Some Ways to Save Money at the Grocery Store

bag-groceryWith grocery prices on the rise it has never been more important for families to save money where they can. The prices of many basic staples have risen sharply in recent years, and that has left many people struggling to serve their families the nutritious meals they need.

Fortunately there are some relatively easy and painless steps families can take to trim their food budgets significantly without sacrificing either quality or nutrition. By changing the ways they plan and shop, smart consumers can save hundreds of dollars a month while still preparing tasty meals for those they love.

Build Your Recipes Around the Weekly Sales

One of the most effective cost savings strategies is to build the weekly recipes around what is on special at the store. This strategy allows shoppers to stock u p on products at a great price while significantly shrinking the cost of each meal.

Just about every grocery store features weekly specials, and stores frequently compete with one another to offer the lowest possible prices on the products shoppers buy most often.. In some cases stores use these weekly bargains as loss leaders – luring shoppers through the doors in hopes that they will purchase more expensive products with higher margins In other cases stores use these discounts to reward loyal shoppers who participate in the store’s loyalty card programs No matter what the reason for the sale, savvy shoppers can use these specials to create some great recipes.

Just consider one example to illustrate the point. Imagine the local grocery store is running a killer special on pasta, pasta sauce and fresh sausage. The smart shopper can use these great prices to build a week’s worth of delicious meals. The week may start with a great meal of fresh spaghetti and pasta sauce garnished with some delicious sausage. That leftover spaghetti can then be paired with a great sausage casserole or a delicious rice and pasta creation. Sausage sandwiches topped with a delicious homemade sauce can provide some great snacks, weekend meals or meals on the run. No matter what the combination those weekly store specials can be used to create some great meals for a very affordable price. Cooking extra meals and freezing them for later can make the savings stretch even further.

Consider Off-Price Grocery Stores

While store specials are a great way to build some delicious meals and save some serious dough, those specials don’t always come when they are needed. Many traditional grocery stores have started marking up their shelf prices to make their sales look better, and that means that the items not on sale can be quite costly. To combat these types of practices many smart shoppers are looking to off-price grocery stores and generic items to fill the gap.

Three Quick and Easy Ways to Save Money This Christmas

bear-christmasAlmost everyone overspends in the run-up to Christmas and regrets it in the lean month of January. The good news is that there are some very quick and easy ways in which you can make your hard-earned cash go further this Christmas.

Send Christmas e-cards or Print Your Own Christmas Cards. You may not wish to send Christmas e-cards to everyone on your Christmas card list, but, if you are on a tight budget, it makes sense to send at least some e-cards. You will not only save money on buying paper cards and envelopes but you will also save money on postage, especially if the recipients live overseas. Another option is to print your own Christmas cards using designs that can be downloaded free of charge from the Internet. Some designs allow you to incorporate your own photos, which is a nice idea if you live far from family and friends. It is also possible to print out envelope shapes and fold and glue them together to make your own envelopes, This is more cost effective than buying them and gives your Christmas greetings a personal touch too.

Don’t Buy Any New Christmas Decorations This Year. Most families already have several boxes of Christmas decorations, yet it is easy to be seduced by the Christmas spirit in the run-up to Christmas and buy even more decorations Take out all of your Christmas decorations well in advance and decide which ones you will re-use this year. If you have some time, look on the Internet for instructions and set aside some time at the weekend for the whole family to make new decorations together. Try and use only materials that you already have. Paper chains, for example, are a great decoration to make, as you only need paper, scissors, and glue or scotch tape.

Buy as Much Own-Label Food as Possible. Food bills over the holiday season are always high, whether you are just having a few friends over for a small party or whether you are inviting the whole of your extended family. In order to reduce your spending on groceries at this time of the year, buy as many supermarket own-label products as possible. Own-label products are usually of a similar quality to branded products with the only difference being that the packaging is plain. Your guests will not be able to tell the difference unless they see the packaging. If you are in doubt about the quality of a certain own-label product.

Halloween Expenses and Creative Budgeting

scarecrowIf you recently lost your job or had unforeseen expenses, you may find it difficult to pay for all the extras that you normally provide your child. It may be painful to trim your budget. One of the places to trim excess immediately is the amount of money that you spend on holidays. This brief blog entry explores three ways to save money in the specific context of Halloween.

The first method of saving money has to do with eliminating unnecessary clothes buying. How many times have you bought a Halloween t-shirt for your child and she only wore it once? This is a type of spending where you can save. You have to invest in some type of Halloween costume. The t-shirt can wait until next year.

spooky-nightThe second method to save concerns the purchase of seasonal merchandise. When you want to decorate your house for Halloween, you can be tempted to go to the dollar store or super-center and buy things for inside and outside of your home. All of these expenses are in addition to Halloween candy, your child’s costume, and toys that you typically buy. One way to save money is to buy one or two decorations and a decent toy for your child to enjoy. All of the trimmings for your home’s interior and exterior are really unnecessary unless you are hosting a Halloween party.

The third method concerns creating a costume that incorporates things your child already owns. It might be buying the accessories for your daughter’s fairy outfit or creating a worker’s costume to go with your son’s tool-belt. Spend your money wisely on part of the costume and save money.

Halloween and other holidays are costly for parents. When you are on a tight budget, you should look for ways to save money without guilt. Your child will remember the time that you spent with him or her doing holiday activities and making memories. How much you spent on the stuff for Halloween should be less important.