Monday, February 27, 2012

Saving Money Without Using Coupons

Now that I am trying to move my family to a more real food diet it changes the way I do my weekly grocery shopping. I have been buying a lot less packaged and processed foods and more ingredients as well as lots of fruits and veggies. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of coupons available for most of these items. I'm sharing with you some ways that I still save money even without using coupons.

Stock up on loss leaders. Loss Leaders are items that stores sell at or below the wholesale price. Stores advertise these products that bring them next to zero profit hoping that they will bring you into their store and get you to buy a few impulse purchases. The store is willing to take a loss on these discounted items because they plan to recoup their loss through higher sales and increases traffic.

Buy in bulk. Buying in bulk can save you time, gas, and money if done right. Hopefully it allows you to make a few less trips to the store each week. Buy items in bulk that you use a lot of and have a long shelf life such as baking supplies, cereal and canned goods. It can be a large investment up front but in the long run it may leave you with a little extra cash at the end of the month.

Shop local. Local produce stands, farmer's markets and u-pick farms can be a great source for low cost, high quality produce.

Grow your own.
Whether you have a large yard or live in a small apartment you can cut your grocery bill by growing some of your own food. Fill a few containers or a garden plot with the fruits, vegetables and herbs you use most.

Don't be brand specific. You can almost always get a similar product in generic and it will cost you much less. Sometimes generic is even cheaper than buying name brand using a coupon.

Shop the sales. Try to never pay full price for anything. Try and wait and watch for the item to go on sale before purchasing.

Buy in season. Foods are cheapest when they are in season. Learn when your favorite foods are in season and buy them then. You can always buy in surplus and then freeze or can for later use.

What ways do you save money on groceries besides using coupons? This post is linked to the Frugal Tuesday Tip hosted here at Learning the Frugal Life.

4 comments:

  1. I have found some very good produce at Aldi stores. Usually it is much cheaper than the bigger grocery chains. A couple weeks ago I found a bag of Cuties for $1.49 each. The same bag at Wal-Mart was just under $4!

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  2. Those are some great tips! We are in the same process as you trying to move to a more "whole" food diet. My major life saver has been planning. I plan my meals out by the month, take inventory, and then do bulk shopping once a month with mini trips weekly for produce. I have actually saved more money than I did with coupons and I feel better about what I am feeding my family. I will admit we still have a long way to go on cutting out the processed foods, but we are doing a million times better than last year!

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  3. We have also moved toward a real food diet over the last couple of years. Following the tips you mentioned above, I have found that it is still possible to keep a frugal grocery budget while eating healthy food.

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  4. Heather I made a trip to Aldi today. Was very happy with the milk and produce deals.

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