Ways To Save Money While Grocery Shopping

Did you know that trips to the grocery store can account for more than 1/3 of your total household expenses? Especially if your kids eat like mine!

Making changes in your buying habits and buying patterns can pay off huge dividends for you. Even grocery shopping has now become a strategic process.

Here is a list of things you should be aware of when grocery shopping:

Take a look at the end caps. A lot of the times we have a tendency to think that the products at the end of the aisle are on sale. The grocery shopping stores are very aware of this and in some cases they use it against you. If we all make the assumption that the “ready to expire” or “we've got to get rid of it” stuff is at the end of the aisle, sometimes the stores will put stuff in the end cap that is actually full-price and they are actually counting on you not to notice and to assume that there is a deal there without even thinking.

Comparing unit prices. Product manufacturers long ago figured out that if they keep changing the way that they weigh or measure a product, the customer will end up confused and spend more money. So to find out whether an item is cheaper or not, you have to compare the unit price. I know this is difficult because one product may be in ounces the next product may be in grams. You can't compare anything if its apples to oranges. It has to be apples to apples or oranges to oranges. So make sure you compare the unit price of the goods you're looking for.

Weighing the cost of convenience. In today's crazy society the thought of coming home and spending an hour making dinner by cutting up veggies and fruit and making salads to eat healthier can seem a bit daunting. It's no wonder that double income households gravitate towards easy and fast food. Many of us use shortcuts. If we have to grocery shop every week, many throw the easiest to prepare items in the cart. Things like pre-cooked bacon or pre-cut bagels or pre-shredded cheese or pre-shredded lettuce. The problem is all of these items are probably 2 to 10 times the cost of the regular items. So please be aware that with the convenience comes at cost. Again, there is no free lunch!

Avoiding check-out temptations. You know when you're waiting in line to either put your stuff on the conveyor or pay for the stuff and you look at those racks with the really cool stuff on it like glue or batteries and light bulbs and chocolate bars. Please be aware that those items are not necessarily priced the same as those items elsewhere in the store.. The store knows that these items are an impulse buy and consequently it's not so much that you needed it, but that you wanted it and if you wanted it they can charge you more.

Go deep. If we remember our basic accounting principles and FIFO (first in, first out) you know that if you're looking at a product on a shelf and there's a whole bunch of the same product behind it, chances are that the products that are behind the ones up front are actually dated later, i.e. fresher. You can get almost another week of shelf life out of some of these goods by just reaching to the back and getting the last item. Check the date to make sure.

Read flyers carefully. These grocery flyers have ads in them and those ads may very well have been paid for by the manufacturer. Do not assume that the feature products are on sale. Be a savvy shopper and very read carefully.

Watch for sneaky signs. Sometimes you go in to buy something and there is a sign that says you can get 4 for $5. More often than not, the store is just planting the thought in your head. It's entirely possible and likely that you we be able to pick up one of them for only $1.25 but we are programmed to go and get the 4 items to qualify for the discount. You know the adage..."Never Assume."

Look at the location. It is entirely possible that the same food is sold in many different locations within a store. If you're in the swanky section that has all the high-priced items chances are you will pay more. But that product very well might be available in another area at a considerable savings. Yes, grocery shopping can be construed as a definite skill.

Buy at the bakery. According to the Consumer Reports survey, more and more supermarkets are having their own bakery shop right in the their store. So if you want to buy six buns it might be .99 cents from the bakery but it might be $2.99 if it's prepackaged in the bread section. What's the difference other than price? Actually the bread might be fresher from the bakery and it is certainly cheaper. Win-Win.

Buy bagged products. Some products are much cheaper bagged already than by-the-pound loose in a bin. Potatoes and onions are good examples. Here is a case where volume can help lower your food bill.

And lastly, check the receipt. Six percent of people say that they were overcharged at the register. Please remember that many stores will give you the item for free if it scans at the wrong price, however the onus is on YOU to point that out to them.

For More Information On Grocery Shopping Read My Book