Who Else Wants to Save Money on Their Grocery Shopping Bill?

Posted by angie on Aug 12, 2009 in Misc... | 8 comments

Are you worried about budgeting through the economic crisis or wishing you could save money in some way so you can go on that well deserved break? You’re not alone. Prices of groceries have risen astronomically and sizes of food have shrunk over the past few years so it pinches us where it really hurts. The great news is that there are some easy strategies on how to save money on your grocery shopping without buying the icky generic, no-name brands:

1. Make a List
There are people out there who write lists and who carries a mental list in their heads. If you fall in the latter category, come on – don’t be lazy and write a checklist of groceries down. The longer you stay in a supermarket, the more likely you are to spend because of impulse shopping. Thanks to great ideas in retail marketing, supermarkets are designed so that the necessities like milk are at the back of the shop and somehow things just ‘magically’ appear in our shopping trolley because we felt we needed it.

2. Is That a Calculator in Your Pocket, or are you Just Happy to See Me?
Be a nerd – bring a calculator with you. Or you could just use the calculator function in your mobile phone. Did you know that not all packaged foods are priced equal? Although it’s already implemented in the USA and Europe, unit pricing on groceries will be implemented in Australian supermarkets by the end of the year despite much protesting from the corporations that they are trying to protect customers interests because they would have to pass on the costs of those tags on each product onto the consumer.

It seems logical to our minds that buying in bulk is always cheaper – but that’s not always the case. According to Choice Magazine, the unit price of 1.2 kilos of Pedigree dog food works out to be 22% more expensive than the same product in a smaller tin. So much for trying to help the customer save their hard earned money!

3. Parental Alone Time = Shopping Bliss
If you’re a parent and have ever had the delight of shopping without a screaming child, you know how quick and easy it is to shop without having to deal with the fuss of your child demanding something from the shelf. If you can, leave the kids with a friend while you go shopping. This will save you time to comparison shop on the unit prices (see point 2) as well as help you to steadily stick to your planned, written down shopping list (see point 1).

Some websites also recommend you leave the husband at home, as he tends to increase the grocery bill. You can be the judge of that one.

4. Stockpile!
This is something I learned in my university class: Lessson 101: Buy in Bulk – Especially if it’s Paper Related.
When there’s something at the supermarket on a product where there’s a discount only every once in a blue moon, don’t miss the sale – go ahead and stock it up! This is especially essential to paper products like toilet and printing paper.

In Asia, toilet paper happens to be very expensive. As migrants, we tend to bring our culture and traditions along with us even though we do end up assimilating but old habits never die. A good Asian family will have a stockpile of toilet paper rolls that they bought on sale and in a large bulk hidden somewhere in the house. Mine happens to be in the storage area underneath the stairs.

You should also get to the supermarket as quick as you can to avoid disappointment of them running out of stock. Printing paper generally runs out very quickly when its on sale.

5. Learn the Sales Cycle
According to Terri Gault, the Founder of the shopping website The Grocery Game, most items are discounted only once during a 10 to 12 weeks sales cycle. Seasonal items may be discounted every one two weeks, where as highly competitive categories like cereal and soft drink are in a monthly cycle.

6. Learn to Love Your Freezer
Put your leftovers in the freezer, not the fridge. That way you’ll avoid the pain of throwing out good food that’s turned all moldy in your fridge. It also helps when you know you are going to have a busy day. It also saves on the hip pocket as you can buy ingredients in bulk when its on sale. If you’re a potato chip lover, keep the empty packets of crisps as they can help to keep your fresh food for longer in the fridge.

Don’t have a big freezer? No worries – just share it with a friend or family member who lives close to you. A good arrangement would be to run a dish over to each others house once a week. This means that you can take a night off from cooking. Yipee!

7. Check Your Receipts
No matter how careful you or the store staff member may be, mistakes can happen. Although I’ve only been shopping for my family for a few years now, I have been overcharged many times. You might think that $1 overcharge doesn’t really matter – but every cent counts!

8. SHOCKING NEWS: BUY FRESH, OR PAY BIG!
Prices can rise up to 500% for fruits and vegetables that are out of season! It also pays to visit the wholesale markets or the farmers markets as it helps to cut out the middle man. Products are usually locally grown, so you’re also helping to boost the local economy instead of sending the money overseas.

9. Finally – The Weird Fact
Eat something before you go on your grocery shopping trip. Studies show that people spend about 10% more than what they usually do when they shop while they are hungry.

I hope these 9 tips on how to save money on your grocery shopping bill help you to save big. If you have any more tips to share about how to save on your grocery bill, I’d love to know.