How To Spend Less On Groceries
BOSTON (CBS) - Groceries don't come cheap and they are not a discretionary item in a budget but you do have some flexibility as to how and where you spend your grocery money.
And with some pre-planning and some discipline you may be able to get your groceries on the cheap. Going cheap doesn't mean you have to lower your standards. It means changing how you purchase those goods and services to keep the things that are important to you.
What do you buy every week? Make a list. I am a brand snob and I try to buy the brands my family prefers for the price of the generic.
Walmart and Target are good places to start for staples. I look for sales and stock up when I can.
Create a list. What is your family going to eat this week? What are you going to cook?
Clip those coupons. And forget trying to duplicate the coupon divas that claim they feed their family for $10 a week. Clip what you know your family will eat.
Before you set foot in a grocery store make sure you have eaten something. Shopping when we are hungry weakens our willpower!
Have you noticed the grocery carts are bigger? The hope is you will fill it.
Music in the stores. Are you singing along to the tunes? Grocery stores want you to be happy and not in a hurry so you will stay longer and spend more.
Then there are the great smells that come your way. Roasted chicken near the front as you arrive and oh the bakery with samples to entice you.
The beautiful fresh produce again placed right where you will need to walk by to pick up that gallon of milk or loaf of bread in the back of the store. These are just a few of the ways the grocery stores try to keep you longer in their stores and spending more.
