As 2009 kicks off, reports are widely reporting that the economy is going to get worse before it gets better. So how can food shoppers continue to afford the grocery products they are accustomed too? Easy: Cut corners, use coupons, and reduce the amount of impulse purchases you make on a weekly basis. Here are a few simple tips you can use to cut your grocery bill in half.
1.) Use Grocery Coupons, you can always find them in magazines and newspapers, but another great resource is the internet. Dozens of sites offer grocery coupons to help consumers save on their supermarket bills. One of my favorite sites is www.selectcouponprogram.com, this site allows you to choose the coupons you want. Unlike some of the printable coupon sites, they have a much wider selection of brands and products.
2.) Buy brand name products. While this may seem counterintuitive, store brand products are rarely, if ever, coupon-friendly. While the starting price of a brand name like Kellogg’s may be initially higher than its store name counterparts, Kellogg’s can afford to offer massive discounts and savings through coupons. Thus, with a bit of effort on your part, you can turn those savings into dollars in your pocket at the end of the month.
3.) Make less frequent trips to the supermarket and buy in bulk. Don’t impulse shop. Make a list of the things you really need on a long-term basis, and find coupons for those items. Of course, certain products like milk and vegetables which expire sooner will need to be replenished frequently, but items like canned and frozen goods, household items, and pasta can be purchased en masse and stored for a long period of time. You will find dozens of “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” or “Get 20% off on 5 Boxes of Product X” deals in your local newspapers and magazines, so target those as much as you can.
4.) Organizing yourself before going to the supermarket is the surest way to keep your bills down. Know what you need and where to get it. This may mean going to a few different stores to get the best deals. It may be inconvenient and slightly more time-consuming, but you’ll be happy you shopped around when it comes time to pay your bills.
5.) Keep your coupons sorted in a file or folder using a method you can work with. Some people sort everything alphabetically, others by category of products, some using a combination of the two. Whatever works for you is fine, so long as you keep it consistent and stick to your system. Otherwise, your coupons will become too much for you to keep track of!
Forget about having loyalty to a certain store or product. They don’t need your patronage, and you need to be flexible when choosing bargains. That doesn’t mean you should buy products you don’t need or want just because they’re on sale, but don’t be tied in to the same brands, especially if a similar quality brand is on sale one row over.
So take control of your grocery bill and start saving 30% or more on your bill with these easy steps!
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