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Set a limit and have a budget when you do grocery shopping
I know that this is obvious, but I find it necessary to mention for those people who do set a limit only to move it upwards later on.
“The limit is $100. Ooh, I need that yogurt! Okay, it’s just $0.99 cents above the limit. So the limit is now $100.99”.
It is a downward spiral that will eventually lead to your bank accounts doom. One should always know the times when your self control is at its weakest.
Set the limit and actually decide to adhere to a maximum of 75% of that limit. Yes, that’s right, set a secondary limit which is lower than the original limit.
In the end only you can decide on how to save money on groceries. The best thing to do is to prepare your mind before you even enter the door.
Don’t go to the grocery store when you’re tired and hungry
I sometimes fall into this trap. I’m tired from work and I decide to drop by the grocery to pick up a few things. That’s the perfect recipe for wanton spending.
When we’re hungry and tired, our bodies and minds are at their weakest. We are more prone to temptation specially because an urgent need must be met – namely to satisfy our cravings.
First, you’ll see the nice and bright packaging with a picture of a scrumptious treat. You’ll then think about your experience with that treat and then proceed to make a quick and subliminal calculation with the following formula:
I’m Hungry + Ooh I love this Treat = I Need to Buy This
From there it goes down.
Originally, you planned to spend $100 for a weeks supply of food. You get the essentials, the toiletry and then those thoughts come into play. Pretty soon you’ll be digging into your bank account for more or worse – use your credit card.
Redefine what you need – save money on groceries
With unemployment figures at an all time high, many people are forced to rely on their money wits to keep their families afloat. Even if you still have your job, it would be prudent if you knew how to save a dollar or two when you go to the grocery.
While it may sound obvious to most people who are reading this, the definition of the word “need” seems to have been warped by marketing and mass media. What you need to do first of all is to redefine the word itself.
What qualifies as “needs”?
A quick and somewhat brazen answer is, “it keeps you alive”. Defining the things that you don’t need could also help, “You don’t need things which you can be alive without.” I know it’s hard to change your mindset after years and years of conditioning. It takes a certain strength and a certain personal control to be able to think beyond how you normally would.
The thing is, mass media has been a very powerful source of conditioning for our minds. We’ve been fed with ideas that we need rice crispies, power bars, cereals and countless other so called nutritional supplements that we actually think that we are going to be sick if we don’t buy them.
Don’t fall into that trap.
Do a little more research. You could find a lot of the nutrition that you need in the basics like bread, rice, fruits, vegetables and meats. I’ll say it again, you don’t need a specially formulated concoction to give you Vitamin E!
Save money each week when buying fresh bread
I save money each week when buying fresh bread. My kids do not like bread unless it is fresh but as you know fresh doesn’t last long. I now buy the freshest bread available, but freeze half the loaf right away, that way I can pull out a ‘fresh’ loaf without having to go to the grocery store.
Long term planning is very important to save money on groceries
Long term planning is very important to save money on grocery. First you should make a list of complete grocery needs and then divide that list into your weekly, monthly and half yearly grocery needs.
After that break that list into two kinds of purchases i.e. Bulk purchases and weekly purchases. Always try to save maximum money on bulk purchases such as oil, cream, biscuits, etc. Also you should take care of various offers available in the store. You should various permutation and combination to gain maximum benefits from those offers. After some time based upon your experience, you will come to know how to select offers to get maximum savings.
Avoid doing shopping on weekend because on weekend there can be rush and you will not able to explore all the offerings of the store. Do not buy grocery on daily basis, because it increases spontaneous purchasing. Last but not the least you should prepare a proper list of your grocery needs before going for your grocery shopping. If you do not carry a proper list of grocery needs, then you will end up buying so many unnecessary things from the store.
How to save money on grocery without cutting back
1. If your grocer offers a club card, sign up for it. You will get better discounts.
2. Subscribe to your local newspaper and clip coupons. The coupon discounts will more than pay for the subscription over a year.
3. Many stores that offer Buy 1 Get 1 free specials do not require you to buy two in order to get the discount.
4. Subscribe to different grocer’s email specials. Then you’ll know if it’s worth the trip for a store you don’t normally shop at.
5. Frozen vegetables are cheaper than fresh and are usually frozen within hours of being picked.
6. When non-perishables are on special, stock up.
7. Don’t assume that giant box-stores are cheapest on every item. They’re not.
8. When buying paper products, divide the price by the square feet of product. That will give you a per unit price to use for comparisons.
9. Don’t assume a bigger size package is cheaper per ounce. Take a calculator with you and do the math.
Creative Money-Saving Ideas to Recession-Proof Your Finances
By Michedolene Hogan
Every day we hear more depressing news about the current global economic situation. More and more people are losing their jobs and their homes, and still the experts tell us there is worse to come. However, while governments concentrate on pouring billions, and even trillions, into the economy to save us from financial meltdown, there is much that we can be doing on an individual and much smaller level to put our own finances into order.
There are many simple, practical cost-saving measures that every household can adopt which can make a dramatic difference to the domestic finances without having a real impact on a family’s standard of living. Obvious measures include shopping in the sales, buying own-store products rather than branded goods, taking advantage of discounts and deals and borrowing rather than buying where at all possible. However, we can also take a more creative approach to saving money – for example, by asking for a discount where it has not been offered, or by planning ahead and buying strategically.
If you don’t ask, you don’t get!
In straitened times, many shop keepers would prefer a sale at a slightly lower price than no sale at all. This is a perfect time to hone your negotiation and bartering skills. Even if the price does not seem excessive, swallow your pride and ask for a discount. Always be polite, and never become confrontational or aggressive, even if the manager has to be called. Adopting a pleasant approach will make people want to help you and will increase your chances of success.
Other tactics you could use to secure that discount are:
1. The “Good cop/bad cop” routine. Tell the clerk that you will need to discuss it with your spouse because it is more money than you really wanted to pay. At this stage, the shop keeper will probably reduce the price rather than let you out of the shop without making the purchase.
2. Ask them to match the price you have seen in another store. The manager will usually readily agree to this, and may even add in a further discount as a gesture of goodwill.
3. Keep hold of all out-of-date coupons as these can sometimes be accepted up to 6 months after the have officially expired. It’s worth a chance, and you have nothing to lose!
4. Try to make a deal if a straight-forward discount is rejected. For example, offer a proportion of the money up front instead of paying in monthly installments, or try to negotiate an additional warranty or free batteries (or anything!) for the product if no discount is forthcoming.
A disciplined approach to shopping
The number one rule of saving money is only to buy things that you actually need and can use. It sounds obvious, but is actually very difficult to achieve. Who can say they have never bought an item of clothing simply because it was a ’steal’, only for it to remain unworn in the back of the wardrobe for ever after? Don’t be a sales victim – make sure you win the shopping game. Buying things purely because they are reduced in price leads to overspending and a cluttered house. Reduce the temptation to impulse buy by setting a firm limit on your spending budget before you leave the house.
One great way to save time, money and last-minute panics, is to buy suitable presents when you see them at a good price and keep them for the appropriate occasion. Make a chart before you begin shopping and buy only what you need for each person. Not only will this help you keep track of what you have bought, but will also help you locate these carefully selected items when the appropriate occasion comes round. Keep the items in a special drawer or closet and enjoy the satisfaction of simply taking them out during the year as required.
The relief of avoiding those last minute panics (when you know you simply cannot leave the shop until you have bought something!), combined with the joy of knowing you have made real savings, makes this a great system to try.
These ideas, combined with more conventional cost-saving measures, can have a real and beneficial effect on the family finances. They also create the feeling of satisfaction that comes from knowing that, by using your brain, you have managed to save money where other people might have paid the full price.
About the Author:
Mikki Hogan, publisher of aBetterFamilyBusiness.com, is a savvy mom of 7 and lives in Sunny CA. She works from home with her online business and enjoys late evenings with the family sitting around the table sharing and laughing. She aims to help other families start an online business so they too can enjoy the same freedoms she has come to love and enjoy
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michedolene_Hogan
The Best Way To Save Money On Groceries
Single moms know just how expensive it can be to feed a growing family. Seeing the grocery bill at the end of the week can be a bit of a shock! Here are a few handy tips on keeping that cost down:
Avoid eating out if at all possible. Consider this: Even if you eat out only once a week and use coupons when you do, you are still paying at least twenty bucks for two or three people. Twenty dollars per week equals 100 dollars per month – and that money could go a long way toward paying your grocery bill.
Make a list. When you go to the grocery store, make sure your list reflects the foods you really need. Don’t be tempted to pick up other foods because they look tempting, or because they happen to be on sale. Choose only what your family will eat.
Scour cookbooks for “big” meals that will provide leftovers. Make your food dollar stretch by making recipes that can do double-duty as a second meal. Foods like meatloaf are perfect for this, and so are casseroles. Make two of them at once and freeze the one you aren’t eating that night.
Make a weekly trip to the store. Many people go to the store every day, but if you can trim that down to just once per week, you will be more likely to buy in bulk and avoid those convenience foods that look so tempting after a long, hard day.
Clip coupons! Look at your Sunday paper for the coupon section. Clip them out and take them with you to the store. Compare the coupon prices with the generic items and then look at the nutritional values. If generic is cheaper but has the same ingredients, go for it! Otherwise, use that coupon. Twenty-five cents of savings might not seem like much, but when you have a full basket, those coupons add up to serious money.
Shop without kids. Children are the biggest culprits when it comes to those little things that you really don’t need. It’s hard to deny a child when he or she wants to put more food in your grocery basket, so make things easier on everyone by leaving the kids at home when you shop.
Don’t shop on an empty stomach. When you’re hungry, everything looks good! Avoid the temptation to grab that bag of chips or that hot, tempting deli food by eating a good meal before you go shopping. You will be amazed at what you can walk away from when your belly is already full!
About The Author
Financial Help For Single Mothers is available at SingleMomFinancialHelp.com. You can also get information about Grants For Single Moms as well. http://www.singlemomfinancialhelp.com
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