Everybody has to eat, but does it have to be so expensive?
According to the USDA, the average American couple on a “Moderate” food budget spends $618.60 on groceries every month. In comparison, an average family of 4 spends between $893 and $1064 per month on groceries alone. Whhaaatttt??? (Check out the Official Chart from the USDA website to see where you are!) We can safely assume that the same average family probably spends even more money eating at restaurants, on top of the grocery bills!
This is just simply ridiculous to me, since anyone can save money on their groceries without difficulty. Right now, my fiance and I spend under $400 a month on groceries. In February it was $375, this month is longer and we are going to end up about $390. This lands us safely in the “Thrifty” category on the chart, where an average Thrifty couple spends $389.90.
Here are 5 Plain Common Cents ways we save money on groceries:
- Eat what is on sale –
I was explaining to a coworker recently that I had to go to Sprouts Farmers Market on Wednesday for the Double Ad Wednesday Deals to get my vegetables before they went off sale. Shocked, she looked at me and said, “Wait, you only eat what is on sale? You don’t just get what you want?” No. I need to be at least a 100,000-aire of that kind of nonsense. Sale flyers for the grocery stores come out every Wednesday. Take a peek and see what is on sale, and then plan your menu for the rest of the week until next Wednesday and make a shopping list. By meal planning from Wednesday to Wednesday and eating only what is on sale that week, not only do you save the most money, but you learn to cook different foods and enjoy seasonal meals. - Not every “sale” is a good sale/Read the Shelf Tags –
You MUST read the shelf tags at the grocery store. For example, last week King Soopers had a sale on Fudgsicles. I don’t know about you, but I am a sucker for Fudgsicles. As part of the Mega Event Buy 5 Get $5 Off, the price for a 20 count box was 2.99. But you had to buy 5 items to get that price. I was at the grocery store for 3 pantry staples, not for 5 things I didn’t really need. As I stood there hem-hawing in front of the freezer glass, I happened to glance up and spot an even better deal. The 8 count boxes of Fudgsicles were $1 box. So let’s do the math:- Scenario 1:
1 20-count Box Fudgsicles is $2.99 if I buy 4 other items. Let’s say I get 4 $0.99 items to make the 5 items I need for the Mega Sale price. This box of Fudgsicles will end up costing me $6.95 since I did not come here for the 4 other items. Or I could pay $3.99 for one box without buying any of the other 4 items. Total Cost: $6.95 or $3.99 for 20 Fudgsicles - Scenario 2:
1 8-count box Fudgsicles is $1. If I buy 3 boxes of Fudgsicles I get 24 Fudgsicles for $3.00. Total Cost $3 for 24 Fudgsicles
By Reading the shelf tags, I got 4 MORE Fudgsicles for exactly $0.01 more than the advertised sale price, without buying anything I didn’t want or need. So remember, the advertised sale is NOT always the best deal so you have to read the self tags.
- Scenario 1:
- Don’t buy it just because you have a coupon –
I always have my coupons when I go to the store. I usually have the deals I want to get paper-clipped together in a bundle. But sometimes you get to the item you want, and the price is way to high and you know it is not a good deal, even with the coupon. My usual rule of thumb is that if you don’t need it, and it’s going to cost you $3 or more at the register, don’t buy it. That’s when you put it down. File that coupon back in the stack, and walk away. But don’t throw it away, because next week it could go on sale, and if thats the case, you can come back and get a good deal. - Pay Cash – Thanks to Dave Ramsey, I now pay cash for my groceries and use my debit card for everything else. You should always have your list of what you need that week based on the sales flyers. That way you can GUESSTIMATE how much its going to cost you that week for groceries (we don’t have to be THAT anal-retentive). Then you go to the bank and pull out slightly more than you think you are going to spend. Armed with your cash and your coupons, you know that you can’t put those Oreos in your cart, because you might not have enough cash for that. You can’t put 2 boxes of cereal in the cart because you only came for one, and you might not have enough cash for that. And those dollars stay safely in your bank account, not in the cash register.
- Use Rebate Apps – I have been harping on my family and friends about rebate apps. It didn’t take long for my fiance to realize that taking pictures of the receipts is just something I am going to do. Any why the heck would you not use them? You get money back! Yes, they work, and yes, you get real money, not gift cards. Again, only use them on things you were going to buy anyways (see step 3 as rebates count as coupons for all intents and purposes). My 4 favorite apps are listed below, so try them out!
- Ibotta – My personal favorite! Not only are they a Colorado Company (awesome!), but you can also redeem rebates from King Soopers, Albertsons, Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, Sprouts Farmers Market, Safeway, and even more! It’s easy to use, and it’s easy to get your rebate in cash through PayPal. Download it on any smartphone and type in referral code “pcmmyhk” when you sign up through your phone to join my ibotta team. Once your on the team, the whole team can make extra money every month by redeeming our normal rebate offers!
- Shopmium – This app is the best one if you haven’t ever tried a rebate app before. Offers can be redeemed at any store and Shopmium doesn’t have a “minimum” transfer amount. That means that as soon as you redeem an offer and connect your Paypal account you get paid. It is really that simple! Download this app on your phone and type in referral code “KAAUCFKY” to get a FREE Lindt Chocolate bar! Yum!
- Checkout51 – This app is in it for the long haul. This Canadian company has your favorite brand name offers that change every Wednesday at midnight, so make sure you upload receipts before the clock strikes 12! Checkout51 has a new feature where you can redeem more than 1 item on certain offers. For example, I can redeem 3 Boursin Cheese offers this week, instead of just one. Once you hit $20 in redemptions you can cash out and Checkout51 will mail you a check. It’s simple, but patience is key, since you have to earn $20 in rebates to get paid.
- BerryCart – This is the app for Whole Foods and Sprouts shoppers! And you thought eating organic meant never saving any money! BerryCart has all your healthy offers on it, and most of the products can be found at Whole Foods and Sprouts. Make sure to check each grocery stores website for store coupons before you go to save even more money! Join BerryCart here or download it on your phone and then type in referral code “y142UZ20” and start saving.
Plain Common Cent$ 