Tips to Save Money at the Grocery Store

It's so easy to go to the grocery store, spend $100 and and ask yourself "What in the world did I buy?"
I've really enjoyed saving money lately (who wouldn't) and I want to share some of the tips that I've done to keep my spending down.

~Coupon! Look in the sunday paper for coupon fliers like Smart Source, Red Plum, and P&G. Also look online for coupons either on brand websites (like Driscolls.com) or coupon websites (like coupons.com)

~I like to clip coupons I know I'll probably use and keep them in my coupon binder. I then file my coupon fliers to go back to if I know a coupon is in a certain Smart Source or Red Plum.

~Visit blogs that list coupon match-ups to weekly sales at your grocery store. A couple of great blogs for my area are MyKansasCityMommy.com (Julie!!) and PennyPinchinMom.com. They list match-ups for stores I visit often: Hy-Vee and Price Chopper.

~Hy-Vee will give you the total amount of a coupon if the item's sale price is less. Ex: Masterpiece BBQ on sale for $.79. I have a coupon for $1.00 off. They will apply the overage of $.21 to my bill. I just made 21 cents on that item!! When I tried this at Price Chopper they just gave me the $.79 off.

~Match your coupons to weekly sales! This is especially helpful if your stores don't double coupons. (No stores around me double!)

~Create a monthly cash budget for groceries and try to stick to it. (I've gone a little over this month, but I makes me aware of what I've spent.)

~Try a month of Kitchen Cupboard Cooking. I've done this a couple of times and love it! I use up a lot of food that's been sitting around. Plus, saves money. Try to just buy essentials like milk and produce.

~Plan shopping trips for when you're already out (like before or after work) and make a route that won't have you backtracking. Saves on gas!

~Go early in the morning, the first day of the sale. You won't have to fight the crowd and you're guaranteed that they won't be sold out of an item you want. (You know it's a good deal when they sell out!) I don't go to work until noon on Thursdays, and that's the day when most sales start where I live.)

~With all I've done I usually leave a store saving way more than I spent. Ex: Price Chopper, spent $6, saved $12. When I average out the price of each item it usually comes to about $1 per item! $1 for 24 bottles of water, $1 for a big box of Kellogg's cereal, $1 for olive oil...

~It will take a few months to get your own system down, but when you get good at it you'll be excited with all the money saved! Next step... put that money in savings. :D