Comparison Shopping Techniques
Here’s how much you can save . . .
25% Buy Generic Brands instead of Name Brands
You can save 25% on your groceries if you buy generic brand groceries instead of name brands. Sometimes generic brands don’t taste as good as brand names, but you can work around this.
For example, real Cheerios taste better than generic brands of Cheerios, but if you’re buying for a toddler, they probably won’t care. When it comes to staples like sugar, salt, flour, bleach and many other items, for most people there is no discernible difference in quality—only in the price. You might not want to completely ignore brand name groceries—they do go on sale—however, if you can substitute generic or no name brands for brand names, you can begin to experience some real savings.
Making a grocery list and sticking to it is the best way to shop.
You can shrink your grocery budget by up to 25% and trim your waistline at the same time by adding more fruits and vegetables to your snacks and meals.
Shop at Discount Grocery Stores
Shop at a Discount Produce Store
Buy Fewer Pre-Packaged Foods
Request Coupons from Manufacturers
Stock Up on Sales
Shop with Cash and not Credit Cards
Make Meals from Scratch
Making your own meals from scratch is one of the biggest ways that you can save money. Like the table above illustrates, the more prepared the food is, the more it usually costs. The nice thing is that home made food is usually better for you too. So making your own meals from scratch can save your wallet and your health.
Always Cook Too Much
Always try to cook more food than you need and then freeze the leftovers or take them to work for lunch the next day (if you can avoid buying a lunch at work you can save $1,800 per year). Freezing meals can help you save a lot of time and can make cooking meals from scratch more realistic for busy people since this can save a lot of time.
Don’t Buy Water
Check with your city or town to see how the quality of your water compares to bottled water. Many cities now offer water from the tap that is just as clean or cleaner than bottled water. Why break your back caring bottles of water when the stuff that comes out of the tap is the same or better?
Don’t Shop Hungry
You will buy more food if you shop hungry, and you will buy food that appeals to your appetite at that time rather than what works for your weekly grocery budget.
Try to Shop Alone
Shopping with kids can add to your grocery bill and retailers know this. All grocery items that are geared toward kids are placed at their eye level. Shopping with your spouse can also add to your grocery bill if your spouse tends to go for impulse buys and other things that aren’t on your grocery list.
Salvage Grocery Stores
These stores buy damaged or defective goods from major grocery chains and food manufacturers that are still safe to eat—the packaging just got damaged in shipping or it has the wrong expiry date printed on it. At these stores, you can sometimes save 50% or more.
40%