7 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill
Whether you’re just feeding two people or a family of five, you have probably discovered that your grocery bill can take a significant portion of your paycheck.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that spending on food is the third-largest household expense for families. The average grocery bill for a family of four each month is around $600 for the thrifty shopper and over $1,300 for those with a bigger budget.
Here are a few tips that will help you reduce your monthly spending by as much as 25% or more even without the use of coupons. Add in some coupons, and you can cut your grocery bill by much more.
Look first and then plan.
Review the weekly specials and add sale items to your list. Then research some recipes you can prepare with the items on sale. By shopping first and planning your weekly meals around what you find on sale, you will save money and avoid buying expensive ingredients that you may only need for one recipe.
Make a list.
Always make a list before you shop as this will help you avoid impulse shopping. Be sure to use the Coupon Database to find any and all coupons that are available for the items on your list.
Focus on Sale Items.
Your list should always contain several sale items each week. In addition to building your weekly meal plan around sale items, also shop for snacks and staple items that may be on sale.
Purchase store brands.
Usually, store brands are equal in quality and quantity to name brand products, but far less expensive. In fact, they are often the EXACT same product with a different label. You can save big by choosing the generic choice.
If it’s on sale, stock up!
Stocking up on a sale item is always a good idea; especially when it comes to canned, frozen or packaged foods. Stocking up on canned or frozen vegetables, rice and pasta will keep your freezer and pantry stocked with sides for your dinners. You can stock up on meats as well and freeze them. If you stock up on sale items each week, you can usually find a last minute dinner right in your freezer or pantry without having to shop.
Look for manager specials.
Usually, the manager will mark down items that are close to their expiration date. If you are planning to use them right away or freeze them, these are great deals you don’t want to overlook.
Plan multiple meals.
Cook once, but eat several times. For instance, a roast makes a great family dinner, but the leftovers can be used for chili or soup the next day. If you can cook once and have at least two meals, you will save both time and money.
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