New Hobby:Strategic Shopping Part 2

Here are a few more saving tips!

6.  Look at Package to Determine Best Deal
Bigger is not always better. Check the packages out! For example, yesterday I purchased two 5lbs. bags of flour for $1.67 each. Most people if they wanted 10 lbs. of flour they would just get the 10lbs. bag. That was not the best deal! The 10 lbs. bag of flour cost $4.50. By purchasing two 5lbs. bags of flour instead of the 10lbs. bags I saved $1.16.

7. Carefully read the sales tags!
Here is a secret that the supermarkets don't want you to know, you don't always have to buy the suggested number of items to get the discounted price.  This week at my grocery store, 1/2 gallons of milk were on sale for 4 for $5.00 or for $1.25 each. I looked at the sales tag and there was no mention of having to actually by four 1/2 gallons of milk. I don't need two gallons of milk. So I purchased two 1/2 gallons of milk which cost me $2.50.  So why didn't I buy a 1 gallon jug of milk? The price of a 1 gallon jug of milk was $2.99. By purchasing two 1/2 gallon jugs instead of a 1 gallon jug of milk, I saved $.49.


8. Shop Early!
I am not a fan of large crowds. That is a personal preference. A year ago I would go grocery shopping at 2:30pm on a Sunday afternoon. This is possibly one of the worst times to go grocery shopping. The aisles are full and the shelves are not fully stocked. Shopping at a busy store was very aggravating for me. There were back ups in the aisles and at the check out. Someone always seemed to be blocking the items that I needed to get. I always felt rushed by other customers if I wanted to get out my calculator and compare prices. It was not a pleasant experience.

Now I shop at 8:00am on Saturday morning. At the stores that I shop at this has turned out to be the best time for me. The stores are pretty empty and the shelves are stocked or in the process of being stocked. I don't feel the pressure to keep going and mindlessly throw things in my cart. I can take the time to make sure I am getting the best deal on each item that I am purchasing. Another bonus, the check out lines are usually really short or empty. Getting to the store early does require that I wake up early on a Saturday, for some this might be a huge sacrifice. For me, I willingly sacrifice a little sleep to have a major weekend task taken care of by 9:00am. I get to cross something off the to-do list. I start that weekend off feeling accomplished.

9. Shop Alone.
 I don't go grocery shopping with my husband. I go alone. When we first got married, we would tackle this chore together. We would go up and down each aisles and throw in the cart whatever we wanted. Our average grocery bill was about $115 a week. The bad thing is that we were not actually buying items for meals, we were just buying what looked good.We would have to come back later in the week to purchased items that we needed. That is a waste of time and money.

Now I go shopping alone with my little list. I have taken the time to plan our meals. I know what ingredients I already have on hand and what items I need to purchase. Only one impulse purchase finds the way into my cart each week. I allow myself only one item per week that is not on my list. Going alone means that there is not someone else there to pressure you into buying more stuff that you don't need.  My total each week comes out to an average of $60 per week. That is a $55 savings!

I hope this post has been helpful! Be sure to check back for other money saving tips and recipes!


Cheers,
Emily