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Saving Time and Money at the Supermarket
by Marie Cole

Description: Frugal tips for saving money at the grocery store.

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With Christmas just a little over two months away, many of us could use some extra cash! For our family, many of our expenses are set. The mortgage has to be paid, car payments don't fluctuate, and the electric company surely isn't going to give us a break. One area, though, that does have a lot of wiggle room is the monthly grocery bill. It's easy to shave off $50 or more per month just by following the simple steps below. If you really are serious about saving money, you can easily save much more than that!

Shop from yourself first!

The first step to saving more money is to use what you already have. Just last week my daughter and I took 15 minutes to inventory our freezer. I was surprised to find some delicious cheese-stuffed manicotti that I had put up nine months earlier. Guess what we had for dinner last night! It was delicious served with a fresh salad. I was also embarrassed to see I had purchased frozen asparagus spears from Schwanns's (which is very expensive but so worth the money) on three separate occasions thinking that we were out of them. I also noticed I have an abundance of frozen broccoli, rice, and cream of mushroom soup. So next week I'll be making asparagus at least once and Broccoli-Chicken Delight. Shopping from your own pantry and freezer can drastically cut down your grocery bill!

Check sales circulars.

Most of the time, grocery stores offer what they call a "loss-leader." In other words they are willing to take a loss on that particular item, figuring that they'll make up for it and more by your impulse buys. If you make a habit of shopping for loss leaders and not making those impulse purchases, you'll beat them at their own game! This week, for instance, I found that a certain grocery store in our town had several great loss-leaders. I made a list of what I wanted from this store, which is usually more expensive than the others in town. I was able to get three pounds of boneless chuck should steak (to make Smothered Steak), a cantaloupe, eight cans of various Green Giant™ canned vegetables, two pounds of red seedless grapes, a 24-pack of Ramen™ noodles, a package of frozen vegetable blends to taste-test a new recipe, ten packages of popsicles, ten frozen pizzas, ten packages of Pillsbury™ biscuits to make kolaches, eight pieces of prepared fried chicken for dinner t! hat night, and a free package of water bottles, all for less than $60! I saved over $40 just on the 10-for-$10 purchases I made, which will make great inexpensive lunches and breakfasts for us!

Use coupons.

I have no patience for cutting coupons, so I don't. My husband, however, does this while he watches a football game on Sunday afternoon. Once I see what's on sale via the circulars, I will then use the coupons for any necessary purchases that are not on sale. However, I don't use them for impulse buying, unless I want to buy a special treat to try just one time. This saves the cost of the newspaper every month, so my husband feels it's worthwhile.

You can also go online and print out coupons. One such website is http://www.smartsource.com.

Plan your meals.

Now that you know what's on sale, what you have in your own pantry, and what coupons you have, it's easy to plan your meals for the week. I actually plan mine for a whole month at a time because I only like to do my major shopping once a month. Then the rest of the month I go just once per week if possible for things like fresh bread, milk, and fruit. Of course I freezer cook as well, so I always have a nice supply of entrees in the freezer, ready to go. The time I save by doing this and not having to run to the grocery store constantly is well worth the time it takes to do the actual planning. Plus, when I plan, I spend less because I'm purchasing what I will actually use, rather than guessing.

Use a price book.

A grocery price book is a great tool to use when shopping! You can keep track of what the normal price is on items you personally purchase over and over. Then when you see a sale, you'll know if it's truly a good price or not. It's very simple to do. Just find all of the grocery receipts you can. Sit down with a small notebook, a pencil, and those receipts. Group like items together. For example, in my price book I have a page for each kind of item: canned items, frozen items, deli, meat, snack foods, breakfast food, etc. Then write down the item, including the brand, the amount (is it a 12 oz package or a 16 oz. package?) and the price. If you frequent more than one store, then jot down the store. After doing this for a few months, you'll have a pretty complete guide of most of the items you purchase on a routine basis. Then, when you see that a store has, for example, pork sirloin roast on sale for $1.49 a pound, you'll know to go ahead and buy a lot, because that's a ! great price! I also like to keep track of what the regular price is as well as sale prices. Keep this little book with you when you go shopping.

Buy in bulk.

I have discovered that the same exact single-serving package of Cheese Nips is significantly cheaper (by more than half) at our warehouse store than at the regular grocery store, but I have to buy thirty of them instead of just six. Since my kids are active in sports and other activities that require me to bring snacks, I get the big box, saving a bundle. If an item is something that you will use, then many times it's cheaper to get it from a store like Sam's or CostCo. I almost always purchase meat in bulk, because I freezer cook and can get it into a recipe and frozen before it goes bad. I rarely spend more than $6 per meal for my entire family, and that's with a good serving of meat for each of us, as well as vegetables and sometimes dessert, too! When I compare that to spending $40 or more at a restaurant, I get excited about bulk cooking! My girls are excited, too, because the money I save in groceries is paying for their gymnastic lessons this semester.

Check unit prices.

Sometimes the larger package is cheaper per serving, and sometimes it's not. Check first.

Shop during off-hours.

You will be less frenzied and hectic, and will have more time to check those unit prices and use your price book.

Eat before you go.

Studies show that you spend as much as 17% more when you're hungry, so grab a bite to eat before you leave.

Make your own food.

Convenient, pre-packaged foods carry a hefty price tag. For instance, I can make and freeze my own cookie dough for a tremendous savings over the slice-and-dice cookies you find at the grocery, and with more control over ingredients, fillers, and artificial colors. You can make your own breakfast bars, trail mix, and other snacks, too. This applies to dinner items, as well. I can make my own spaghetti sauce, for instance, with higher quality and a lower price than anything I can find in a jar at the store.

Eat less meat.

We have started incorporating more beans and brown rice into our diet, reaping not just nutritional benefits, but keeping our monthly grocery bills down as well. I also strive to provide at least two vegetables at each meal. The extra veg