Grocery Shopping - Little Things Add Up

First thing is first, pay attention to the grocery store that you are going to. There is definately a difference in price depending on the grocery store that you go to. If you live in a small town, like I do, where there is only one grocery store, chances are the prices will be higher since there is no competition. Figure out if it is worth it to drive the 10 minutes or so to the next town/city to save the extra money on groceries.

Second, have a plan of what you're going to buy. Write out what you plan on eating for meals for the entire week. This will eliminate extra trips to the grocery store and also cut back on wasted food. Another tip to try is making two or three meals out of similar ingredients. This way you can buy the bigger bulk item at a cheaper price and make more out of it.

When you're shopping, compare name brands with 'no name' brand items. Are there items on your list where you can get away with buying the 'no name' brand or another less popular brand at a cheaper price? What products can you get away with buying as 'no name'? This would be a good discussion to hear from others what they've found to be just as good.

Try to remember to bring any coupons with you to the store. I can't remember the last time that I bought diapers at full price. I always have a $2 off coupon with me and always look for sales on diapers even if I don't need them at the time.

Pay attention to the 'size' of the product and if it's worth it to buy the bigger size at a cheaper price. If you look closely at the price, underneath it it tells you the actual cost per unit (eg. $0.78/litre v.s. $0.34/litre, obviously then one selling for $0.34 is the better deal). Compare to the bigger product and even the 'sale' product to figure out which brand is best to go with it. It doesn't take that much extra time at all. Just a quick glance and you can figure out what the cheaper way to go is.

Keep track of your monthly grocery bill and try to set a monthly budget for yourself. This way you can try to strive for that goal and help to avoid overspending. Try to figure out if you're going to include fastfood outings in that budget as well. Look at what you've spent on groceries for a month and try to find ways to cut back and save.