If your income has stopped because of the current COVID-19 pandemic and hence finding it difficult to cope with the rising cost of food and gas, you may probably be looking for ways to save some bucks on groceries. A simple way of tightening your spending to save money on food is to manage the budget at the grocery store.
Buy Items On Sale Each Week
Every week it is common to have a sale put up and that is a great way to save money on groceries to buy the items that are on sale. Make note of the item that is frequently used and then stock up on it. You can easily rely on the longevity of frozen meat for at least three months safely. Paper products always have a longer shelf life. Carefully consider the amount of product you want to buy and shop only for those by buying whatever is on sale that week.
Use a Price book
A price book helps in tracking sales patterns including the lowest possible price of an item so that you are aware of the best time to stock up. In addition, the sales cycle gives a clear understanding of when you will need to buy again until the item goes on sale. Don’t break your head on the price book as it is just a notebook.
Prepare a database of your spending and a frequent item list on the top of the piece of paper. Then match the list of the price and the corresponding store where you can find it. It is better to list the price per ounce over the price per unit. This will help you to detect how much you really are saving. Once you’ve recorded a page, monitor your sales circulars each week, and write down accordingly the items that are on sale followed by the cost of each item. You can use this data to compare them to the prices at warehouse clubs for the lowest price at any store.
Use A Shopping List
A shopping list is important because it acts as a reminder to stick to the list and to make sure that you did not miss anything. This will prevent you from making impulsive spending, and help you to avoid multiple trips to the store because you forgot an item. A return trip to the store to pick up something you forgot leads to the possibility of buying several items you did not need. A shopping list can help you to save lots of money and time.
Plan Your Menus
Planning your menus in advance either a week or a month will give you the advantage and opportunities for sales and bulk buying. It will stop you from eating out. One-time cooking of similar dishes all in a single day and then freezing the others for later takes care of all the planned menus. This will help you overcome the boredom of cooking daily. You can also plan your menus based on your store’s weekly circular, which will help you take full advantage of maximizing the store’s sale prices.
Save Money By Using Coupons
Coupons can change the way you save money on groceries. The best way to start off is to match the coupons to the items that are on sale. Try getting some sensible advice from www.couponmom.com. This site gives a complete matching of coupon items and a list of sales items in the stores in the respective regional areas. If you are watchful, and only buy what is required and use it, then you can make a lot of savings on your grocery bill. Additionally, you can even subscribe for access to an emergency fund that is interest-free and helps with your grocery purchases.
Switch Brands
Be smart and switch to the store brand items or buy any brand that is on sale. Store brand goods may surprise you with their quality and the prices are reasonable compared to popular brands. The promotions are aggressive for the store items as the marketing costs are less and hence the only way they can push them is by offering huge discounts and offers with continuous sales.
