Tips for Grocery Shopping on a Budget

Tips for Grocery Shopping on a Budget

Times are tough, and with them, comes the need to make our dollars stretch a little bit further. While we all have certain fixed payments – mortgages, rent, insurance etc, the one place we may be able to cut back on, is our grocery bills.

Coupon cutting has long since been a way to get great deals on groceries. You can save up to 100% on buy one, get one free deals, or big discounts if you buy two or more. However, even to cut out coupons, you need to plan in advance. One way to do this is by visiting the dollar store and investing in a coupon organizer (yes, they actually make these handy planners). In it, you can store your coupons by order of store or date, whichever your preference. You might also want to keep a small nail scissors with you, so you can cut out any unexpected coupons you might come across.

Once you have developed the fine art of sorting through newspapers and magazines to get your daily coupons, you can begin signing on to websites that allow you to download them for free. Alternatively, you can also subscribe to these sites and have them sent straight to your inbox.

Visiting stores like Costco, where you can buy in bulk, is yet another way of harnessing savings. The downside to this is that you might end up spending on items you don’t really need, just because it’s a great deal. To counteract this, draw up a list of items you know you will use, and indulge in willpower to help you bypass those great deals that are tempting, but not on the list. And remember that even sites like Costo have coupons, so you can avail of special offers.

With the launch of daily deal sites, there’s yet another way to reduce your grocery shopping. Sign up to daily deal site aggregators, which allow you to filter your options. Some of the popular ones are Dealery, Yipit, and DealRod. These sites combine daily deals from sites like Groupon and Livingsocial and deliver it right to your inbox. Even Yahoo and Bing have seen the potential in daily deal aggregator sites and have jumped on the bandwagon. With so many different options, it’s easy to subscribe to the one that best fills your needs.

After you subscribe to receive emails, you can set your filters to receive food and dining related deals. While you might not necessarily get your milk and OJ at a discounted price (for perishable goods, it’s often easier to stick to print and purchase coupons), we have seen a lot of bakery and non-perishable deals on offer.

If you have rushed out and shopped in a hurry, there’s a way to redeem this. A newly launched site allows you to exchange coupons with other shoppers online. It is a simple and efficient way to ensure you use what you purchase, or sell what you don’t require. The site is open to new categories, so setting up one for groceries might be an excellent way to further reduce your bills.

So there you have it, innumerable ways to cut back on your spending. It is possible to enjoy life, and groceries on a budget. Just think and plan in advance and you could be halving your expenditure before your know it.