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5 Grocery Savings Tips

April 29, 2020 | Modified: June 26, 2020

Many of us are looking for ways to save these days. Groceries can often be one of our biggest weekly expenses. Especially if you are feeding a family and everyone is adding their favorite snacks to your weekly grocery list. So just what can you do to cut down on the cost of your weekly grocery run? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Plan your meals for the week

If you’re like most of us, you shop weekly; buying everything you need for the following week. The best place to start on your road to grocery savings is in your own kitchen and pantry. Take an inventory of what you already have on hand. Your likely to find many items that you forgot you had. This inventory will give you a great start towards your meal planning for next week and prevent you from buying items you already have. You can also base your meal plan on meats and other items you find on sale at your favorite grocery stores. Check their online circulars to see where you can find your best deals. You can typically find many of your favorite circulars in one place at flipp.com, or on the flipp app. You just plug in your zip code and select groceries to see all of the grocery circulars in your area. Planning your meals based on what’s on hand; as well as what’s on sale will pay-off in the form of big savings. You may want to consider switching up the grocery store you shop from week to week based on where you can get the best deals on what you need at that particular time.

2. Make a list – what should be on your grocery list, and what shouldn’t 

We’ve all done it…gone into the grocery store to purchase a few necessary items to get us through the week, and instead come out with a full cartload of many items we really didn’t need. Making a list and sticking to that list will prevent this from happening. The list should include all of the items you currently do not have in-house that are needed to make your pre-planned meals; plus any extras you need, such as milk, eggs, etc. It’s fine to purchase a few snacks for the kiddos or the adults for that matter. Just don’t go overboard and be cost-conscious. What are some things you shouldn’t buy at the grocery store? Health and beauty products are usually lower priced at big box stores and pharmacy chains.  The flipp app we mentioned above is also handy for looking at pharmacy and general merchandise circulars to compare pricing. We don’t recommend making a special trip to a big box to just buy one bottle of shampoo. You need to plan your trips to realize greater savings.

3. Use Technology – download a discount grocery or coupon app

We mentioned the flipp app for circulars, but there are many other apps to help you get discounts and even cashback. A few of our favorites include:

  • ibotta – You can download and search the ibotta app for digital coupons on items at grocery and retail stores. Buy the items you have coupons for and upload a picture of your receipt to your ibotta account. The app will deposit your cashback bonus into your account. Once your account reaches $20, you can transfer it to your Venmo or PayPal account.
  • Fetch Rewards – View participating brands on Fetch Rewards and then shop for those brands. Snap and upload a picture of your receipt and you’re awarded points on all of the participating brands or special offers you purchased. Redeem your points for various gift cards.
  • Checkout 51 – This cashback app saves you money on your favorite brands, groceries, and necessities. Browse the grocery offers on the app, buy advertised groceries, and upload a photo of your receipt to redeem your offer.
  • Coupons.com – Get access to hundreds of digital and printable coupons; as well as coupon codes. Download the app to save money without ever printing a coupon.

4. When in the grocery store, remember eye-level equals valuable real estate

Those items that are easiest to see are probably not the best bargains in the store. Grocery stores are strategically designed to make you buy more items, which means spending more. Looking high and low on the shelves can often result in much better deals on a particular item. That’s also where you’re most apt to find generic and store brands, which can add up to bigger savings.

5. Skip the convenience items 

Pre-cut fruits and veggies, pre-washed bagged salads, pre-made sandwiches, and snack-sized items can all add up to a much higher grocery bill. This goes for those conveniently placed items in the check-out line, such as candy, gum, snack bars, and bottled sodas and water. You know you don’t really need any of that, so don’t buy it.

Benchmark FCU is here to help

We hope these tips will help you enjoy bigger savings at the grocery store this week and every week. Realizing that extra money left in your pocket at the end of the month all comes down to a little extra planning. Finally, if you really can’t control your in-store spending, you might want to consider a grocery delivery service. Many grocery stores offer their own delivery service. If your grocery store doesn’t, you can look into Instacart. Sometimes avoiding the store completely is the best way to save. Check our Benchmark FCU blog for more helpful information and money-saving tips like these.

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