Saving Money on Groceries

I have been reading a lot about saving money on groceries.  Thanks to those who shared with me what they do to save money.  You actually are the ones that made me even think about looking on the Internet for more ideas. 

Here are some things I have learned:

#1 Cutting back on groceries is probably the biggest area you can actually make a difference without having a major lifestyle change.

#2 A price book is a very handy tool to use in your shopping.

#3There is a lot of talk about couponing.  I’m not really convinced yet that buying the Sunday paper and printing coupons off the Interent would be very beneficial to me.  I don’t buy meals in a box.  I make a lot of things from scratch.  When I’m at the store it’s mainly fruits and vegetables that I’m buying.  So is coupons a good idea for me?  I don’t know.

#4A website I was referred to is The Grocery Game.  You can try it out for a month at a cost of $1.  You type in your zip code and choose the grocery stores you shop at.  They do all the work for you and determine what are not good buys, what are very good buys and what are super buys (because you get these items free).  I’m going to do the trial membership and then decide if it’s worth it for me to continue.  If you do try this please give them my email address for a referrel.  My email is:  eannwallace@hotmail.com .

#5 Grocery stores actually run sales in different categories on a rotational basis and based on the season.  You may have to stockpile items when they’re at a good price so that you will not have to purchase that item again until it goes on sale again at rock bottom prices.

From the website Frugal Living – About, I got the following info on…

Why you should make and use a price list

"It’s the only way to know what a good price is. No one can remember all those prices. What looks like a sale may not be. Because it’s on the end of an aisle doesn’t mean it’s on sale. Because it’s in a cart doesn’t mean it’s marked down, either."

I’ve been getting requests ever since I made that statement! What is a price book? And what does it do that’s so magical?

What it is:

A means of keeping track of what you’ve spent for a particular food item, where you’ve bought it, how long ago, how much of it you bought, how much you now have, and/or when you’ll need more.

What you can expect to learn from a price list:

When and if there is a seasonal fluctuation in price.
If the price is low enough to warrant buying more than one of an item.
If a "sale" is really a sale.

If you keep ahead of the game, you’ll never have to buy at full price.
You’ll know when to wait until the next sale, or if you might as well buy now.
You’ll begin to recognize the stores that raise and lower prices hoping to catch the unwary.
You’ll become skilled at seeing through the hype that surrounds many so-called sales.

Ok, how do you make one?

You’ll need a looseleaf notebook, or a filing system that’s easy to carry around. You can adjust the entries to suit your needs as you go.

If you’ve saved grocery receipts, you have a good start, but if you don’t have receipts, start with prices you know or prices marked on products you have on hand.

You can make your entries to suit yourself, but start by creating columns titled "Product," "Store," "Date," and "Price," and make each entry in the appropriate column.

Put in as much information as you can come up with, then add columns like "Amount Bought" or "More needed by…".

Keep up with the price book and over time you will see definite trends. Some prices continually go up, some are very seasonal and some only slightly so. Some stores have sales on their own schedule, but some products will go on sale at several stores at the same time as manufacturers create special buys.

It will take a few months to see big trends, but you can profit right now from comparing what information you have.

Before you sit down to check out the weekly specials, get your price list out. Before you decide to buy an item, check the price you last paid for it. If it was much higher then, you might want to stock up. See if you still have some on hand and actually need to. After awhile you can tell how long ago it was on sale, and know whether to wait for the next one.

 Organized Home has a page devoted to telling all about  price books with a free printable price book page.  Here is an excerpt from their site.

As your price book matures, be prepared for surprises!  Often, the dedicated warehouse store bulk-buyer will discover that she’s been paying premium prices for bulk goods.  No single traditional supermarket has the "lowest prices" in every area, no matter what their advertising jingles say.  Approach the price book exercise with an open mind; you’ll find surprising bargains–and high price shocks–in the most amazing places.

Another website that talks about making your own price book says…

It will take about 3 months to get a good idea of the cycle of prices.

One of the best things I ever did, to get an idea of value or whatever, was to go into Wal-Snart with my price book and wrote THEIR price for the items I wanted. I use this as a "measuring" stick against the other prices, to see if I am getting a good deal or not. So there you have it.  Price Books might be a bit of a hassle but in the end it may be worth the effort.