Ways to Save Money

In these hard times, money is hard to come by so you should know how to save it until things get better. Since it is a balancing act that is somewhat challenging, here are a few ways that can teach you how to save money. If you don’t want to lose your home like a lot of Americans have over the past year, you have to kill your debt first. You do that by calculating how much money you spend in a month and then see where the budgets can be made so there is money you can use to pay ...

Five Practical Ways to Save Money for Students

It can be hard to think of ways to save money especially for students since they don’t have their own money yet. This is because at times, for all the expenses while on campus, there is barely left to save. Although it is hard, it doesn’t mean that it is impossible for students to save money while studying. All they need is to develop good time management skills, strict budgeting, and practicality. If you are one of those who are thinking of ways to save money while on campus or even before you enter one, here are some of the ...

Six Simple Ways to Save Money

No matter where you look at it, there will be always ways to save money if the person has the will do so. If you are one of those who are trying to come up with ways to save money in this unstable economy, it is best to start with developing a simple lifestyle. When you are able to do this, the rest will follow. But, if you are one of those who are not sure where to start, here are some eight simple ways to save money. 1. Cut down on grocery or shopping sprees. Although buying groceries is a ...

Save Money Without Feeling Poor

Yes. You are feeling the economic crunch. Times are hard and you are finding it hard to even make both ends meet with the rising costs of basic necessities and the fact that you lost one of the part-time jobs that you are holding. This is the common scenario that people, not only in the US, is feeling. They may not have lost their jobs but they have certainly found it hard to earn extra. Can you blame them then if they look for ways to cut costs and save money? Although it looks like a pretty daunting task, it’s not ...

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10 Ways to Save Money at the Grocery Store

Clipping coupons and comparison shopping are great ideas, but there are so many more ways to save money at the grocery store. Empower yourself with a little knowledge, take a little extra time to look around instead of just reaching for the same products you buy week after week, and take the time to think about what you are purchasing. Here are ten tips to help make your next trip to the grocery store a money saving success.

1. Shop from a list. I can't emphasize this enough. Take the time to think about what you need to buy before leaving home. If you shop weekly, write down the meals that you have planned for the week and then make a grocery list based upon the ingredients needed to prepare those meals. When I make a shopping list I usually walk myself through it in a way that makes sense to me. First I think about what I will need for breakfast throughout the week. Then I think about lunch and dinner. I use my weekly menu for the ingredients I need for dinner. Next, I think about beverages, snacks and, finally, household items such as cleaning supplies, laundry supplies and toiletries. When you get to the store stick to your list with the one exception being stockpiling.
2. Stockpile. When you see an item that you use on a regular basis on sale for a great bargain price, stock up on it. You may spend more money this week, but in the long run you will save. For example, if toilet tissue that regularly costs $1.50 per package is on sale for $0.75 per package and you purchase ten packages, you will be spending $7.50 on toilet tissue this week instead of the $1.50 that you would have spent to purchase just one package. However, over the course of ten weeks, if you would have purchased one package each week, you would have spent $15.00 on toilet tissue. You have just saved $7.50. Not to mention the fact that you can now cross toilet tissue off of your grocery list for the next nine weeks or until the next time a really good sale comes along and you can add to your stockpile.
3. Don't shop on an empty stomach. I am sure that you have heard this one before, but it works. If you shop when you are hungry you are far more likely to purchase impulse items. Eat before shopping and stick to your list.
4. Calculate. Unless you are really good at math, it is a good idea to bring a calculator with you to the grocery store. Different manufacturers can sell the same product in different quantities. In order to determine which brand is the best deal, you must determine the price per unit. For example, if Brand A sells their tomato paste in a 6 oz. jar for $1.00 per jar and Brand B sells their tomato paste in an 8 oz. jar for $1.15 per jar. You would need to determine the price per ounce. Brand A is charging approximately $0.17 per ounce and Brand B is charging approximately $0.14 per ounce. So even though Brand B costs $0.15 more than Brand A, Brand B is the better bargain.
5. Don't be tempted by coupons. Coupons are a fabulous way to save money on products you use, but if you don't use the product, don't buy it just because you have a coupon for it. I don't care how much money you could save, you will still be spending more than you would if you didn't buy the product at all. Save your coupons for the items you need and use.
6. Don't be a name brand snob. I remember the day, years ago, when I was having a conversation with a friend about how expensive laundry detergent is. During the conversation, I confessed to never comparing prices. I simply walked into the laundry soap aisle and reached for my favorite name brand without giving cost a second thought. My friend told me I was wasting a lot of money and suggested that I give her, lesser advertised brand, a try since the cost was about one-fifth the cost of my name brand. I tried it and I found that it was just as effective. I have been buying it ever since. When you buy a name brand you are helping to pay for that company's advertising. The more a brand is advertised, the more expensive it will be. Do some experimenting of your own. You just might find a cheaper, but just as effective, alternative.
7. Don't assume that the store brand is always going to be the cheapest. While you should try to save money by avoiding costly name brand products, you should not always assume that the store brand is going to be the cheapest. You need to comparison shop. There may be a name brand option on sale that week which winds up costing less than the regular price of the store brand. Always buy the best deal.
8. Look around. Stores place the items they want you to buy at eye level making them easy to see and grab. Be sure to look up and down when you are comparison shopping. You may find the best bargains on the highest or lowest shelves. These are the bargains that the stores may not want you to find so they place these items in the hardest to see locations.
9. Don't be fooled by end caps. Stores often place attractive displays of certain items on the end of the aisles with brightly colored sale signs. They do this because they want you to believe that they have gone to the trouble to make this bargain known to you. The reality is that it is a marketing tactic and there is a reason that they want you to purchase that item. Stop before automatically grabbing anything from an end cap. Go to the aisle where that item normally lives and compare prices. You will probably find that it is not, in fact, the best deal.

There is another way to save money, or, should I say, make money, on your groceries. You should only give this method a try if you are disciplined with your finances. Credit card companies are battling each other for you business. Many companies are offering cash back incentives and most of these include cash back on grocery purchases. I currently use a credit card that gives me 6% cash back on all of my grocery store purchases. If you are disciplined enough to pay your credit card bill in full every month so as not to incur finance charges, by all means, pay with plastic and reap the rewards.

Keep these tips in mind when you are at the grocery store and watch your savings add up.