It's a well-known fact among bargain hunters that there are many ways to save on grocery costs. Here are the top six (IMO) and the ones we use most often:
- Store sale -- The staple of grocery savings, we use the weekly store ads (and sales) to plan our shopping.
- Store coupon -- Usually found in the ads as well, stores sometimes offer coupons themselves. They also offer them through receipts and/or post check-out printers. We get $5 off the purchase of $75 in grocery coupons probably every other month or so.
- Manufacturer coupon -- The main reason we buy the Sunday paper. My wife looks through all the coupons and keeps/files the ones we're interested in. We'll buy the name brand if it's cheaper (with a coupon) than a private label item alternative.
- Cash back rewards -- 6% off the purchase of every single thing we buy in the grocery store. This is the reason the American Express Blue Cash Preferred card is the top card in our current credit card strategy.
- Store rewards -- More and more stores are offering reward programs to get people to do more of their shopping at that particular store. The most common offers are cents off gasoline purchases (usually in increments of 10 cents) and cash off (or "free") groceries when so much is spent at the store.
- Rebates -- Personally, I hate rebates and they are the lowest form of savings IMO. Still, they can be lucrative and worth the effort at times.
Now the key is combining as many of these together as possible when you buy your groceries. If you shop sales at stores with rewards programs, then you're always guaranteed three savings -- the sale, the rewards, and the 6% cash back. Then if you can add one or even two more on top of that you have big, big savings.
Anything I missed when listing the ways to save on groceries? Anything you do differently that could pile on the savings even higher?
I have been relying on rewards and coupons to save on my grocery. I admit they are a big help on my budget.
Posted by: Cherleen @ yesiamcheap | October 11, 2011 at 06:22 AM
I've started to see more and more stores in my area develop a strict, written coupon policy. I can see they are getting tired of the extreme couponing craze. And I can't really blame them.
Posted by: Jon | October 11, 2011 at 08:36 AM
With 3 teens, I am at the grocery store quite often. Therefore, I have a good idea of when things go on sale. So, I stock up on items when they are on a great sale and usually have multiple coupons for those items. (I usually buy a couple Sunday papers, and my mom and neighbor give me their coupons.) My goal is to buy enough to hold me over until the next sale basically. So, I try to never pay full price for anything that usually does go on sale.
Posted by: Kris @ Everyday Tips and Thoughts | October 11, 2011 at 09:14 AM
We usually make our grocery list from a mix of necessities (milk, eggs, bread, etc) and what's on sale. If we have a coupon, it's a bonus.
We don't usually rely on coupons too much to make the list because they are either too small of savings or they are for highly processed garbage we won't usually buy.
Posted by: JP | October 11, 2011 at 09:19 AM
First stop: Aldi, if you have them in your area. You will save 40% on the high-turn staple items and they are good quality. Then you can fill in at any other store. The savings have been so good for us that we do not clip coupons any more.
Posted by: Don | October 11, 2011 at 10:13 AM
batch processing. one trip = multiple stops on the way = get it all done while saving time and money
Posted by: Sunil from The Extra Money Blog | October 11, 2011 at 10:51 AM
1) We use COSTCO for bulk items and visit it once/month when we gas up.
2) We use the newspaper inserts for our three local supermarkets and take advantage of the best buys each week. Two of the markets have wonderful Forestville wines from Napa & Sonoma at $1.98/bottle if you buy a case.
3) We use a local vegetable market frequented by new immigrants. They seem to gravitate towards markets that have the best fresh produce at unbeatable prices.
4) I have my own vegetable garden consisting of nine 4' x 8' raised beds where I grow lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, beets, and various types of squash.
5) I have fruit trees, apple, orange, tangerine, plum, and pineapple guava.
Posted by: Old Limey | October 11, 2011 at 11:05 AM
I also use Costco for many bulk shelf items.
Also some grocery stores that cater to the international or immigrant community in my area (Northern Virginia) have much cheaper produce or herbs. Food Star, Grand Mart, Best Foods.
Magruder's grocery store (a family owned business) is another store in my area that carries cheaper produce.
Posted by: Kathy F | October 11, 2011 at 12:47 PM
Store brands. Compare to more expensive brands and you will see very little difference for a sometimes large difference in price (even with coupons and store discounts). As an added bonus, you don't have to worry about timing your purchase or coupons expiring. Store brands are cheaper every day.
Posted by: Bad_Brad | October 11, 2011 at 01:29 PM
We go to Costco for paper products, meats, dairy products and the occasional other item, such as spices or beans. We use a local produce market and farm for our fruits and veggies - the prices are WAY lower than the grocery store and the produce is much much better, plus we like supporting local businesses. (They are opening up a shop for local meat and dairy products soon and we can't wait!) After those basics are covered, we'll shop sales at the grocery store for anything else we need, though we don't purchase many processed or packaged foods. Sure, it takes more time than just going to one store, but not really that much longer, and we get much better value and quality for our money.
Planning ahead is a great way to save money as well. We have a rotation of 15-20 dishes that are healthy and easy to prepare. Knowing what we plan to eat (or make and freeze) makes it easy to take advantage when we see great prices on things we know we will use in the future. For example, we bought beans, ground turkey and cheese on sale at Costco this weekend - probably $15. Stopped at the produce market for tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and garlic - $7. Went home and made enough turkey chili and stuffed bell peppers to feed the two of us for at least 4 meals (probably 5) - at roughly $2.75 per meal for something healthy and delicious!
Posted by: Walden | October 11, 2011 at 04:16 PM
I follow the pantry principle. I buy food at rock bottom prices, stocking up when there is a great sale. Our meals are determined based on what we have and what needs to be used, as well as other factors. The Tightwad Gazette has a great write up on this.
Posted by: Mary Kay | October 11, 2011 at 07:21 PM
We used to shop for most everything at Aldi and found the prices were pretty unbeatable for the staple items we bought.
However, we started eating more organic and whole foods a few years ago and now buy a majority of our food from Costco.
We have also started buying bulk grains cooperatively with some friends, and we've started to buy honey and meat in bulk directly from farmers.
We're a family of 7, so buying in bulk works great for us.
Posted by: Rich | October 12, 2011 at 06:30 AM