9 Tips to Cut Your Grocery Bill by Up to 50 Percent

Food is one of those variable expenses that can definitely hit your budget below the belt. I mean, have you seen the price of beef lately?

According to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average U.S. household spent about $4,000 on groceries in 2012.

The good news is that couponing, shopping sales and making a list aren’t the only ways to save a substantial amount of money on your grocery bill. In the video below, Money Talks News money expert Stacy Johnson offers some tips to slash your food costs by up to 50 percent. Take a look and meet me on the other side for additional suggestions.

Watch the video of ’9 Tips to Cut Your Grocery Bill by Up to 50 Percent’ on MoneyTalksNews.com.

1. Do your own slicing and dicing

Prepackaged products are convenient for the consumer, but they also come with a much higher price tag. Although it may be a tad bit time-consuming, buying whole food products, such as fruit from the produce section, whole chicken, block cheese and fresh vegetables, will save you a substantial amount of money.

In other words, put your hands to work and stop paying others for something you can do on your own.

2. Buy generic

What’s the point of buying the high-end version of the product if the generic one is comparable in both quality and taste? That’s exactly why you should give those generics a shot, and save between 20 and 50 percent on your grocery bill while doing so.

I was once a Froot Loop junkie until I discovered that the Walmart brand not only tastes better, but is half the price.

And with store brands, you can also rest assured that you’re not wasting money, as most grocers offer a money-back guarantee on their products if you are not satisfied. So why not give it a shot? You may just be in for a treat.

3. Seek alternative sources

Be sure to check out alternatives to the major grocery chains to substantially reduce your grocery bill. And, no, I’m not referring only to warehouse clubs, such as Sam’s Club and Costco, but local meat markets, fruit stands, food coops and salvage grocery stores. The latter stock dented cans, closeouts and items with torn packaging — at rock-bottom prices.

Please note that dented cans have the potential to be hazardous to your health. Check out this document to learn more.

4. Store food properly

Storing your food in the most effective manner possible will extend the food’s shelf life and significantly reduce the number of trips you make to the grocery store each month. You can butter cheese to prevent mold, store perishables in smaller quantities in durable, air-tight containers, and freeze meats.

Also, take a look at this list of optimal storage times from FoodSafety.gov.

5. Shop strategically

Just like everything else in life, saving big bucks on your grocery bill requires that some sort of strategy be implemented.

For instance, you should never go to the store hungry because you will be tempted to buy all sorts of junk food and other items that look good. Instead, fill up your food tank before heading out so you don’t need to resist the urge to give in to your cravings.

If you’re a member of a warehouse club, take advantage of the bulk offers on the items that you consume frequently. The Sam’s Club in my neck of the woods offers a jumbo box of oatmeal for $8.99, which is what I used to spend for two small boxes each month. But thanks to what I like to call the “mega-pack,” we are still eating away three months later.

6. Look forward to leftovers

There’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned family feast that provides plenty of leftovers, enough to last for several days. In my home, after a holiday meal or other special occasion I know I’ll be spared from cooking duties for a few days.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you cook a Thanksgiving feast for a family of four in an ordinary week, but it’s not a bad idea to prepare a large enough meal to yield leftovers that can be consumed for lunch the following day.

7. Set boundaries

The ultimate goal here is saving, correct? That’s why your needs must supersede your wants. Isn’t it funny how we all of a sudden crave items that we hadn’t thought of before we spot them in an aisle at the grocery store? You must not give in to your cravings, but be disciplined enough to stick to your grocery budget and list.

8. Check the bottom racks

Manufacturers pay for shelf space, and they sometimes cover the cost by passing it on to the consumer. When you’re grocery shopping, take a moment to look at the lower shelves for the cheaper products that you may have been overlooking in the past.

9. Plan ahead

It’s important to plan ahead if you want to cut your grocery bill in half. For instance, you won’t spend money on items you already have in your home.

I’d also suggest creatively combining the food products already at your disposal and preparing meals with items that have been collecting dust on the shelf. In other words, be wise with what you already have, and don’t let food go to waste.

Help Lower Your Monthly Bills is a blog dedicated to helping you save money on your monthly bills. We find the best money saving tips and offer them on our easy to navigate blog. We also offer a easy to use workbook that is guaranteed to lower your monthly bills and save you hundreds of dollars a year. Hopefully you find this information helpful and put it to use in your montly budget!

Food Stamps Being Cut Learn How to Maximize Coupons

Maximizing Coupon Savings

If you are like most people, you clip a coupon here and there and feel great about saving your 50 cents. You probably have also seen those die-hard coupon clippers in front of you in line at the grocery store who have a coupon for everything. Have you ever wondered to yourself, "How do they find all those coupons and save so much?" Today is your lucky day. Here are the keys to couponing success!

You obviously need to take the time to match your coupons to items you buy. Maximizing yoursavings means matching the coupons to items when they are on sale. If you save 50 cents off Ziploc bags, it is a better deal to save that 50 cents off the sale price than full price!

Horde all the coupons you can find! Coupons are found in more places than just your Sunday paper. Look for coupons online, at the grocery store, attached to products you recently bought, attached to bottles of wine (this varies by state), and through coupon clipping services. If you horde all the coupons you find, you'll be able to trade away coupons you'll never use for multiple copies of ones you will use. I don't have any pets, but I love to trade those coupons for diaper coupons to keep my little one dry! A great resource for finding coupons you're looking for is AFullCup.com. Since the membership is free, it is a great one-stop shop for all your savings needs (and not just at the grocery store)!

Stockpile items that have a long shelf life. Shampoo, razors, canned goods, soda, soap, laundrydetergent, diapers, perfume, gifts, lotion, cereal, the list could go on and on. When a good sale pops up, get a fistful of coupons and go stock up! When cereal went on sale $10 for 10 boxes, I got 30 boxes, matched a coupon to each, and watched the cashier's jaw drop. 3 months later, I'm still enjoying it!

Rebates are the frugal couponer's dream! The triple threat: sale, coupon, rebate! Partial rebates definitely add to the savings and sometimes combined with the coupon and sale actually end up being full rebates. Find an item on sale, clip the coupon, send in the rebate. I often get items (like my contact solution) for the cost of one postage stamp!

Sometimes spending more means saving more. My local grocery store often hands out dollar off coupons if your total is higher than the stated amount. Recently, the amount was $180. For a family of three, I rarely get $180 worth of groceries at one time. However, if I am getting $20 off of $180, why not take the time to see if there are some areas of my stockpile getting low and add them to my grocery cart to bump my total up so I can save that additional $20 I would not have before? Don't let this be a trap. Only get what you have a coupon for and what is already on sale!

Don't be loyal to one store. It is so tempting to save some time and shop only at one store; however, this mentality keeps you from maximizing your savings by having multiple sales available to you at once-after all, not all sales are created equal!

Ask for the coupon policies at your store. Some supermarkets double coupons. If yours doubles up to $1, a .50 cent coupon (which can be doubled) is more worthwhile than a .55 coupon (which will not double) for the same item. My local supermarket takes expired coupons up to 6 months old! Maybe yours takes competitor's coupons!

The more you coupon, the more you save. It is an investment of time, but just like most things in life the more you put in, the more you get out! The more you coupon the better you get. Why not go to AFullCup.com and start your savings today?!

This article was written for AFullCup.com by Mandiedq

Help Lower Your Monthly Bills is a blog dedicated to helping you save money on your monthly bills. We find the best money saving tips and offer them on our easy to navigate blog. We also offer a easy to use workbook that is guaranteed to lower your monthly bills and save you hundreds of dollars a year. Hopefully you find this information helpful and put it to use in your montly budget!

How to Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck

 

By Abby HayesFebruary 10, 2014 9:42 AM

Living paycheck to paycheck is stressful, and it doesn't take much to turn a paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle into a financial disaster. What if your car breaks down? Or, you need to take extended sick leave from work? Or, your company lays you off?

If scenarios like these strike fear into your heart, it's time to change your financial situation. It won't be easy. Yet, the peace of mind will be worth the effort and sacrifice. To get off the paycheck-to-paycheck treadmill to reclaim your finances and your life, try these four steps:

1. Take a survey. When it comes to personal finances, many people try to make changes without knowing what they need to adjust. You might think you're spending too much on groceries, for instance, but maybe you're really overspending on entertainment. Or, you may assume paying off your credit cards will be the fastest way to free up extra money, when you really need to downgrade your car. So before you set any financial goals, take time to do a thorough personal financial audit. What are your biggest bills each month? Where are you spending money that you don't even realize you're spending? You might be surprised at how much you don't know about your spending habits. Arming yourself with knowledge is a great way to get started.

2. Set attainable goals. You won't get anywhere financially if you drift along aimlessly, trying only to put food on the table and pay the electric bill on time. But you may start to see progress if you simply set some goals. Goals will focus your efforts and lead to success. Start by setting smaller goals that are easily achievable. Reaching these small goals will give you the confidence you need to tackle larger, longer-term goals. A few goals you might start with include saving $100 a month for the next three months, paying off $1,000 in credit card balances by March, trimming $50 a month off your grocery bill and tracking every dollar's worth of spending for 30 days. These goals are baby steps, but any one of them will help bring your journey toward financial freedom. Once you achieve a tiny goal, set a slightly larger one.

3. Make your budget realistic. Now that you know where you're overspending and what your first financial goals are, it's time to budget. But don't go about this the wrong way. Too many people budget based on fantasy rather than reality. If you've been spending $800 a month on groceries, you're not going to whittle your grocery budget down to $400 a month overnight. Start by setting a budget based on what you're already spending. If you've spent $750 to $800 on groceries for each of the past three months, budget that much each month. You know you'll have enough, and you won't go over budget.

4. Be pound wise. Have you ever heard the phrase "penny wise, pound foolish?" It's a phrase that refers to our tendency to get wrapped up in the small things, so that we miss the larger, more important ones. If you spend all Sunday afternoon clipping 25-cent coupons, but then order $30 worth of pizza for dinner, you're probably being penny wise but pound foolish. When tackling your financial problems, it's important to look for the areas of biggest impact. Eliminating your $80 a month cable subscription will have a bigger impact than cutting out that $3 a week you spend, for instance, on the occasional drive-thru coffee. You'll save even more money if you drop your cable subscription and drive-thru coffee, but the cable subscription has a much bigger impact.

So to begin this journey, look for the three biggest changes you can make in your finances among such things as: refinancing your house, paying off high-interest credit card debt, downgrading your car, eliminating several restaurant meals a month.

These changes could lead to significant progress, more than smaller changes you may make later as you gain momentum in your financial freedom journey.

Abby Hayes is a freelance blogger and journalist who writes for personal finance blog The Dough Roller and contributes to Dough Roller's weekly newsletter.

Help Lower Your Monthly Bills is a blog dedicated to helping you save money on your monthly bills. We find the best money saving tips and offer them on our easy to navigate blog. We also offer a easy to use workbook that is guaranteed to lower your monthly bills and save you hundreds of dollars a year. Hopefully you find this information helpful and put it to use in your montly budget!