Tips like these helped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story in Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.
Probably the biggest problem areas of most household budgets revolve around eating. Let’s face it, we often pay too much for the food we eat. Whether you’re hitting the drive thru because you fail to plan or you’re picking up groceries on the fly without coupons in hand, we all need to save when it comes to the the things we put in our carts and bellies.
What’s that you say? You’re not an Extreme Couponer? I’ve got your back. Here are 5 of my favorite ways to save money without coupons at the grocery store.
Use CASH
Believe it or not, I really didn’t start using cash at the grocery store until year 3 of our journey. Of course I was using a debit card but I didn’t think it would make that much of a difference. Um, yeah it does. When you have to carefully add what you’re putting in your cart before you hit the check out belt, you’ll be more intentional. While I was never grossly going over budget, $5-$20 above my budget was making a difference. I don’t care if you get points or don’t like to touch money, you will save more if you use cash.
Look High, Look Low.
The most expensively priced items are placed at eye level to entice you to purchase. Look up and down if you want to score more affordable foods.
Shop the Perimeter
Akin to tip 2, you’ll find well priced foods around the perimeter of the store (by the way, they’re also the more healthy options for you). Skip the processed junk food in the middle aisles to avoid temptations that will throw both your waistline and your budget out of balance.
Put 3-5 Items Back
I know some of you are list ninjas. But here in the real world, the rest of us make stupid impulse buys. Inevitably, 3-5 items jump into my cart that I don’t need this week or period. So glance through your cart, be nice and hand them to the cashier (don’t just dump them on the end cap, that’s not cool). Automatically, you’ll save $5-$10. Booyah.
Don’t Shop After 9 PM
Maybe it’s just me, but nothing good happens in a super store after 9 PM. You’ll roll through the aisles picking up all sorts of things you don’t need. You might end up with 150 breakfast items for the next day. If you’re sleepy, hungry, or roll like a Gremlin, it’s not a good idea to shop late in the evening. I know, it’s unavoidable sometimes but it’s a rule I tend to keep.
Slaying the Debt Dragon contains what I call my Grocery Store Ten Commandments (hint: these 5 are just the tip of the iceberg). It was important to me to share both practical tips (What does it look to pay off debt and throw your kid a birthday party? How do you keep romance alive on a limited budget? How the heck do you budget at all?) and inspiration for those looking to slay their own debt dragon. In fact, there’s an entire chapter devoted to food because we all fall off the wagon when it comes to making the most of our money and feeding our faces.
How do you save without a single coupon at the grocery store?
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
I buy generic instead of name brands when brand doesn’t matter (example: canned beans, or margarine). They are the same products for way cheaper. I also save by comparing prices of things I need in their different formats. For example, if I need broccoli for a casserole I will compare the price of frozen broccoli (different brands) and fresh. Whichever is cheapest, I buy.