Saving at the Supermarket

As supermarket prices continue to rise, you find yourself wondering how to save money on groceries. What's the best way? Should you save money with coupons? Buy the store brand version? Give up eating meat? The answer is that you need to employ a variety of strategies to reduce the amount you spend on supermarket shopping. There are several easy ways to save money when doing your weekly grocery shopping and they don't involve changing your diet to packaged noodles and tap water.

The first thing you should do is know which store has the best prices on the items you regularly buy. You can do this through trial and error or by looking through the sales flyers for each store, which you often find online now.

Nearly all supermarkets are planned out very carefully to get customers to spend as much as possible. This is one reason why it is so important to make certain you have a detailed list before you head to the store. If you know what you need you're less likely to buy the impulse items that have been laid out to entice you. Check your pantry to make sure you're well stocked on staples. Clean out your refrigerator so that you know exactly what you have and what you don't, and what's gone bad and needs replacing. Do this before making your list so you don't buy items you thought you needed but didn't.

However, when pantry staples such as pasta, ketchup, or rice go on sale, stock up if you can afford it, even if it's not on your list. You'll save much more money in the long run. If you have enough room in your freezer, do the same with items such as certain meats and frozen vegetables that your family especially likes.

Often, more expensive items are at eye level while the cheaper ones are placed on the very bottom shelf, or well above your head. So check the prices on various brands, and be sure to check that the "price per ounce" or "price per pound" is a better deal. Let say Item A costs $2 and is 50 cents an ounce so you're getting 4 ounces. Item B is $3 but is 25 cents an ounce. So while you'd be paying a dollar less for Item A right now, you'd technically be paying more money and getting less product.

If the store brand is just as good, don't buy a name brand product just because you have a coupon. First make sure that the coupon will mean you're paying less for that item than you would for the store brand. The exception to this rule is when the item is something you or your family is particularly picky about, like meats or certain condiments. You can usually find coupons for free online. Check out places like Coupons.com and specific brands' websites to see about printing out money saving coupons. Try to only buy new, untested items if you have a coupon for them. That way, if you hate it, at least you haven't wasted quite as much money on it.

Finally, if prices for items such as produce or milk are especially high at your supermarket, and you're considering just giving up on buying them, check out your local farmers' market. You may be able to save money without sacrificing variety in your diet.

Saving on groceries can be easy with just a little bit of planning and effort. Make a list, check the sales, clip coupons for items you regularly buy, double check prices, and most importantly eat something before you go or you'll definitely overspend on tasty sounding impulse buys.