How to: Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half
Its hard to not be drawn to shows like “Extreme Couponing” and watch people save big on everyday groceries. Who wouldn’t want to learn how to cut your grocery bill in half?! Everyone knows groceries are expensive, costing the average household about $6,000 a year, that’s about 10% of the averages families income. But how does one learn how to coupon and save money like that? There are many different guides to help you get started but one I came across really peaked my interest. Her name is Ruth and she is an ordinary mother who has a simple yet effective way to save money through not only coupons and other easy to follow ways. She has a website called “Living Well Spending Less” that touches base on not only couponing, but also organization and household tips. (Clicking on the picture below will forward you to her website) Here are the tips from her article about “5 Tips Everyone Should Know” to save money on groceries.
- It’s not about the coupons: ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS buy food when it is on sale. The bulk of your savings will come from in store sales, not from coupons. The bigger the promotion, the bigger the savings, so the first step in saving money on your grocery bill is to SHOP THE SALES
- Stockpile, Stockpile, Stockpile: In order to make sure you are always buying an item at its lowest price make sure you buy enough of that item to last you to the next sale, about 6-8 weeks. Things like pasta and cereal have a long shelf life, so these are the types of items to stock up on while they are on sale. Stockpiling will stop you from shopping more frequently thus saving you money long term.
- Eat Less Meat: Cutting back on meat a few times a month can cut a bill as much as $1,000 a year. When buying meat, remember to only buy what is on sale, and stock up if it is a great sale!
- Change the way you Meal Plan: Instead of planning last minute dinners and having to run out to the store to grab food, plan your meals ahead of time and use things you’ve stockpiled! If meat is one of the items in your meal plan, but is not on sale, save money by limiting yourself to only one or two days cooking with meat. Look at your grocery stores weekly ad’s for sales to better plan for that weeks meals. Once you start making meal plans, it will better prepare you for what you need to buy on your next grocery trip.
- Learn to Match Coupons to Store Sales: Coupons normally come out before the weekend, so when you are planning your next big stop to the grocery store, make sure to look at not only the coupons but also the in-store sales. Learning how to stockpile with coupons only every 6-8 weeks could save you up to $75 a week. Coupons don’t normally expire for a few months, so gather up a small amount before you venture to the grocery store. Items that have long shelve lives like toothpaste, pasta, toilet paper, paper towels etc, you can normally get at a extremely low cost if you plan accordingly. Stores will normally offer a “Buy one, Get one” sale and by combining that sale with a coupon, you can get more for close to nothing. If you look at Ruth’s website, she has a “Beginner’s Guide to Cutting Coupons” with easy to follow instructions on how to get started!
Saving money is easy and anybody can learn how. Starting with just these few steps you will see your bill start to decrease and you will be more organized when it comes to grocery shopping. To learn about more ways to help save money, check out Ruth’s website! www.livingwellspendingless.com