Hello all! Ok, so the last post was full of tips on eating healthy while eating out. This post will be a mini tutorial on how to save big on groceries. Once you can get past the challenge of grocery shopping you can focus on having lots of home cooked meals that YOU make yourself!
The hardest part (for me) about grocery shopping is getting out of the house. Not only do you have to get the motivation to get yourself to the grocery store, but you also have to set aside a hefty amount of time to complete thet task of grocery shopping itself. Firts rule in Mary’s Guide to grocery shopping: Make it fun! Bring a friend or your rommate that way you have someone to talk to and help you make those tough decisions between wheat or white. Another option is bring your ipod along. Make a “grocery playlist” with 10-15 of your favorite songs that you love to jam out to. Time will fly by and the next thing you know you’ll be at the register.
Next; Be prepared. Before you leave the house (dorm, apt., etc), scan your refigerator and your cabinets and make a list of what your missing, or for you technology saavy shoppers put your iphone or itouch to use with a shopping list app. Be sure to get all of the basics that you use everyday; bread, eggs, milk, water, juice, cereal etc. After you have all of the necessities make note of a FEW treats for yourself. Whether it be a carton of your favorite ice cream or a bottle of your favorite wine, I feel like everyone should get a little splurge here and there despite the cost or calories!
Now that you know what you need the next ‘must’ is coupons. This is where the ‘college kid on a budget’ NEEDS to pay attention! It never hurst to scan the newspaper adds and find out where all the deals are. An even better way to save money is to “price match“. This is where you find the cheapest sales/coupons from any store (Fry’s, Safeway, Basha’s etc.) and take them all to a grocery store that honors the “price matching method” and they’ll charge you the price in the add you have no matter what the actual price is of their item. Pinching pennies when you’re grocery shopping is vital because before you know it you’re looking at $150 bill and none of the items on your list?!?
Side Note: It would REALLY benefit you to get a member card to as many grocery stores as you can. Those are the little club cards that everyone has on their key chains or in their wallets. They cost nothing to get and take less than a minute to sign up for, and you get it right there on the spot. Without a club member card you will easily spend $50 more whenever you go shopping.
Last but not least; Don’t get side-tracked!! It’s very easy for the average shopper to get sucked into to all of the promotions the store is having that day. You see a bright yellow tag on an item that says “Sale” and you think you have to have it….. YOU DON’T! If it’s not on your list it stays on the shelf. Trust me, a few extra items here and there will break the bank at the check out counter.
There you have it. Just a few steps can make all the difference between wasteful shopping and efficient shopping. If you can follow these few simple rules on your next grocery trip it should be a success.
Miss Mary Papuyo 