How To Save Money When Shopping For Household Food Staples
In the United States, it’s entirely likely that you spend just as much on food every month as you do on your rent or your house payment, but it doesn’t have to be that way if you pay attention to a few simple tips. Grocery shopping can be made cheap again, but it may take a little effort on your part.
While your mother and grandmother may have raved about coupons, let’s be realistic: is the time that it takes to cut them out or collect them online really worth the extra few cents that you save? Clipping coupons and knowing when to use them can turn into a real pain, so while you should be on the lookout for coupons on things that you purchase often, don’t go scouring the newspaper for coupons on things that don’t matter much to you. It’s often not worth the effort, especially when dealing with printable coupons online, because getting them often involves giving your e-mail address and personal information.
If an item goes on sale, then is the time to stock up on it. 12 packs of soda are one thing in particular that go on sale, especially around the 4th of July. Items that are going to be bought in large quantities often go on sale for very low dollar amounts compared to their normal price, so stock up on them while the price is low. After the sale is over, the store will likely jack the price back up over the original price, even if it’s only by a few cents. It helps them cover the cost of the sale.
Whatever you do, don’t shop when you don’t feel good. This includes when you’re hungry, stressed, tired, or anything else. Shopping when you’re hungry usually means that you will want a box or can of everything in the store, but this is never economically feasible and you’ll end up purchasing much more than you initially intended to. Shopping when you’re in a hurry also leads to bad purchase decisions.
Don’t forget that you don’t have to have meat at every meal. It’s ingrained into American culture that meat is an absolute necessity and while it is important, you don’t have to eat it at every meal or even every day. Vegetarian recipes are great when you don’t feel like eating anything heavy and they can be quite refreshing after spending so many years having meat every day. Forego the meat once or twice just to try it out and you may be pleasantly surprised.
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Filed under Food by on Jun 12th, 2010.