How to Save Money at the Grocery Store

For some, a weekly or monthly trip to the grocery store is a daunting task. In between picking and choosing the foods and various sundry items you need, you try and find ways to make it easier on the wallet. While some grocery stores offer special shopper cards that allow you to receive lower prices on a variety of items, oftentimes the savings are meager, amounting to more than then dollars or so on a $75 grocery bill. This article will highlight several ways in which your trip to the grocery store can have a positive impact on your wallet.

A common mistake among many grocery shoppers is not making a proper list. Many just hop in the car and walk up and down the aisles, and this can lead to overspending via purchasing items you really don't need. Before heading out to the store, go through your cabinets and refrigerator and make a list of all the items you need to purchase for the week or month (depending on the frequency of your shopping). When combined with only going down the aisles that feature these items, you're significantly reducing the chances of purchasing extraneous items that you simply do not need. Of course, impulse buys will always rear their ugly heads, so one must exercise a modicum of self-discipline to ensure you don't end up with five bags of potato chips because they were on sale for $1.50.

So you have your list and you're ready to shop, right? Wrong. Although knowing precisely what you're going to purchase can save you oodles of money, this can always be combined with the one-two punch of seeking out deals in weekly circulars and the age old tradition of coupon clipping. When making your list, plan your purchases around what's on sale at your regular grocery store and even other stores you don't normally frequent. Combine these purchases with the coupons found in Sunday circulars, which can be doubled or tripled at some stores. For die-hard coupon clippers, several additional manufacturer's coupons and store coupons, which can be combined with sales to provide huge discounts, can be downloaded and printed online.

Once you've worked out a plan of attack, it's time to hit the stores. While many of the coupons you have found offer great savings, you should be sure to keep an eye out for generic brands of the same type of item that end up being cheaper than even the discounted major brand. Plus, keep an eye out for items that have coupons attached to them, as well as those little coupon dispensers found throughout most aisles of several grocery store chains. Finally, once you've made your purchases, keep your eye on the receipt, as many times they include discounts known as Catalinas. These can be applied to future purchases as well.

With a little ingenuity and patience, saving big bucks at grocery stores need not be a difficult task. Over time, coupons and rebates can add up. Just ask the woman whose $92 grocery bill cost her less than $5 after utilizing rebates and coupons.

More great money-saving articles can be found at Associated Content.