One way to save money on groceries is to know how much you are spending on them.
If clipping coupons and driving around town to get the best deals is taking too much of your time, maybe you should reconsider your strategy.
Make a list of the ten items that you seem to run out of the most.
It might be cereal, milk, bread, toilet paper, diapers, etc.
Skip your coupon clipping this week and spend that time recording the price of these items at all the stores you normally go to.
Add up the total and see if there is a noticeable difference.
Maybe the first thing to do to save money is to go the extra mile, literally, and shop at a different store even if it isn't the closest one.
If you have a feel for the price, then you know when the price goes up or down and can shop accordingly.
If you're like most people you have your standard recipes and thus your standard food items that you buy week in and week out.
After several years of doing this, you should have a feel for the cost of common food items for your family.
Think in terms of cost per pound or per ounce and keep a mental tally.
Fortunately many groceries post these costs so that you can easily compare prices.
Run your eye across the variety of just one item (tissue is a good example) and compare the price per tissue.
It might surprise you that some are ten times more expensive than others.
And yes, quality can be a factor in your decision-making.
Buy small to test a new item.
Then buy in quantity when an inexpensive brand that passes your test goes on sale.
Don't be afraid to buy more than you need when opportunity knocks.
Cereal brands often go on sale throughout the year.
So, if you are partial to one that is better tasting than generic brands, then stock up.
Note the expiration date on most cereal boxes are often over a year in the future.
If you eat cereal on a regular basis, chances are it won't expire prior to your use.
With the ever-growing cost of cereal, you could save quite a lot of money over a year's time by buying more than you need when that sale-price opportunity knocks on your shopping cart.
Just because an item is on sale doesn't mean it is a bargain.
Don't forget to check the same commodity, which is on sale with a supposedly great price, in a generic or store brand.
Generics may be an even better deal than the name brand item with the colorful sales tag.
Likewise, smaller jars of an item can be cheaper than bulkier choices.
The stores must move inventory and higher-priced items sitting on the shelf in the smaller quantities can be an opportunity for you.
Buy more of the smaller quantity jars if the price is right.
Don't forget to check the price per ounce to compare.
A good example of this is with certain jarred salsas that may start to taste funny by the time you get to the bottom of the large containers.
For about the same price per ounce you can get several smaller jars that will keep longer.
Try not to be too stuck on one brand and don't forget to read the label.
Reading a label can be very educational.
If the contents of two containers have the same ingredients, why pay the higher price? If one can of beans from a company has just beans and water, why buy one with high fructose corn syrup? Here's where you have to decide whether cheaper is better for you and your family.
Is it better to spend a few more cents to purchase a healthier product? There is nothing to say that you couldn't add a little molasses to that bland can of beans or spice it up the way that you like with a little cumin or chili powder.
This allows you control over what goes into your family's diet.
Spices you add yourself can add vitamins and nutrients that may not be included in the sugary or salty additives in many foods today.
It is a constant balancing act between healthy eating and cost at the grocery store.
But if cost is a factor, perhaps it is worth spending a little more time to read the labels in order to spend a little less money using the tips above; or spend the same amount of money, don't worry about taking the time to read the labels and just buy more fresh fruits and vegetables.
If clipping coupons and driving around town to get the best deals is taking too much of your time, maybe you should reconsider your strategy.
Make a list of the ten items that you seem to run out of the most.
It might be cereal, milk, bread, toilet paper, diapers, etc.
Skip your coupon clipping this week and spend that time recording the price of these items at all the stores you normally go to.
Add up the total and see if there is a noticeable difference.
Maybe the first thing to do to save money is to go the extra mile, literally, and shop at a different store even if it isn't the closest one.
If you have a feel for the price, then you know when the price goes up or down and can shop accordingly.
If you're like most people you have your standard recipes and thus your standard food items that you buy week in and week out.
After several years of doing this, you should have a feel for the cost of common food items for your family.
Think in terms of cost per pound or per ounce and keep a mental tally.
Fortunately many groceries post these costs so that you can easily compare prices.
Run your eye across the variety of just one item (tissue is a good example) and compare the price per tissue.
It might surprise you that some are ten times more expensive than others.
And yes, quality can be a factor in your decision-making.
Buy small to test a new item.
Then buy in quantity when an inexpensive brand that passes your test goes on sale.
Don't be afraid to buy more than you need when opportunity knocks.
Cereal brands often go on sale throughout the year.
So, if you are partial to one that is better tasting than generic brands, then stock up.
Note the expiration date on most cereal boxes are often over a year in the future.
If you eat cereal on a regular basis, chances are it won't expire prior to your use.
With the ever-growing cost of cereal, you could save quite a lot of money over a year's time by buying more than you need when that sale-price opportunity knocks on your shopping cart.
Just because an item is on sale doesn't mean it is a bargain.
Don't forget to check the same commodity, which is on sale with a supposedly great price, in a generic or store brand.
Generics may be an even better deal than the name brand item with the colorful sales tag.
Likewise, smaller jars of an item can be cheaper than bulkier choices.
The stores must move inventory and higher-priced items sitting on the shelf in the smaller quantities can be an opportunity for you.
Buy more of the smaller quantity jars if the price is right.
Don't forget to check the price per ounce to compare.
A good example of this is with certain jarred salsas that may start to taste funny by the time you get to the bottom of the large containers.
For about the same price per ounce you can get several smaller jars that will keep longer.
Try not to be too stuck on one brand and don't forget to read the label.
Reading a label can be very educational.
If the contents of two containers have the same ingredients, why pay the higher price? If one can of beans from a company has just beans and water, why buy one with high fructose corn syrup? Here's where you have to decide whether cheaper is better for you and your family.
Is it better to spend a few more cents to purchase a healthier product? There is nothing to say that you couldn't add a little molasses to that bland can of beans or spice it up the way that you like with a little cumin or chili powder.
This allows you control over what goes into your family's diet.
Spices you add yourself can add vitamins and nutrients that may not be included in the sugary or salty additives in many foods today.
It is a constant balancing act between healthy eating and cost at the grocery store.
But if cost is a factor, perhaps it is worth spending a little more time to read the labels in order to spend a little less money using the tips above; or spend the same amount of money, don't worry about taking the time to read the labels and just buy more fresh fruits and vegetables.