How to save money on groceries

If you are like me, you like saving money. However, when it comes to grocery shopping it isn't that easy at first. So I've come up with a few tips that has helped me so far (and believe me, I've came pretty far in 9 months!) Here we go..

1. Find a grocery store that saves you money! That seems simple, right? Walmart. But no! That might not be the best place for you personally. It all depends on what you want and what stores are available to you. For us ALDI* is my favorite store to shop at. I'll rack up on a buggy full and have never spent over $90!  Some people might not like Aldi though. The setbacks are that there are rarely any name brands except for coca-cola, and they don't bag up your groceries. The benefits is that it is cheap and they have cantalopes and pineapples for a dollar! Another good store is Winn-Dixie but around here they are hard to come by. They have a ton of BOGO and 10 for $10. If you like seafood, that is the place to buy it. There are other stores out there, so just take a receipt and a calculator and find out which one does you better.


*ALDI Tips: Take a quarter for your buggy- you get it back, and take grocery bags or boxes unless you want to buy them there.


 2. Meal plan! It makes grocery shopping so much better. You get finished quickly, spend less money, and you will have everything you need that week. It may seem hard at first, but it is pretty easy. It's hard for me to meal plan more than one week at a time because of our work schedules, but here is a planner I like to use that has the monthly option. Planning your meals also cuts down on how many times you go to the store which also saves money on gas. :)

3. Don't be scared of generic brands! I admit that sometimes generic foods don't taste the same, but it can be very beneficial to your pocketbook if you like it. Especially things like frozen vegetables and shredded cheese. That being said...

4. Skip the conveniently chopped and prepared food. This is especially true when it comes to the fruit section. I hate cutting pineapple, but it is worth it to not pay for the cut and packaged kind. Also skip the lunchables! They are more expensive than making them yourself.

5. Look at the unit price of an item. I always use this when it comes to buying bottled water. Sometimes you may pass up an item because it has a high sticker price, but when it comes to the price per unit it could be a better deal!