Friday, July 22, 2016

9 Concrete Ideas to Save Money on Your Grocery Bills

Who doesn’t want to save money on their grocery bill? Saving on groceries can help you put more money towards your savings and investing plans.  We have talked about the importance of having a monthly budget in previous blogs, and our financial professionals want to offer some concrete ideas to help you save. Food is one of the largest regular expenses that we endure. The average family of four in America will spend about $700 per month on groceries. Finding ways to save on this expense will free up part of your income to help you save or invest for the future. The trusted financial advisor team in St. Louis offers you these 9 tips to help save when grocery shopping.


1. Shop All At Once


Making one trip to the store to get all of your food for the week can help you avoid extra purchases. Each time you enter the grocery store, you may be tempted to make an impulse purchase; cutting down the number trips into the store can help keep your impulses in check.

2. Use Up Food You Have At Home


About 25 percent of the food Americans buy gets thrown away because it is outdated or spoiled. Be creative in using the food you already have in your pantry or refrigerator at home, otherwise you are simply throwing your money away.

3. Take Inventory Before


A major mistake many shoppers make is to go to the grocery store without a list. Take an inventory of the current food you already have on hand so that you do not buy duplicate items. This can help reduce the amount of wasted food as well.


4. Plan Meals By Grocery Ads


Strategically plan your meals for the week in coordination with food that is on sale in the weekly grocery ads. Many grocery stores have apps where you can view current ads online as well as in the newspaper.

5. Try To Price Match


If you do a price comparison of different grocery stores, shop at the one that offers to price match their competitors. You can simply show the cashier a competitor’s price on a particular item at check out and they should change their price to match.

6. Participate In Loyalty Programs


Choose to shop at a grocery store that offers a loyalty program to save money. These programs usually offer special discounted prices for members. Some offer a discount on gasoline purchase as well. Loyalty programs can tempt you to purchase unnecessary items; the key to saving money is to stick to what you planned on purchasing when you walked into the store.   If you get extra discounts on top of that, great!

7. Eat Before Grocery Shopping


Making a trip to the grocery store on an empty stomach can be a bad idea. Food that you normally would not purchase will seem more appealing if you are hungry. Eating before or having a snack can help you avoid impulse purchases while shopping for food.

8. Avoid Pre-Portioned Packaging


Individual sizes of food packaging is typically more expensive. If you purchase fruits or vegetables, buy the fresh, full size options and cut it up yourself. The same cost saving approach goes for snack size fruit cups or chips. You are usually paying for the convenience factor when it comes to pre-portioned food.

9.
Stock Up When Price Is Down


If there is a food item that your household uses frequently, wait for it to go on sale and then stock up. This method is good especially with meat or frozen food that you can buy in bulk and freeze to help last longer.


Start Saving Now

Take some or all of these ideas on how to save at the grocery store and apply them to your shopping routine. When saving money on one budgeted item, like groceries, you can raise the budget for your investment or savings plans. Cutting down on your grocery bill can help open up opportunities to save more and invest for the future. Learn how to work towards achieving your financial goals by contacting Bogetto & Associates.


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Bogetto & Associates does not provide legal or tax advice.  These topics are discussed in conjunction with your CPA, Tax Advisor and Attorney.

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