Tips for saving on groceries

Justmoney recently ran a money makeover competition where we asked our users to submit their best money saving tips and tons of our readers submitted very handy tips on how to save money when you are grocery shopping.

Here are some of the best ones:

Don’t go shopping hungry

For those of you who know The Oatmeal website, you will remember that they did a cartoon depicting something similar. When you shop hungry not only do you buy more stuff but you also tend to buy stuff that is less healthy! Make sure you go shopping with a full tummy.

Look at in-store specials

We all get a ton of junk mail stuffed in our post boxes every week and while we might think that these are annoying, there are some great specials running at various supermarkets all the time. Keep an eye on these and, if you spot something at a really good price, write it down so that you know where to find the best deal.

Keep those coupons

Many stores not only offer in-store coupons with discounts on certain products but some also offer cash-back services. Make use of these offers, you will be surprised how much of a difference they can actually make.

Shop in bulk

You can either share the cost of buying in bulk with a friend or you can buy in bulk and store some food away. Plan out your meals according to what you have bought in bulk. For non-perishables, buy in bulk when there is a sale and keep these for the tough months.

Write a shopping list and stick to it

Decide on how much you are willing to spend on groceries and then write down what you can buy for this amount. It’s a good idea to perhaps have a pre-determined menu so that you can shop according to your menu. Do not buy anything that is not on your list.

Compare prices

We compare prices for insurance, medical aid, banks and everything else in life so why should it be different when it comes to groceries? Remember those in-store special pamphlets we mentioned earlier? Use these to make comparing prices a simple and easy process.