Using A Coupon Clipping Service And Other Great Money Saving Tips!
So, here are some quick tips to help you save some money on your groceries -
Ive noticed that my weekly shopping bill seems to be higher when Im hungry or when I take the kids shopping with me. Ive tried to explain that we only have a certain amount of money for food each week but sure enough, I find packets of Oreos in the shopping, normally when its too late to put them back. Im sure that having my kids shop with me adds $20 - 30 on my bill!
Ive also noticed (but Im sure that this is fairly common knowledge) but the more expensive items are placed on shelves roughly at eye level. As most people tend to look for what they want at this level. You can normally find a generic version of the same item on the bottom shelf, usually for a cheaper price.
Check to see if you supermarket has a certain day when they put out reduced price produce. A lot of this food is perfectly good to eat, if consumed in the following few days. Failing that, you can throw it in the freezer for a few days, until you can use it.
Use the envelope system when you go shopping (this is more of a general budgeting tip). When I get paid, I withdraw my money from my checking account and place them in separate envelopes for each of the bills I need to pay before I get paid again. I put $200 in my groceries envelope and this is all the money I can use for food (no borrowing from other envelopes). Having a certain amount of cash (leave your debit and credit cards at home) really helps focus the mind on what you really need. Besides, its really embarassing having to put food back if you overspend (but it teaches you to be more careful in the future!)
Start clipping coupons. Im sure that you have seen TLCs extreme couponing. If you havent, these shows follow people who are able to save up to 90% off their shopping bill by using coupons. These savings levels are pretty extreme, but you should be able to save around 20-30% quite easily.
Coupons can be collected from a number of different sources, the best example being your local newspaper. Actually, I suspect that coupons are the reason that the sunday newspapers are so heavy!
The internet is another great place to find coupons. Websites such as CouponSuzy will allow you to print out coupons for free (check with your local supermarket as some dont allow coupons that have been printed out).
Other websites will alert you to coupons by email. Simply submit your email address (or download a coupon toolbar for your web browser) and coupons will emailed directly to you.
If the supermarket you shop at has a loyalty scheme, join it. In return for shopping there regularly, they will give you points on your purchases, which can be exchanged for discounts on your food or gas.
Join a coupon clipping service online. In a similar manner to sites such as CouponSuzy, you can register with a coupon clipping service and buy coupons that you need. You will have to pay a small amount for each coupon, but it does save a huge amount of time not having to collect and clip coupons. Until online coupon sites, the coupons you want will be mailed to you a few days later.
If you choose to join a coupon clipping service, make a note of where they are located. Clearly, the further away they are from you, the longer it will take for the coupons to be delivered (though this is not really a problem if you order them well in advance). Ive also heard that different coupon clipping services may have different discounts for the same item. Since food tends to be more expensive in certain areas (e.g. California) the coupons available there tend to offer a bigger reduction on the price.
I hope that these tips can help save you some money and still eat well!
by: Ally Oweni
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