Tips For Saving Money On Your Grocery Bill

As food prices in many areas of the country continue to climb, consumers keep looking for more ways to save money on the things they eat most. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do to achieve this. Here are some tips to help you save more on your grocery bill.

Know Where to Shop

The chain grocery store down the street isn’t always going to be the best place to shop. In many cities, ethnic grocery stores are quite common. These stores tend to carry excellent produce and other goods for a fraction of what you’d pay at a regular store. They’re also fantastic places to find exotic new flavors to use in your meals.

Buy Bulk With Caution

Buying foods in bulk can be a great way to save money, but only if you actually use it all. Many people follow the advice to buy as much as possible in bulk and then wind up wasting a lot of it. Unless you’ve got a huge family, are shopping for a party or really like a particular product, it’s a good idea to only buy certain things in bulk. Meats are a good candidate because they will stay good in the freezer for a long time and are likely to be eaten before they spoil. Large quantities of staples such as flour, sugar, pasta and bread may also be kept in the freezer and used on demand.

Shop Late

Try to schedule your grocery trips for later in the week, if possible. During this time, usually between Friday and Sunday, many grocery stores will discount their fresh meat. Search the meat department for any marked down products and if it’s a particularly good deal, stock up and keep the excess in your freezer.

Discount Bin

Not all stores have these anymore and you can be reasonably certain you’ll never see one in a high-end grocery. However, you can still find the elusive discount bin in some stores. If it’s location isn’t obvious, try asking a store employee if there is one. If there is, they will usually stock a wide variety of merchandise and non-perishable foods for a significant markdown. It’s easy to stock a pantry in a single encounter with one of these bins. If there’s not one at your local store, consider asking management to start one. It’s beneficial to the store because they still make money off of overstock and it’s beneficial to you because you save a bundle.

Start a Garden

Gardening is one of the best ways to get inexpensive, superior-quality food. Best of all, you don’t even have to have a yard. You’d be amazed how much produce you can grow in a limited area. Most popular vegetable types will provide produce throughout the growing season, making them a far better option than going to the store.

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