Comments on: Saving Money on Groceries — Even Without Coupons

By: Katina

Katina — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:36:09 +0000

Like Kevin, I shop with a specific budget, which I try to stretch each week by taking full advantage of sales and coupons, often at more than one grocery store. But hopefully for him they introduce the scanner guns in his area soon so he doesn’t have to keep bringing the pad, paper and calculator. You just scan and bag your items as you shop and and then your scanned items are uploaded at the checkout and you then scan your coupons, etc. With the exception of the coupons, you know exactly where you are in terms of how much you’ve spent and can easily remove things as well. Best invention ever.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:22:11 +0000

Great tips, thanks! The English major in me feels obligated to tell you that “stationery” is spelled with an “e” (think of “letter”). Stationary with an “a” means not moving. (Think of “stay”) :^)

By: Jbuck

Jbuck — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 02:50:35 +0000

I hate to admit this but the best prices for non-food items is Walmart. Target is the runner up. Adding just a few coupons as well will drop your non-food item total significantly. My husband didn’t believe me so I did a cost comparison and the difference for one month was over $35 (with coupons). Over the course of a year, that’s a savings of $420!

By: Emily

Emily — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:33:17 +0000

Thanks for posting this! I never think of going to another store for non-food items, yet it’s obvious that the dollar store always has these cheaper. Duh!

One thing I really love about my local grocery store is the produce clearance rack. We’re always on the lookout for dented apples for applesauce and “older” potatoes for soup and oven-roasting. And when they have something unusual, like the eggplants they had last week, we get to think outside the box and get creative with dinner. Win-win!

By: Kevin@OutOfYourRut

Kevin@OutOfYourRut — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:23:54 +0000

One that I like to use is a flat budget. You go shopping with a budget of say $150–you can buy anything you want but you can’t go over the limit. So you buy the necessities and a few luxuries, but before checking out, you tally up the order, and if you’re over the limit, you start putting the luxuries back. Or deciding that a few necessities aren’t so necessary. What it does is enforce trade offs, while keeping you within budget.

Of course, this requires bringing a pad, pen and calculator, which I’m happy to say I’m seldom the only one in the store carrying.