Always Shop with a List

iVillage: Ways to Save Money at the Supermarket

The siren song of the supermarket is hard to resist — sinful bakery treats, luscious take-away fare and intriguing new foods are all placed strategically in your path at eye level to tempt to you to buy, buy, buy. To avoid making imprudent purchases — which are typically bad for both your wallet and your waistline — create a shopping list before heading out to the store and stick to it, suggests consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch. Your body and bank account will thank you.

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Always Shop with...

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Plan Your Meals

So what goes on the list? Well, the everyday basics, of course. Beyond that, it’s smart to create a food plan, since weekly menus help avoid quickie trips to the market. “Walking into the grocery store with a list and your meals for the week planned out will always save you money. You won’t buy impulsively, and you will arrive home with exactly what you need,” says Kelly Hancock, author of the book "Saving Savvy: Smart and Easy Ways to Cut Your Spending in Half and Raise Your Standard of Living... and Giving." As an added bonus, creating menus forces cooks to get creative in the kitchen — and prevents the daily headache of figuring out what’s for dinner.

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Take Stock of Yo...

There are multiple half-used jars of mayo (not to mention jams, salad dressing, mustards, etc.) in my mom’s fridge. Why? She never takes inventory to see what she has, what’s expired or what she needs, so she keeps buying doubles and triples of things. Smart shoppers keep their fridge, freezer and pantry organized, so that they always know what they have on hand for potential meals, and can fill out their cabinets with recipe-ready spices, condiments and staples purchased on sale.

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Enjoy What You'v...

Your cabinets are probably filled with forgotten food. So for one week, try to eat exclusively from your pantry, fridge and freezer. “This is a great plan for when you need a quick hit of major savings, such as after the holidays or an unexpected expense,” says Food Network star Melissa D’Arabian. Take a tour of your kitchen pantry and write down the major ingredients lurking around, and use this list to create a menu for the week — you can easily uncover hundreds of dollars worth of forgotten food, she says. “It’s a fun challenge to see how long you can go without buying new items.” (Sort of like finding a $20 in last winter’s jacket.) For more sage tips, check out D’Arabian’s New York Times best-selling cookbook, "Ten Dollar Dinners."

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Ditch the Cart

For quick supermarket trips, opt for the hand-held basket, says Woroch, since large carts encourage us to fill them to the brim with things we want but don’t really need. Ungainly baskets on the other hand, keep us in line since there’s only so much available space. “The heavier the basket becomes, the faster you will realize you are adding unnecessary items,” she says, making it easier to resist that second box of cookies. Plus, you’ll be less tempted to meander through the aisles, losing willpower as you go. “The longer we stay in a store the more money we spend,” says Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert, a leading food industry analyst, writer and trend-watcher. So anything that gets you in and out is a good thing.

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Shop the Sales.....

Before you squeeze even one melon, peruse your store’s circular to see what’s cheap that week. “The number one way to save money on groceries is to buy what you’ll eventually need when it's on sale, instead of waiting until you’re out of the product and have to pay full price,” says Teri Gault, founder and CEO of The Grocery Game. Stores use sales as loss leaders, taking a hit on certain items to lure you into buying the rest of your groceries at full price. Smart shoppers stick to what’s on sale and stock up instead. “That’s a simple tip, but many people don’t know how to take advantage of it,” says Hancock. It’s not about hoarding and extreme shopping. It’s simply about purchasing enough of what your family regularly uses and eats when it is on sale at its lowest price. “This way, you have it ‘in stock’ until it goes on sale again,” she says. Click here for even more tips on stockpiling.

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But Don't Get Sn...

Supermarkets have lots of wily ways to get you spend — including tempting "multiple buy" offers. “Many grocery stores will offer 10 for $10 specials, for example, but that doesn’t mean you have to buy ALL ten items to get the discount,” says Jackie Warrick, senior savings adviser at CouponCabin.com. “Just buy the one or two items you specifically need, and you'll still get the savings benefits.” That said, sometimes there is a higher single item price or a “must buy x number” provision (usually somewhere small so you miss it) so it pays (literally) to be vigilant. Other forms of supermarket trickery include placing the most expensive items at eye level, and stocking end caps with “sales” that aren't. Sneaky stuff.

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Loyalty is Rewar...

Taking advantage of store sales typically requires getting a loyalty card. It may take a few extra minutes at the checkout to sign up, but you'll save on hundreds of items that you would have to pay full price for if you weren't enrolled, says Warrick. Other potential perks include members-only access to online coupons that download to your card, savings at the gas pump, seasonal promotions (spend $100, get a free turkey), and parent-friendly Baby Club discounts.

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It's Hip to Clip

There’s gold in them there coupons. “Using them takes discipline, but once you get a system down, you can really save,” says Nisa Burns, is the author of "Kitchenability 101: The College Student’s Guide to Easy, Healthy, and Delicious Food." Mostly found in the Sunday paper, it’s often worth it to pick an extra copy or two, just for the coups. (You can also hover near the recycling bin of your favorite coffeehouse.) If you often buy a lot of the same item, check out eBay to see if someone is selling a coupon lot for that item. You can also print out internet coupons from sites like redplum.com and couponsource.com, though not every retailer accepts them (always ask). And check out mobile apps from CouponSherpa.com and CouponCabin.com, which let you save on the go.

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Practice Stackin...

A coupon is just a coupon. But a coupon paired with sale? We’re talking boucoup bucks. “You’ll save the most money when you put your coupons together with items that are already on sale,” says Hancock, whose blog Faithful Provisions offers coupon matchups with several major grocery store chains every week. Along those lines, you can often stack a manufacturer coupon on top of store coupon for extra savings. Of course, the Holy Grail of stacking is the BOGO (buy one, get one free) stack. Let’s say you have a $1 coupon for a $2 BOGO item — you essentially get both items for $1. Now, let’s say you have two $1 coupons. You’ll end up getting both items for free (not every store lets you use two coupons on a BOGO deal, however). Giddiness is guaranteed.

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