How to Save $750 a Month  on Groceries

In these tough economic times, everyone is looking for ways to save money on everything especially groceries. Fixed costs such as mortgage, rent or car payments can not be manipulated as easily as your grocery bill. Discretionary income for food and clothes can be manipulated into saving thousands. You choose how much you spend, what you spend and where you choose to purchase your groceries. These three questions can guide you into saving thousands of dollars a month on your grocery bill. Your answer to the how, what and when question will go a long way to reducing and knocking thousands of dollars off your grocery bill. If you spend $250.00 or more a week on grocery, you can choose to save a cool thousand dollar a month starting now.

How do you reduce your monthly grocery bill by thousands of dollars a month” to about $250.00 a month or less? Start by asking, how are you spending for groceries? Are you buying the same grocery items every week? Try putting a month’s supply of food in your grocery cart at one time. Does this sound like an impossible task? It is only impossible if you mindless keep dumping impulse items in your cart or succumbing to the manager’s specials that are put there for impulsive buyers and to rid his store of slow moving grocery items. Do not be tempted with this tactic. Always shop with a list taking advantage of the weekly specials that are advertised in your local paper. Some of these grocery circular are mailed directly to your home. Do not toss these circulars; these are guides to saving you money. Use them for that purpose. Frivolous items will have to be eradicated for items that provide a complete meal. As you prepare your grocery list, actually count the number of days for each meal. You are not making menus. You are mentally counting the number the meals that can feed your family. There are four weekends in the month so four of your meals can be healthy sandwiches to reduce your weekend cooking. Remember you save more when you buy in bulk for the month. If there is an advertised special in the grocery circular (Not the Manager’s Special) do not think that you are saving by purchasing 5 items of a 10 items for $10.00 special. Purchase the 10 items for $10.00, that method of purchase will save the gas and added taxes of another trip to the store. The secret to buying in bulk is that you make less trips to the store and in turn spend less money on gas and on groceries.

Look for the grocery store to help with your savings for a win win situation. Remember to stay away from manager’s special. You should not want to feed your family or yourself day old bread or meat that is beginning to brown. If the store offer a free gallon of milk with the purchase of two dozen of eggs for example, purchase the two dozen of eggs and get your free milk. You will not save if you bought one dozen of eggs and then have to use gas to get back to the store to buy milk. Learn to think ahead when you grocery shop. Do not shop for the week or bi-weekly, learn how to shop for the month. One trip to the grocery for major shopping will amaze you at the savings in gas and the less temptation to grab items that are not needed for a complete meal. By the way the price of diary products are steadily rising, so take advantage of any free offer as the one just mentioned.

Where you shop for food groceries can also reduce your monthly grocery bill from $1000.00 to about $200.00 a month. Shopping the “big box” bulk buying stores that look like warehouses on the inside save you tons of money. These places scrimped on the shiny tiles for the cement floors to save you money. Let these places help you to knock down your grocery bill. Join one of the new wave grocery stores that have other inventory as well, but stay on your mission of saving money on groceries. Do not browse over to the Plasma TV’s or automobile tires or your would be defeating your purpose for shopping there. Membership is reasonable for the year and most of these store offer immediate discounts. Coupons book may be mailed to you as an incentive to shop and you may of course use them, but by following the steps mentioned, there is no need to waste your time snipping coupons that you barely use unless you are already a pro at it. Most of the time couponing makes the shopper purchase what they normally do not buy and plays into the manufacturers’ hands by giving them free advertising. If you choose to use coupons, do not play trial and error. Just use the coupons of the items that you usually put into your grocery cart. These “big box” places encourage bulk buying and your monthly saving will amaze you.

Try these three changes in your grocery shopping and you could save thousands of dollars on your grocery bill.