A guide on grocery shopping...
All the food I bought under $100...
Okay, I don't know about you but grocery shopping is one of my favorite hobbies??? I enjoy it with a passion!!! From looking at the sales ads, to making a grocery list, and walking down the aisles and finding new snacks and ingredients. It's way too much fun! These are just a few tips and tricks for grocery shopping. Tips huh? Why would you need them? You are probably shopping wrong or even want to save some dollars. Continue reading below. You don't need to follow every tip or trick but try one or even two.
1. TOOLS
When I am about to do a big grocery haul for a week or two, I bring out my planner, pen, notepad or two, and my laptop. First of all, I am very old school so I like to write things down and cross them out. Each writing gadget will be used in different ways, so keep reading.
2. MY CURRENT STOCK
So I typically write down what I have in my fridge/pantry so I know what I have and what I need to use up first. I then could see what I could make for different meals. There are also ingredients that I always keep in stock so I'll write it down to remember to buy it!
3. ADS & COUPONS
I always look at my local grocery store ads! I compare different stores and choose which ones I'd go to. I try to make one trip to one store (especially during these times), but sometimes I need to go to two because some may not have items I need. I typically go to the local Mexican & Asian markets because of how cheap they are! I also look through the ads to make sure I add in each item to my coupons if they are available. I try to base what I keep in stock depending on what's on sale. I also consider certain items that I could really stock up on (multiples) when looking through ads. When I stock on certain sale items, they usually last me a while until the next sale goes on.
4. GROCERY LIST
This tip is what I need to have a successful and smooth sailing grocery trip. I write down at each store that I am going to and I have the order of how I'm going to walk in the store. I grocery shop very often so I pretty much know what's in what aisle and the layout of the store. For example, when I enter the store, it's usually the produce section first so I will make that the first part of my list and so on. This will also help me maneuver the store so I am not drifting away spending money on things that I don't really need to buy. I am able to go in and out of the store, and I can make sure I buy each item to prevent from having to go back and forth.
5. MEAL PLANNING
I do but I don't meal plan. I usually have the same items in my fridge or pantry and could make various meals with those ingredients. One way to also help is just creating a list of meal ideas and choose it throughout the week. I don't really meal plan way in advanced, but I do a day before. This gives me more options and sometimes I have other craving or things may come up. I feel that this saves money because I'm less likely to spend money eating out. I also save time because I already have an idea of what to cook. I sometimes have a hard time deciding what to cook and I get very frustrated!
I hope you gain something from these tips and tricks on grocery shopping. For my last grocery haul, I spent about $70 for a week and a half to two weeks worth of groceries. I do understand that costs varies on your town, but the dollar amount I spent isn't what mattered. It's about how much I saved. If I just bought things just to buy them; didn't make a list or didn't look at the ads I am positive I'd probably spend easily twice as much. From experience, I used to shop everyday for the meals I wanted to eat, I felt that I spent more. On average I would spend about $20 a day ($140/week)!! That's way too much money. I literally do this every time I have to get groceries and it helps so much. Hopefully these tips could save you some moolah and you could use that extra cash for something else!
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