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Monday, December 07, 2009

Grocery Bills – Cutting Down Without Cutting Quality

With the holiday season already in full swing, most people are wondering how to juggle holiday gifts and keep their budgets under control. In a recent consumer survey, 74% of participants said they were more concerned with grocery spending now than they were 6 months ago. Even those with higher incomes ($75,000+ per household) were feeling the crunch and cutting costs.

I hate paying more than I have to for anything and am always looking for the best deal. So I’ve looked around my area for the best grocery bargains and over time I’ve found a number of great places. There’s an indoor produce market with the freshest, and cheapest, produce around. Every week or two I stop by the meat or seafood market where prices almost always beat my supermarkets. I also use the local ‘green’ supermarket and Whole Foods. Even though every day groceries are more expensive at these stores, if I stick to sales and specials (like buy-one-get-one-free) I save money and add more variety to our menus.

You don’t have to spend all your free time going from store to store. Pick one or two each week and buy enough to last. I pick the stores based on what I need that week. By spending just a little time planning each week, you can save a lot of money over the course of a year! Here are a few of the tips and tricks that I use:

Sales – Taking 10 minutes to look at the grocery flyers each week can save big each month. Stock up when there’s a great sale on things you use frequently. You can save even more on meats when you buy the ‘big’ packs. Wrap and freeze in smaller packages to use later.

Coupons – Coupons often come in conjunction with items being on sale that week. But make sure you aren’t using coupons to buy things you don’t need or otherwise wouldn’t get, because then you’re only spending more.

Store brands – These are generally just as good (sometimes better) than the brand name items. Frozen vegetables, breads, canned fruit…try a new store product each week. You can save up to a couple of dollars on each item you swap.

Cut back on convenience – The more ‘prepared’ an item is, the more you pay per pound. Just take a look at the price of a jar of store brand applesauce compared to brand name individual serving containers! Buy larger packages and portion servings yourself.

Cut back on junk – Most people are watching their weight in addition to their wallets. Junk food is a detriment on both sides. Find some healthier alternatives to your usual junk; like pretzels instead of snack chips, or crunch on dry cereal (store brands), or popcorn. For a sweet tooth, try store brand granola/snack bars instead of candy bars, or yogurt with fruit for a dessert. You can even make up your own snack mix using small pretzels, chocolate chips, raisins and dry cereal. Store in an airtight container and you’ve got something that satisfies your sweet and salty cravings!

Check out alternative grocery stores – Your local meat or seafood market can often beat supermarkets in cost and quality. You can also mix up where you shop from week to week. Go for the discount grocer (like Walmart or Target) for inexpensive staples, and fill in from your regular supermarket with the things that aren’t available elsewhere.

Dine in more – That $15 dollars spent on a fast food dinner for two could buy enough food for two or three dinners that are quick and easy. Even a semi-convenience meal of a store roasted chicken, microwave-ready bag of rice and frozen vegetables will feed two, cost less and you’ll have enough leftovers for lunch the next day.

Try out my tips…you’ll be surprised at how much you can save and how well you’ll be eating!

- Renee

Labels: grocery shopping, healthy budget, Renee