Most people aren’t aware of it, but there is a science behind all aspect of grocery stores with the intent to get you to spend as much money as possible when you are in there. By understanding the techniques that stores use to try to manipulate you and your senses into spending more, you have a chance to fight back and use your knowledge to save money on every shopping trip. When you know how the grocery stores are trying to manipulate you, you can make efforts to counteract their manipulations, and take advantage of the discounts that are available to anyone in the know. Here are ways that you can save a lot of money when you go grocery shopping.
Table of Contents
Create A Pricebook
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A grocery price book is a record that you create which shows the best price you have ever paid for the items that you buy on a regular basis. In other words, it’s a history of what is the best price you’ve ever paid for individual food items that you family consumes. When you know the best price you have been able to buy an item for in the past, you are in a much stronger position to know if the current price of that items is good or not. This can save you hundreds of dollars a year by helping you to buy your food only when it’s a good deal. You can [read this](http://www.grocerycouponguide.com/articles/price_book/) for concrete examples of why a price book will save you money and how to create your own.
Shop Deals, Not Menus
Photo Credit: Brian Clift
If you have ever heard of the “extreme couponers” who are able to save as much as 90% on their grocery bills, the main secret that they use has nothing to do with coupons at all. Their number one money saving technique is to only but the best deals each week and not buy anything else. In other words, they cook their meals from what they have on hand rather than decide what they want to eat and but the stuff for that meal each week.
If you only but the best deals each week, you can save 50% or more over the regular retail price of the items. If you buy for a menu, you are likely to pay full retail price for a number of items that you purchase. By only creating meals from items already purchased, then restocking when items are at their best discount price, anyone can save 50% or more over what they would spend by buying ingredients for meals that the decide each day.
Shop Full
Photo Credit: Sonya Green
You are much more susceptible to overbuying while at the grocery store when you are hungry than if you’re full. The grocery store knows this and it’s why they often have the bakery baking fresh bread and cookies throughout the day. Those smells make you hungry which causes you to buy more than you usually would. By making sure that you’re full when you head into the store, you are much more likely to stick to your shopping list and not impulsively buy just because your stomach is growling.
Stick To Your List
Photo Credit: Seth Anderson
When you head to the supermarket, you should always go with a list of the things that you need to buy and strictly stick to that list. When you go shopping without a list, you’re much more likely to end up making impulse purchases of things that you really don’t need. making a list also helps you think through meals ahead of time so that the things that you do buy don’t go to waste. It’s a simple step to take, but highly effective in reducing the amount you spend when at the grocery store.