I know that most of us here use coupons. They are awesome – but some people don’t want to deal with the “hassle”. You CAN save money without using coupons (although it isn’t as much fun!) by following these tips:
Make a shopping list and stick to it.
Before hitting the store(s), check your local flyers and jot down the best deals. Try to only buy what is on sale (although this is sometimes not possible, I know!). Once you get everything on your list, get your butt out of the store!
Make a weekly menu.
After you have noted what is on sale at the stores this week, plan your meals around the sale items. Are ground beef and pork chops on sale? Looks like you’ll be having burgers, pasta and pork chops for dinners. See oatmeal and Shreddies on sale? Guess what’s for breakfast?!
Shop alone.
Bringing your kids or spouse with you will only lead to unneccesary purchases (trust me on this one!). If you MUST bring your kids, make sure that they know you have to stick to your shopping list and buy nothing else.
Stock up when things go on sale.
Set aside a certain amount in your budget each month for stocking up on sale items. Then, when things like meat or cereal or juice go on sale for super cheap, STOCK UP! Purchase as many as you can afford/store/use before the item goes bad.
Eat less meat.
Let’s face it, meat is expensive. Delicious, but expensive. Try having at least one meatless meal per week to save yourself some money. When you do have meat, try making your other dishes the main course, and the meat the side dish so you do not eat a large portion of it.
Stop buying convenience items.
Grated cheese, chopped garlic, and pre-cut fruits/veggies are all items you should avoid if you want to save money. Stop being so lazy and just do those things yourself!
Buy the store brand.
I understand that there are certain items some people would NEVER trade for store brand (mac and cheese for me – I LOVE YOU KD!), but most things you can. We use store brand honey, crushed/diced tomatoes, nuts, spices, crackers and many other things and they taste just as good (sometimes better) than the name brand! Store brand items are almost always cheaper than name brand, so try them out if you want to save some serious cash.
Shop AROUND the store.
Produce, meats, dairy and bread are all located around the store. The center aisles are filled with things like chips, pop, cereal, crackers, condiments, etc. – and many of those things are not necessary. Shop AROUND the store for the freshest, cheapest foods.
Only buy produce that is in season.
There is always something in season. Check your flyers to see what the cheapest items are (using on the front or back page) – those are the items that are in season!
Don’t shop when you’re hungry.
Please tell me you knew this rule already. Right? Shopping while you are hungry always leads to very bad things. Impulse buys will just KILL your grocery budget. Eat something filling before you head out to go shopping.
Look high & low.
The most expensive items are ALWAYS placed at eye level. Look at the top and bottom shelves to find cheaper items (and sometimes you will get lucky and even score some CLEARANCE items – clearance is your friend. I call him Clarance.).
Compare unit prices.
See which size item has the lowest cost per unit – that’s the one you want to buy! Of course, make sure you are actually going to use the whole thing. Saving money on something you just end up throwing away is not actually saving money at all.
great tips mrsjanuary.
Great advice! This also applies to those of us trying to watch our waists as well as our wallets – make a list, weekly menus, shop alone, eat less meat, stop buying convenience items, don’t shop when hungry, and shop around the store.
Now just think how much you can save shopping this way and using coupons!!
Thanks MrsJanuary for all your great money saving tips!
Couple of extra tips I would add:
– shop at lower priced stores such as No Frills, Price Chopper, etc.
– bring your own shopping bags or use a cart rather than paying 10 cents per bag
I am semi-vegan … in otherwords, if the DH wasn’t so “I need more meat” we’d have none! lol
I do in anything with a sauce and grd. beef (ie. spaghetti, pasta, chili) substitute 1/3 c. tvp for 1/2 lb. grd. meat. Cut meat usage easily in 1/2 and who knows! :0 NO ONE! yEAH …….
Great as always MrsJanuary ! Keep it up, some of the points I already knew but for got thanks for the reminder.
Good ideas. Another one – you mention convenience items, but that should also include pre-packaged items, meals, etc. Cook your own meals – don’t have to be fancy, simple can be wonderful!
Like Chi, I want to echo the one about bringing your own bags – either the resuable type or plastic ones.
I find it quite amusing to read shopping brags, then see at the bottom of a list that shoppers are paying five cents for a plastic bag. I know, I know, it’s ‘only’ five cents, but…
thanks for an inspiring article. Great tips!
thanks for reading my post everyone! im glad it is helpful to some 🙂
Keke’s is right- subbing in some TVP (textured vegetable protein) for some of the ground meat is great! Plus it’s super healthy and well..packed full of protein. You can usually buy TVP at Bulk Barn or health food stores for less than $1.50 a pound. This stuff is dehydrated, so a pound gets you a lot especially because when it’s re-hydrated it doubles in bulk.
Thanks for the tips Mrsjanuary！
This info should be EVERYWHERE – so helpful : )
thanks for the money saving tips 🙂
Had to laugh about “don’t shop when hungry”….same thing applies to thirsty! I remember shopping once when I was dying of thirst and coming home with about 14 different kinds of juice! lol….
yes that’s true too! i usually carry a water bottle with me when m shopping
Lol some stuff I already knew but I loved reading this whole article. There was humour in little palces (don’t know you you noticed). If you wrote a book I would read it! I don’t know why, but the name Clarence makes me laugh!
Chi of Steel–where are you paying 10 cents per bag?
I agree that preparing lists at home and leafing through flyers in advance is doing most of the advance work. While logically, if we all had time and the means to eat first before heading in to shop, we’d do that. However, if I commute by public transit and the grocery store is on my way home at the end of the day, I will get the groceries first (with list in hand and a limit on what I can carry home) then worry about supper later. I don’t often feel like shopping once I sit down and determine how much of my remaining day can fit in the remaining tasks of the day.
I find it funny that you tell people not to buy convenience items yet you buy Kraft Dinner, which is a convenience food. Macaroni and cheese is extremely simple to make, so stop being lazy and shred some cheese and pour some milk. Also, you can’t find KD AROUND the store, it’s in a center aisle. 😛
P.S. PC white cheddar mac n cheese is far superior to KD!! 😉
@Ciel: I don’t pay for bags, which was my point. But they are charged most everywhere these days in the Greater Toronto Area, typically 5-10 cents. Shoppers Drug Mart bags are 10 cents, if I recall correctly.
hahah this was great “Clarence” lol 🙂
great advice as I hate carrying alot of coupons,only the ones I really want go with me.