Vee

Jane is married with two wonderful children. She has worked in the childcare industry for over 20 years. Her profession for 18 years has been accounting. She enjoys home interior and design as well as hom...  View profile

13 Comments

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  • A.R. Treadway11/1/2010

    Your right Shirley I have used Angel food ministries before.I especially like them because the orders come in when i am running low on stuff. I go to BJ's whole sale for some things that use alot of and so need to buy ib bulk. great article ,lots of good tips, loved it

  • Jane Vee10/9/2010

    I researched Angel Food Ministries food and I found their deals to be more expensive than shopping at Wal-mart, Aldi, and even Winn Dixie or Publix when they have sales. I'm not sure I would ever buy anything from them. I hope the money they are making is at least going to people who need it.

  • Shirley A. Mandel10/9/2010

    Thank you so much for these suggestions. Personally, I don't like coupons because they are usually for name brand products that I don't normally buy anyway. I think it's a gimmic to part a person with his money for things he/she doesn't want or need. I save by buying a lot of off brands from discount stores and store brands at Wal Mart. And while things are not bad enough for me yet to drive me to seek food at a food bank, I do take advantage of Angel Food Ministries which is a whole sale food bussness that is run by volunteers at various churches. The savings that you enjoy on food is substancial and the service is not based on income. It's for any struggling American that wants to save money on food. Info about this ministry, monthly menus and the nearest participating locations can be found by doing a google search of Angel Food Ministries on your favorite search engine. This ministry is nationwide and it is neighbors helping neighbors at it's best. (Hey this is good writing, perhap

  • Faith Draper10/8/2010

    (☯‿☯)

  • Jeanne Baney10/6/2010

    Very good ideas! I have been shopping local and buying in bulk for savings.

  • Angela Kaelin10/2/2010

    I've been finding produce bargains at a local orchard. Better quality and cheaper than the grocery store. Great job!

  • Teila Tankersley10/2/2010

    Great advice

  • Major Jester10/2/2010

    Well written, timely advice.

  • Robert Lee Alford10/2/2010

    Great advice and well written.

  • Briana Blair10/1/2010

    Very good tips.

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