It doesn’t matter if you’re enjoying the single life and living off takeaways and TV dinners for one, or a parent who’s feeding a hungry family. Food is a necessary expense. But wouldn’t it be great if we could reduce the amount of money we spend at our local store? Saving money is easy if you’re equipped with the right knowledge. In this article, we’ll look at four tricks to maximize your grocery savings. So let’s get started!
Be prepared before heading out
Before heading to the store, make a shopping list. By listing everything you need to buy, you ensure that you’ll purchase only the products you need and help prevent your eyes from wandering to additional items (like cookies and candy). Always double-check your pantry for ingredients. Think of innovative new meals you can make with what’s already in there.
Take advantage of coupons and sales
Using coupons for shopping doesn’t appeal to everyone – but the prospect of saving money does! Fortunately, there are many easy ways to save money at your local grocery store that don't involve a host of coupon binders and countless hours of coupon-cutting. Feel free to cut out coupons for items you purchase frequently, but don’t forget to take advantage of technology to benefit from even more great deals.
For instance, Ibotta is an app that’s available for both Android and iOS, and is incredibly fun and easy to use. By using Ibotta, you can save an average of $20 every time you go shopping, and even more! Unlike most types of savings and coupon applications out there, Ibotta helps to personalize your saving and shopping experience.
Ibotta works in an incredibly simple way. Before you head to the store, simply click on your Ibotta app and select the products you’re intending to purchase. Once you have chosen an item, you will then be asked to complete a task. The more tasks you complete, the more money you will begin to earn. You can even invite your friends and family to join Ibotta using a personal referral link. With each friend or family member who registers with Ibotta, you will earn $1.
Know your local stores
Over the years, grocery stores have managed to perfect the art of laying out their shelves to make you spend as much as possible. Now that you know this secret, it means you can counteract their strategy. Stores will typically keep eggs, milk, bread and other daily essentials at the back of the store, which means you need to walk past all the delicious-looking snacks and temptations to get to what you actually came to shop for.
Make smart purchases
You are no doubt used to purchasing the same brands and the same foods, so you probably haven’t taken a closer look at what you’re putting into your shopping cart. To save more money at the grocery store, why not reconsider some of the choices you make in an effort to save more? Of course, fresh vegetables are great – but have you considered buying frozen? These are often a lot cheaper and work wonders for soups and as an additional ingredient in any meal. It’s also recommended to purchase produce that’s in season to get a better bargain.