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Saving Dollars Food Shopping
Wednesday, September 21, 2005

By Christina VanGinkel

With the cost of living rising on everything from gas to groceries, it is time to cut costs wherever we can. Grocery shopping is one area that many people assume there is no room to save, but more often than not, they are wrong. There are definitive ways to save on grocery shopping, and most of them are easily accomplished.

Never head to the store without a list in hand. Keep a notepad in the kitchen specifically for this task, and add to it throughout the week. Plan your meals ahead of time, and shop accordingly. Check for staples and add any needed items to the list before shopping, such as bread, milk, oleo, flour, and sugar. Keep a sub-list for bathroom needs including but not limited to tissue, shampoo, and bar soap. I also keep a sub-list of errands that need doing, such as returning library books and getting the oil changed in my car. While last minute additions may still be tossed into the cart on shopping day, people with lists are much less likely to fill their cart with unneeded items than those who shop list free. You will also save, both in time and gas, spent running to the store for one of this and one of that, or back to town for a forgotten task. All of this will add up to money saved on gasoline, a major expenditure of any trip to town.

Clipping coupons was once something only very cost conscious people did. With today's prices, only the foolish do not use coupons. Using them consistently though is something few of us do. By investing in a small coupon wallet that will fit in the glove box of your vehicle, or in your purse, so it is always available when you shop will mean the difference between saving $1.00 on that box of cereal, and remembering that you thought you had a coupon. With coupons commonly in the fifty cents to two dollar range, even using a few each week can add up quickly. Finding coupons is becoming easier than ever too, so there is little excuse for not using them. Magazines, newspapers, and even the internet all are good sources. Many stores also offer a discount card. They in turn offer savings on products that are only given if you use the card at checkout. The thinking being that if you carry a card from a store, you will be more likely to return to the same store.

Try store brand or discount brand products. With their prices typically fifty percent or more less than name brand products of the same size and type, it would be cost foolish to not try them. Many products have no recognizable difference once they are out of their cartons or cans, though some do. If you are using something in a recipe though, chances are even those products that are somewhat less on quality may have no identifiable difference in the finished dish.

Buying in bulk can be a good way to save money in the end, if you have the space and money to put out at the beginning. Warehouse stores that offer items in bulk are a good source for savings related to this type of shopping. Many require a membership fee that costs a set amount each year, but if your family consumes a large amount of food, this can be a great way to cut your overall food budget down to a manageable size.

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