Money: Saving At The Grocery Store

With the recent rise in costs at the gas station and at grocery stores, the cost of living has gone up significantly. With everyone looking to pinch pennies here and there, here of some of the easiest ways to save on your food bill:

Brand Recognition

Take it from someone who worked in a processing plant, the stuff that goes into the generic brand, is the same product going into the fancy box. You may have tricked yourself into thinking they taste any different but they’re the same thing. The difference between the store brand and the name brand is marketing. You pay a premium price for them to afford the cost of advertising. Have you ever seen a commercial for your store’s brand of cereal? The extra couple of bucks goes to the ad team and fancy mascot.

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Be Economical, Not Cheap

It’s one thing to save money, it’s another to penny-pinch so much you end up paying more per unit. For instance, if you buy a pack of hot dogs in a smaller quantity to save a dollar, you could’ve got a larger pack and made your dollar go further. Spend the extra dollar to make the food last longer, and take fewer trips to the grocery store. The key to saving money is getting the most for your dollar, not just subtracting dollars from the equation.

Portion Control

If you can go to Moe’s, Corelife, or Chipotle and pay for fast food portions, you can do it at home. Watch the size scoop they put in your food. Then the majority of your food is filler. Why not take that mentality at home. You can load your plate with your proteins and stretch your dollar thin, or you can save money by properly weighing and portioning your food. From there, you can load up on all the rice, potatoes, or vegetables you want.

Frozen Is Fine

The myth keeping you away from frozen fruits and vegetables because they have too many preservatives needs to end. Unless you’re a five-star restaurant, you don’t always need to have fresh fruits and vegetables. You can buy the cheaper frozen items and make them last longer. Too many times people buy fresh produce only for it to rot in their fridge before they get a chance to use it. You don’t lose flavor if you buy in the frozen section, especially if you’re making it a part of a stir fry or fruit salad. Frozen is just fine.

Inflation has people spending more at the grocery store, but if you’re smart you can make your money/food last longer.