Save Money on Groceries by Shopping on Wednesday

CBS Moneywatch says that Wednesday is the best day to shop for groceries if you're looking to save money (FYI, they say it's the best day to buy gas too). Their thoughts:

Supermarkets tend to reduce prices on items that are expiring soon [on Wednesdays].

Many grocery stores release their new sale advertisements [on Wednesday] but also honor the sales items from the previous week. For about half of the country, this is the day when approximately half of the retailers start their weekly sales.

And not only is Wednesday a good day to shop, but Wednesday NIGHT is even better:

Shop in the evening or a couple of hours prior to closing. This is the time when perishables are typically reduced for quick sale. If the Produce, Bakery or Meat departments are concerned about having too much stock left over at the end of the day, they will often reduce the price by up to 50% to encourage quick sales.

We had this happen one night when we were in the store around 8 pm. We had eaten a late lunch and hadn't had dinner yet when we heard over the PA system that oven-roasted chickens (normally $5 or $6) were on sale for $2.50 each. We got one! Too bad we couldn't buy 10 and stock up, but I hear they don't store well. ;-)

So add Wednesday to your list of ways to save money on groceries. And combine it with these to save the most:

• Combine sales with coupons for big savings. My wife loves to double (or triple) dip.


• Buy store/generic brands when you can/like the options. They can save you a ton.


• Shop with a list (made from looking through the sale flyer) and stick to it.


• Stock up (if you have room at home and will use all the food before it perishes) when there are big sales.


• Pay with the best option for you. If you use the right credit card, you could save an extra 6% on your entire grocery purchase.

Any other grocery savings tips you'd like to add?

Comments

[kjaxx]

This really depends on where you shop. I tend to have to stalk the chicken breast deliveries (Thursdays, I asked) because my store will run out before the next delivery. This probably doesn't happen with larger stores. The one I frequent is rather small, but I hate the chaos of my other store option enough that I refuse to go there.

[Crystal]

I know it seems obvious, but ONLY buy what you know you will eat or use! When my husband and I first bought our home, we stocked our huge walk-in pantry with a ton of things that we just knew we would need now that we were homeowner's that cooked. 2-3 years later, we threw away hundreds of dollars of wasted "staples". I have figured out that we generally only need 20 total ingredients in the house to make 90% of what we eat. We only stock up on about 10 staples now that we do truly eat 2-3 times a week.

[retirebyforty]

Sounds good if you can make the time to do it. We are always exhausted on week nights. By the time we cook and eat dinner, it's almost time for bed...

[Crystal]

@retirebyforty, when I shop during the week, it is on the way home. The deals are almost as good. :-)

[Paul]

Thanks for the tip, FMF. This is the first I've heard of this.

[nirra]

I have never heard that tip before! Thanks for the post.

[RB Boren]

It's worth reminding readers to always check unit pricing, as there can be staggering differences in unit prices between sizes of a particular product, and the large economy size often is not even close to the best deal, especially when a product is offered in more than two sizes.

Also, I plan perishables purchases around weekly supermarket ad scheduling. In my area, most supermarkets distribute their ads as newspaper inserts on Tuesday, to take effect Wednesday. So by shopping Tuesday, I know what the perishables will cost that day as well as what the new prices will be Wednesday, and purchase accordingly.

In-store specials on staples have a predictable (longer) cycle and are easy to anticipate and thus to plan around.

And please, unless you have a good reason to insist on a specific brand (yes, I have a few non-negotiable brand preferences), be willing to try store brands which frequently deliver great value and that's not a plug for Walmart which gets very little of my grocery dollar.

The other day I watched someone zoom past me and swipe off the shelf a can of Kraft parmesan cheese (2.98 for 8 oz) as I was putting a store brand can (1.98) in my cart. I've seen some astonishingly pathetic off-brands of grated cheese but I've never noticed any deficiency in any store brand.