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The REAL Way to Save Money on Groceries

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Apparently it's a follow-up on the coupon mistake article.

"The coupon experts I interviewed had a ton of examples and gamely went along with my coupon mistakes theme. But you know what they really wanted to talk about? The shocking revelation that it's not coupons that save them the biggest money. It's being a disciplined shopper."

1. Do a menu plan. It’s not as difficult as you think. Think of a rotating list of simple basic dinners - spaghetti, tacos, soup and chili. It will save you stress and time and will reduce your eating out budget.

2. The less you shop the more you save. Go to the store once a week - if you go more than once per week, you'll spend a lot more on impulse buys, not to mention the time it takes.

3. Use a shopping list. And. Stick. To. It."

Okay, I have concerns about these--I personally have never planned a menu in advance IN MY LIFE. With an adequately-stocked pantry, I find I don't need to plan much more ahead than that morning. The only rotating I do is meat types: chicken, beef, pork, turkey. I make whatever comes to me out of the "meat of the day."

Here's what I do instead.

While it's true that you save the most by spending the least, I may occasionally make a shopping list if I have lots of things to get, and am short on memory. It took me years to get over my love affair with sugar, but now that it's over, junk foods no longer tempt me. Numerous food allergies did away with any other impulses I had.

Posted by Cute at 8:27 PM

Labels: food preparation and use, food purchases