Want more grocery shopping tips that’ll help you save a few bucks? Here’s part 2 of 3 for the guest post by Janelle of At Home with My Monkeys. If you missed the first tips, take a look at part I.
Now, look again at your ads. Pay closest attention to the front pages, as this is where the stores tend to list
their best deals and loss leaders. For instance, one of my local stores has boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.49/lb this week. This is an excellent price! At that price, I plan to buy about 15 lbs. I do have extra freezer space for this amount of chicken, but if you don’t have the space I do, buy as much as you can safely store and that you can afford.
Since your list of necessary groceries is shorter than usual, you can use the funds you have left in the budget to make this type of buy-ahead purchase. Another great deal in my area right now is on cereal – if you buy 3 boxes ($6) at one store, they will give you a coupon for a free gallon of milk on your next purchase. I have coupons that will make the cost of the 3 boxes $4.50, and I will still get the free milk. So, I also plan to buy cereal this week. On both of these deals, I’m spending about $27 and getting enough chicken for a couple of months, and enough cereal to finish out the month. That’s money I won’t have to spend on full-priced chicken and cereal for awhile. See how this works??
By planning your dinners around what you already have, you free up some of your grocery money to take advantage of the best sales. You might not need chicken this week, but if it’s the cheapest price you’ve seen in months, this is the time to buy! Now you will have it in the freezer for the chicken recipes you want to make next week and the week after, but you don’t have to spend your grocery money on it that week – you can spend that money on something else.
Come back tomorrow for the part III conclusion on Janelle’s grocery shopping strategy!
Filed under: Frugal Tips, Guest Posts
