Ways Our Family Saves on Groceries

Have you ever bought Mozzarella when you still had cheddar at home? Have you forgotten to eat yogurt or cottage cheese before they went bad? Did you ever buy the first toothpaste that jumped out at you when there was a cheaper brand on the shelf below? We certainly have. But not anymore. Here are the ways our family saves on groceries by taking an organized approach to shopping.

Credit Card Reward Points

One of our credit cards offers 5% cash back on groceries. That means that for every $100 we spend we get 5 points. With 5,000 points we can choose from a selection of $50 gift cards to our favorite stores at the mall. Or we can cash out the points; although the ratio then is less favorable, with 6,000 points yielding $50, which are credited to our credit card account.

Expiration Dates

Supermarkets will stack fresher products at the back of the fridge, older ones in the front. Unless you check the expiration date, you may buy a product that has already expired or is close to expiration. We make a point of buying the freshest available foods, which gives us plenty of time to eat them.

Bulk Buying?

On the face of it, buying bulk can save you money. But we've learned that unless we organize what we buy, we tend to forget about things and later throw them away. Therefore, we Ziploc large cereal bags, chips or similar items after we open them, which keeps them crispy. We stack fresher things at the back of the fridge or pantry. And we clear both out before we go shopping, not after.

Buy Generic Brands

Supermarket products that jump out at you from the middle shelf rarely offer you the best deal. We avoid buying brand names unless we have a coupon. Instead we look for the supermarket's generic brand, which is often on sale to store club members.

Pick Up the Store Newsletter

Most supermarkets offer a free newsletter at the main entrance. It's easy to give it a glance as we start shopping, to see if there are any interesting coupons. At times we'll trade an item on the list for the promotion item of the week because it offers a better deal.

No Spontaneous Buying

We hung a large shopping list pad on our fridge. Each person adds items throughout the week. We never go grocery shopping together, because we don't want to turn it into a pleasant experience. That's one sure way to start buying things spontaneously. Instead, the list keeps us faithful to buying what we need, as we take turns carrying out this chore.

Bottle Recycling

We mostly drink water, and we love to take water bottles on the go. Instead of buying cheap generic bottles, we bought expensive good bottles once. Now we place them in the dishwasher with the rest of our dishes and reuse them.

Pre-cooked Family Meals

For workday evenings, when no one has the energy to cook, we buy pre-cooked family meals like Lasagna or pizza. This offers us a great alternative to eating out or ordering take-out. As an added bonus, there will usually be some leftovers for the next day.

Keep the Pantry Uncluttered

We use white shipping label stickers to write expiration dates on everything in our pantry. On the wall, we hung a list pad, and we make a note of products that should be consumed soon, before they expire.

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