{"id":134,"date":"2009-03-04T23:51:04","date_gmt":"2009-03-05T07:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.budgex.net\/blog\/?p=134"},"modified":"2011-05-14T10:24:11","modified_gmt":"2011-05-14T18:24:11","slug":"tips-for-saving-money-while-grocery-shopping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.budgex.net\/blog\/2009\/03\/tips-for-saving-money-while-grocery-shopping\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Saving Money While Grocery Shopping"},"content":{"rendered":"

DISCLAIMER: Shopping is something that can be very person-specific, and my suggestions are geared for a more universal saving approach.\u00a0 If you have additional personal tips that you find helpful while you shop, please leave a comment about them below.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you live in a house you probably get a weekly shipment of supermarket ads in the mail.\u00a0 Don\u2019t throw this stuff away!<\/strong> Spending just 5 minutes browsing these ads will save you enough money to make it worth your while, and I’ll show you how.<\/p>\n

Just Because an Item is for Sale in the Ad Doesn\u2019t Necessarily Make it a Good Price<\/h3>\n

If you recall from my earlier article on bargain hunting<\/a>, Rule #3 states that you should “develop a price index for the items that interest you.”\u00a0 This also applies to shopping.\u00a0 As you sharpen these indexes, you will be able to see through the b.s. that some ads try to print.\u00a0 Here’s a true example: a few weeks ago, Safeway had a big ad for chicken breasts on the front page for $3.97\/lb.\u00a0 \u201cOh,\u201d you think, \u201clooks like chicken is on sale.\u00a0 I\u2019d better get some!\u201d\u00a0 WRONG. Another local supermarket’s ad had the same<\/em> chicken breasts for $1.99\/lb\u2014and it was even\u00a0 closer than Safeway.<\/p>\n

Choose the one supermarket with the better average prices and go there<\/h3>\n

Even though you are playing these ads against each other, even though one store might have a few items you need for cheaper than another, at the end of the day, you only need to go to one.\u00a0 Why all of this searching and comparing if we\u2019re just going to one store, you might say?\u00a0 Think about gas as well.\u00a0 Only if there\u2019s something that\u2019s really worth it at a different supermarket should you go out of your way and make two grocery trips.\u00a0 Of course there are exceptions to this rule, so use your best judgment.\u00a0 If the external factors aren\u2019t an issue for you, by all means cash in on the savings by going to the places with the cheaper prices.\u00a0 But eventually you\u2019ll just be pocketing pennies.\u00a0 This blog is about helping you save dollars, and hundreds of them.<\/p>\n

BudgeX Bargain:<\/strong> A FREE Bag of RiceWorks<\/a>.\u00a0 Just print the coupon and go!<\/p>\n