What do you do to save on groceries?

i have always bought generic items and always compare prices and ingredients in labels when buying products, even when i was a child... lol... sometimes if i have money and there is a sale, i would buy up in bulk and then stock up... for vegetables, seafoods, meat, chicken, it is cheaper here to buy it in wet markets, so we buy it there. also eggs are cheaper there than in groceries. we really dont have coupons for grocery items here, too bad... that would really help me save a lot. there is also a warehouse club here, with membership, and their prices on grocery items are really low, wholesale prices, but we need to have many money to buy there because everything is in packs, like half dozen, kilos, etc... which is really good for buying those canned goods, and other items that dont expire or spoil right away.

Last yeah I would have told you that I ate out and that saved a ton on groceries. (man we should have thought that through) But now I will go to the store and buy the store brand of just about everything. I save over a dollar when I buy milk becuase I buy the store brand. There is only a handful of items that I buy that are not store brand. I also will go early in the morning during the week and buy the meat that has been marked down. I will leave one out to cook for dinner but the rest gets put in the freezer. As long as it is frozen it will not go bad unless it gets freezer burn. I also keep an eye out for the 10 for 10 sales and I will go to the dollar tree and other dollar stores to buy some things becuase they are cheaper. To save on fuel (because you have to go all over town to hit all of these stores) I will plan on stoping at a store if I know I will be next to it, even if I am not doing any other shopping that day. I often find great sales like this because I will be at a store in the middle of the week and early so no one has bought all of the great items. I always forget the cupons (and most are for brand items anyway) so I stopped clipping them. The other thing that we are going to do is save for a deepfreeze so that when frozen items are on sale we can buy more of them and not haveto worry about not having room in the freezer for them.

i use coupons if they are over a dollar or i buy the store brand. we also shop at a discount grocery store and we buy our beef and pork from a butcher who has great sales (i can get soup bones for under $2.00 for a package of 3). same goes for chicken, we buy it direct from a poulty farmer who has a store (much cheaper!) we also shop sales that dont require a lot of driving (whats the point of saving money on groceries only to spend it on gas?)

When I lived at home I never even knew about the non brand name foods. Then I got out on my own, it was the 80's and the recession and I bought the cheapest I could find and convinced myself it really wasn't that bad. Now I wait until I see brand name things on sale and buy a few while they are on sale. I don't avoid no name brands because I am a snob just that I have read the labels and it seems the no name brands are a lot of times higher in salt and preservatives and trans fat and such.

I am the same way about coupons. I'd spend two dollars for a Sunday paper to get them and wouldn't need them. I quit that years ago. I buy lots of generic products and mostly shop at aldis now. I also like to go to a wholesale club for items like soap, tp, and paper towels. It also took me a few years in the beginning to buy generic. My parents and grandparents never bought anything generic so I assumed it was no good.

I buy generic products when I can. Sometimes it is worth it to by generic others times not so good. There is always a special going on at HEB(which is a grocery store in texas)There always good prices on the store named items and alot of them are pretty good food items, like there frozen burgers, chicken, etc,,, and there cheese and lunch meat are good and at a good price. The have alot of in store cupons that i use. The cupons are right by the products so its easy.

I find having a list is imperative. I add to mine when I use something up and need to replace it. I also try and check the catalogues online before I go shopping in case something is available I need to stock up on. Sometimes, something I don't actually need might be on sale and I can make the decision prior to going shopping whether to stock up or not. I live a long way from the shops so if I can go less often, I can also save. Buying fresh foods can be difficult though

I clip the coupons and match the sales to the coupons. I used to think that it was a waste of time to clip the coupons but I have changed my mind. I get a lot free or very cheap. Just yesterday I got BBQ sauce on sale and I had a coupon so it was just a few cents each. Its a lot of work but it is so worth it.

I am kind of picky when it comes to groceries so i rarely cut corners on these things. I cut coupons and but some items that are on sale to save some money but that is just about it. I like specific brands of grocery items and I don't like to experiment on generic ones.

I buy dry beans in the plastic bag instead of precooked canned beans. The difference in cost is enormous. I toss them in the crockpot to cook over night with a pinch of salt, no difference in taste. * Another trick I use is the buy family-size unit and parcel it out in baggie method of savings. That can save you quite a bit on the per unit price.

Absolutely. I bargain shop every chance i get. And, now my sister and i are busy canning this summer. Very tasty i must admit. I know many people don't consider canning much of a savings, but when you compare taste and health factors, it is an absolute savings. Plus we shop around and get all the specials on all the canning supplies throughout the year. By spring time, usually we are ready to get started for the year.

We tend to cut out coupons that we see in magazines of newspapers and take them to buy groceries. There is also incentives in stores for us to buy a certain amount to get money of gas. Some people laugh at us doing this, but when we count it all, we save quite a lot within month, so we might as well do it as it only costs a little time.. - Derek

I buy a ton of generic all the time as much as I can most of the time there is no difference. I am also a big couponer, being in college has taught me a lot about saving money and the value of the dollar. I am a member of a ton of those yahoo groups that math up coupons fro the newspaper to sales at different stores. I also print manufacturer's coupons from coupons.com, smartsource.com, and redplum.com. If you go to store websites and manufacturers sites you can find good deals too! I buy most if not all my household items from cvs because with there extra bucks program paired with coupons and store sales most of the time I get stuff for free or less than a dollar which is awesome because then I can get the toilet paper razors shampoo and other stuff i want name brand very affordable. you cant beat free!

The way that I save is by using coupons on groceries. I also go to groceries store and buy stuff when things are on sale. I have done that so much that now I am at the point I am having to cut back on buying things on sale that goes in my freezer or my refrigerator.

hi miamilady!! well i guess in order to save on groceries i only buy stuffs that i considered necessary for us..i do buy discounted stuffs too ..and look for its expiration to be sure especially if its perishable food and the likes..

My mother is the one who buys groceries in our house. One time I offered to come with her in the supermarket. I got bored because she always looking for sale and bargains. Checking the price for every item. It's so time consuming but I agree that if you check harder you might able to save more on your expenses.

To save on groceries I usually prepare a list of the items i really need to buy.When buying i try to look for a specific brand which meets my requirements and is cheaper.I also shop in a full stomach.Shooping with an empty stomach has a psychological effect on me.I tend to buy more and buy things out of my list because of the psychological effects of hunger.

Well, I will say that I do try and make it a point to save on groceries as well. There are some ways of which I save. 1) Shop around and compare prices for the same products. Prices may differ by a few cents if you change from your regular store to another store. 2) Look in newspapers for weekly offers by different supermarkets. Buy in "bulk" if it is a necessity item, and it's significantly cheaper than usual. 3) Switch to generic store brands for certain items where there are considerable savings from the branded item. 4) Look out for loyalty rewards program from different supermarkets. Calculate and analyze if it will be worthwhile to join/use their loyalty program (eg. additional points, rebate, ...) That's all for now I can think of at the moment...

Oh I am exactly in the same position. I like hunting for offers when shopping espacially on groceries. I always take advantage of sales and I usually shop in supermarkets. It's very difficult to do the same thing on the market but I manage. Unfortunatelly one can seldom find books on sale especially the new ones and I have to wait until tha prices calm down. As for cloths... The price is always relevant. As much as I would like to be a fashionista I really don't think so I would spend cash on cloths without considering the price tag. It's kind of stupid to do that not matter how much money one has.

Before going to the grocery store I make sure I have a list of all the things I need to buy. This gives an idea on how much I'll be spending, I put in some extra for things that I don't really need but I might want to buy. I make sure I look for sale items or bargains, you will definitely be able to buy more if you go for marked-down items. I don't mind using generic products for as long as the ingredients are written on the label, coz I have a habit of comparing generic products with popular brands. If I see there's not much difference in terms of content, I go for the one with the lower price. But there are some goods that I wouldn't compromise - like ready-to-eat items(I trust some brands and I normally stick to them), certain brand of soap my kids use, milk, etc. Bottomline is, it's definitely a good practice to save, but health and safety should come first before anything else. Happy MyLotting!