The Best Tips for Saving on Groceries | Cleveland Bradley County Teachers Federal Credit Union

October might be the spookiest month of the year, but those of us who handle grocery shopping know that any trip to the store can be utterly terrifying.

Perhaps that is a little dramatic, but the prices of everyday supplies have become a hard pill to swallow. Not only are the prices high, but supplies can suddenly become sparse—making planning your trips even more challenging.

We can’t avoid some stores, though, and at some point, everyone will find themselves inside a grocery store. With the challenges shopping today presents, how do you get what you need without blowing your budget?

Start at Home

While grocery shopping is an unavoidable chore, there are ways you can cut your costs when you do have to make a trip. The best way to start saving is to plan long before you even head to the store.

Plan your meals for at least a week or more. Even if the concept of meal planning makes you groan, when you spend time considering what you are going to cook for dinner each night, you can prepare a better list, purchase fewer unnecessary items and catch sales. Keep your plan flexible, and choose three or four meals that you always have the ingredients for in your pantry.

When you plan, reconsider how you define dinner. If you have kids, that definition might be the leftovers of whatever frozen nugget-formed food they ate—but if it looks more like a prepared entree and three sides, consider paring down. If one of those sides is really your favorite, let it take center stage and cut your entree. Simple meals can not only lower your costs, but they can also help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Stay Focused at the Store

Starting at home with meal planning not only allows you to think through simpler meals and use what you have, but it also means you can create a list that will help you stay focused and avoid impulse buys.

Grocery stores, like all stores, are designed to lure you in and encourage excess spending. Sticking to your list can help remind you to walk past that display of football-themed cupcakes or that super cute coffee mug you absolutely don’t need.

Choose a single day every week or every other week to get all of your shopping done. Going to the store less often can eliminate temptations, but it can also help you better see exactly what you are happy to go without—maybe you don’t actually miss that nightly bag of potato chips after all.

Switch to generics, and skip the online grocery shopping. Even if your kids are convinced that off-brand cereal just doesn’t taste the same, switching to generic brand soaps, detergents and other non-food items will save money—and it’s likely you won’t even notice the difference. When you shop online and something you order isn’t in stock, a larger size or more expensive brand is often substituted, leaving your bill higher.

We all have to eat, and we all need something more than just a bowl of cereal (no matter what your kids say). Start at home and stay focused at the store to get the food you want without breaking the bank.

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