Saving money when doing your grocery shopping doesn’t always have to come with huge and unrealistic sacrifices. The increasing food prices are unwelcome and are resulting in higher grocery bills, which we would all want to cut back on. Here are some tips that will help you cut your grocery bill and reduce wastage. This does not mean living on scanty fare.

  • Determine what you need and come up with a grocery list. What you need can be determined by simply looking in your pantry or refrigerator.
  • Take advantage of coupons and sales. Coupons and savings offers can be found by looking at newspaper ads or local grocery store flyers.
  • Once you go shopping, buy meat and dairy products in large amounts, stock up and freeze in smaller portions.
  • Don’t buy frozen meals or prepared foods. They are more expensive and it is better to cook from scratch.
  • Don’t buy groceries on an empty stomach, you may end up buying more than you need.
  • Lastly, and this can never be overemphasized, those package of candy, chocolate and gum at the checkout that the marketer wants you to buy, don’t. Do not engage in impulse buying.

Follow these actions consistently and you are sure to notice reduced grocery bills. You could also compare grocery prices of different items (in your list) at various stores; some of the differences in the prices will make the time spent doing the comparison well worth it. Even when buying in bulk, take into account expiry dates, as you would not want to stock up on items that will go bad before you consume them. Buy in bulk when you can store for long periods, but not simply because the sale offer is limited.