I won’t even call it inflation- the crazy greediness of these companies is making the prices in the grocery store pretty high. The bill adds up quickly at the register so if you fell off the coupon bandwagon or never hopped on- you may be feeling a bigger pinch than usual at the grocery store. Looking for ways to cut the grocery bill right now? Here are some tips to help you start seeing the difference at the register today.
Go Cherry Picking.
Being a fair weather friend is never right- but a fair sale shopper? YES! Each week different stores have different things on sale. Sticking to just ONE store means you are passing up savings on everything on sale at the other stores. I “cherry pick” the best deals at each store and buy the items I need where they are the cheapest.
I shop at 3 stores each week: Harris Teeter, Publix and Food Lion. With gas prices so high I don’t recommend doing that UNLESS all 3 stores are together. Thankfully in Clayton, NC all 3 stores are right there and I can shop at all of them within just a few miles of each other. If that’s not the case in your area, check out the sales at all the stores in your area and just chose the one with the most items on your list on sale.
Grab the Loss Leaders.
Each week the grocery stores are going to price 1-2 items at a pretty big discount to get you in THEIR doors and hopefully you will then spend 90% of your paycheck at their store on all the impulse buys they scatter throughout the store. If you can walk the store strongly and avoid all these impulse purchases- going in to the store for JUST the loss leaders.
Loss leaders are often meat or produce but could be anything. Don’t let a single loss leader pull you in to buying EVERYTHING at that store though. You need to be able to look at the big picture- are MOST things you need or want on sale at that store or does it make a better final price to skip that loss leader and shop elsewhere.
Drop the Brand Loyalty.
If you ONLY use a certain brand…you’re paying a premium for that. Tide fans? That stuff has gotten even MORE expensive and they don’t even give us paper coupons anymore. Try Persil. They are generous with their coupons and it’s cheaper with sales and coupons usually. Only use one brand of mayo? If one is on sale and we have a coupon on a different brand – you could save money and maybe find a new favorite.
Most stores have a quality guarantee on their store brands so it’s a risk free trial to try switching over. Plus many times these store brands are actually manufactured by national brands- just different packaging and price.
Plan dinner around what’s on sale.
I remember growing up that my mom would sit with the sales flyer and circle things and make meal plans off what was on sale. Long time couponers and stockpilers have created their own grocery stores at home- but if you are just getting into this style of shopping- you can save a TON of money using what is on special. Keep in mind that many items that are on sale are NOT in the sales flyer. These are “unadvertised sales”
Here is an example of a meal based on sales for 6/8- 6/14/2022. Items with a * are on sale but NOT in the Harris Teeter flyer.
Harris Teeter Tortillas – BOGO = $0.84
93% Lean Ground Beef, $4.99/lb
Old El Paso Refried Beans $1.50
Shredded Kraft Cheese BOGO = $2.34 plus $0.25/1 iBotta rebate
*Harris Teeter Sour Cream, 16 oz $1.79
*Knorr Mexican Rice $1.25
Total: $12.71 (should make 4+ servings)
Want to make it even cheaper? 80% lean ground beef is $2.99/lb at Food Lion.
Use YOUR rewards card.
Sure it’s easier to just type in your mom’s telephone number at the register but get your own card and reap the rewards. Digital coupons and targeted offers can really cut the grocery bill. And they are easy to take advantage of – just click & load.
If you are like me and have a keyless car- you won’t even need to take your keychain out of your purse- all the store apps store their loyalty card AND you can even load their offers on the go.
