‘Best of the Best’ Grocery Saving Tips

There was a lot of interest in the bottom half of this list two weeks ago – so here are the top 6… Grocery shopping may never be the same in your household!

#6. When buying fresh fruits and vegetables try to buy them in-season, but if not buy them frozen. In-season produce is tasty and easy on the wallet. There is nothing like a corn roast during peak season or fresh strawberries and ice cream in the summer. Frozen vegetables are harvested at peak ripeness and quickly frozen to maintain flavour and nutrients.

#5. Take advantage of grocer Guarantees (eg. Price Guarantees, Freshness Guarantees, We Have It or It’s Free Guarantees, Quality Guarantees). If you choose to only shop at one grocer because of time or distance restrictions check out your grocer’s guarantees. A quick scan through others’ flyers in your local newspaper could apply to your grocery purchases. Or even better, check out the Flipp app for the ultimate one-stop shop for local coupons. A good use of 10 minutes a week.

#4. Don’t shop when you’re hungry. You’ll buy more. You’ll rush. You’ll miss out on opportunities. And you’ll probably buy more things on impulse. If you go after dinner you’ll likely find the grocery store a little quieter and be able to concentrate better (and find those great deals!).

#3. Try not to be tempted by the items at the register. These are usually high profit margin products that have nothing to do with feeding your family. When you ‘cave’ to a register item you are proving to the head office that their marketing strategies work. Prove them wrong. Pop into your local dollar store and get your gum, flashlights and batteries at half the price.

#2. Don’t shop on credit. If you are extending payment on a couple of your credit cards, don’t use those cards for your groceries. You’ll add another 19% (annually) to your grocery bill. The rewards miles you may be getting are only worth between 1% and 3% of your purchases. Better to use your debit card or a credit card without a revolving balance. There’s no use saving 40% if you’re going to give it all back in interest over a couple of years.

#1. Watch your shopping frequency. Without fail, those who are in the grocery store 4-6 times a week will spend more than those who visit twice a week. Try to hold to one large and one small shop a week, and you’ll simply spend less. Fewer temptations and less spontaneous unnecessary purchases could be an immediate positive impact on your grocery bill. If you do nothing else, limit the number of times you visit a grocery store and you will waste less, enjoy leftovers and spend less each month.

That’s it… There are many more tips out there but these are my Top Tips for what it is worth. Even doing just a couple of these can help with the grocery bill. And when the grocery bill is often the second largest category in your household budget, it’s just too big to ignore.

Happy grocery shopping!

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