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5 tips to save money grocery shopping

Kevin

Kevin

 

October 27, 2022

5 tips to save money grocery shopping

As inflation continues to wreak havoc with our spending habits, we recently came across a Reddit post that really put it into sharp relief:

"Where is this so-called 7% inflation everyone's talking about? Where I live (in an 150k population county) half my groceries' prices are up about 30% on average. Anyone else? How are you coping with the increased expenses?"

It’s a sad fact that inflation hits everyone hard, but it hits some harder than others. A 30% increase in food prices can force you to make some difficult decisions about where to spend your money.

With that in mind, what better time to go over some excellent grocery tips to help combat inflation?

Don’t shop that often

Every time you go to the grocery store, it costs you money in gas and time. You’re also much more susceptible to impulse buying if you’re “just running in for a few things.” Instead, try to cut down your grocery visits to once-a-week maximum. This tip dovetails nicely into the next tip...

Shop online

For your regular weekly groceries, you can use a service like Instacart to get them delivered, which cuts down on gas and impulse buying. Instacart has delivery fees, so an even better option is to see if your local grocer has online ordering and pick up, which many do. But beyond the weekly grocery run, buying staples for your pantry like canned goods, dry staples like rice and pasta, and storables like breakfast cereal, and soda, online can get you some great deals. Check Amazon, Costco, Walmart, and local retailers for the best deals, because a little comparison shopping can go a long way.

Shop on Wednesdays

This hot tip comes to you from my mother, who knew a thing or two about shopping. Her reasoning, which turns out to be correct, was simple: Wednesdays are when grocery stores start putting items on discount to clear them out before the weekend, but it’s still early enough in the week that they’ll probably still honor last week’s coupons. The perfect grocery shopping sweet spot.

Make a list

Obvious, sure, but how often do you do it? The advantage of using a grocery list is to cut down on impulse buys and reduce the number of trips you must make because you forgot to get an item. Make a list and stick to it. It also makes shopping a lot faster when you’re not trying to remember what you need.

Look up and down

Food companies pay for shelf locations. Specifically, they pay to be at eye level with shoppers. So it’s not surprising that’s where all the expensive items go. But if you look at one shelf above or below, you’ll often find cheaper substitutes for the item you want.

Have a favorite tip or little-known hack to save money on your next trip to the grocery store? Let us know in the comments!

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