Grocery Savings

Here are some tips for saving money on food and groceries. 1. Clip coupons and shop a store's sales and specials. 2. Shop at wholesale or discount stores. 3. Buy produce from a local produce shop, because you can usually find good produce at great prices, while supporting local farmers. 4. Always take a shopping list with you, and stick to it. 5. As you throw items into your cart jot down the price, and run a tally so that there are no surprises at the register. 6. Check out your store's clearance section in the meat department if it has one. It can be hit and miss to find anything, but sometimes you can get lucky and find items at a good price. Plan your weekly meals around the clearance meat that you find. 7. Another way to cut costs is to hit your store's bulk section for different staple items. You save money here because you are not paying for the packaging of the product, since you are bagging it yourself. You can find a variety of items from beans, noodles and rice to cereal, flour and spices. You can create a nice meal if you combine the pastas from the bulk section with some sauces such as various types of cream of soup cans or dry seasoning packages like alfredo mix. 8. Some good ideas for meats to stock up on that can usually be found at a reasonable price are cans of tuna, frozen bags of chicken and hamburger. 9. Buy fruit that is in season, and then if possible freeze it for later in the year. Bananas are usually a fruit that can be purchased for a cheap price, and then if they go bad before you get a chance to eat them you can always make banana bread for the week. 10. Plant a garden. It is a good way to save money, and have fresh fruits and vegetables. 10. Avoid buying frozen meals and dinners. They are usually costly, and could easily be created from scratch for a cheaper price. 11. Make sure to not waste leftovers. Plan them into other meals throughout the week.