6 Tips to Save You Money at the Grocery Store

6 Tips to Save You Money at the Grocery Store Pixabay.com 1. Make a list This one goes without saying. If you have a list of everything you need when you go into the grocery store, youre less likely to start shoving things into your cart that you really dont need. Youll also save time in the grocery store because you wont have to go from aisle to aisle searching for whatever looks good; instead, youll know exactly which aisles to hit and be out of there in no time. One thing I do when making my grocery list is to add prices (or estimate prices) for each item I plan on buying. That way youll have a rough estimate of how much money you plan on spending when youre in the store. This can even serve to limit you from overspending and opting for cheaper brands of the same food if youre nearing that price limit. The grocery list is your friend! 2. Eat beforehand Never, ever enter the grocery store with an empty, growling stomach. Overspending and drooling over every single food item in the store will occur. Make sure you eat a light snack or something to hold you over until after youve finished with your shopping. If you shop while youre hungry, youre likely to pick up things just because they look good and you feel as though youre starving. Eating before you enter is essential! 3. Plan meals ahead of time I usually plan what Im going to eat before I go to the grocery store. If you plan on making spaghetti or stir fry, write it down somewhere along with what day you plan on preparing and eating your meal. That way, youll know exactly what food youll need for which days and you wont have to play the guessing game when youre in the store as to which foods you might need back at your place. Pixabay.com 4. Buy ingredients instead of prepared meals As I stated in the beginning of this article, pre-cooked meals are wonderful and easy and tasty but they can get a little pricey. Plus, if were going to be completely honest, theyre not exactly the healthiest meal a college student could be eating. Save money and cut calories by making your own meals. Youll know exactly what ingredients are going into your food and theyll be fresh and even more delicious than a boxed meal. 5. Bust out the coupons Its not just your moms thing you can use the coupons too! Many grocery stores offer paper and online sales ads with bundles of coupons that you can take in store and save a bunch of money. Stores like Publix list their Buy One, Get One Free items in their ads while other stores have paper coupons that you can clip and bring in and save percentages at the register. There are people that say theyre embarrassed to use coupons dont be! Why be embarrassed to save a few bucks? 6. Dont go overboard Just because youre in college and you finally have some say-so over what youre going to cook and eat every day doesnt mean you have to overdo it. Be conscious of what youre eating and how much youre spending on it. Freedom is awesome but having some money set aside will help you out in the long run.