
Happily, I have developed a few strategies to help cut costs at the grocery store, and, in the spirit of holiday giving, I will share them with you. If I play my cards right, these little changes could add up to a big chunk of change. Hopefully one big enough to cover two plane tickets back here in January. Warm up the hot tub, mom!
Make a List: When I go to the grocery store with a list of the items I need written down, I end up spending about 50% of what I spend when I go in without one. It makes me feel like an idiot that I make this mistake again and again, but it is marginally comforting to know that statistics show that everyone else makes the same mistake over and over again, too. Don't be an idiot like me: Always make a list and stick to it.
Shop Around: I go to two different grocery stores- the nice one and the gross one. At the gross one, I buy everything that is packaged, boxed, canned or bottled, as well as laundry detergent and paper towels (personal goods like toothpaste and shampoo are always cheaper from the drug store). At the nice store, I buy fresh meats and produce, which are worth the splurge. But, I have noticed that the same brands of canned beans and jams are sometimes $2-4 more at the nice store than they are at the gross store. For savings like that, I can tolerate aisles that smell like ammonia and surly checkout girls.
Price Check: Always look at the cost per unit (CPU) price of packaged goods, which is usually printed on the shelf label beside the net price. Bigger containers aren't always cheaper than small ones, and sometimes there are surprising price discrepancies between two equally "good" brands. And consider store brands for basics, like flour or rice- you will never know the difference (but your credit card will).
Prep Your Own Produce: As I have mentioned before, it pays to avoid the pre-cut or packaged produce. By simply spending a few minutes after your shopping to wash lettuce and cut up fruit, you can save a ton of money, and end up with fresher food. That's what we in the business call a win-win, people.
Photo credit: rkgebbia.com
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