Top Ten Money Saving Tips
  1. Refuse to Pay Retail!  My website makes it quick and easy to match up store sales and
    manufacturer’s coupons for significant savings.
  2. Plan to Save!  Spend 5-10 minutes each week checking your lists, clipping the
    coupons, and updating your current grocery list.  A little planning goes a long ways
    towards utilizing what’s in your pantry and freezer and answering the inevitable
    question of “What’s for dinner?”
  3. Buy Low!  When it is on sale, buy as much as you can. (Yes, 2 or more copies of the
    Sunday paper can help immensely here.)  If you buy everything you can when it is on
    sale, then when it doesn’t go on sale for 2 months you don’t need to pay full price for it.
    If the store is out of the sale item, be sure to get a Rain Check.  Fred Meyer's are good
    for 2 months, and Albertsons are good for 1 month. This is the Pantry Concept – buy
    low and stock up.
  4. Know Your Prices!   Keep a note card of prices of items you buy regularly.  Don’t buy
    anything if you don’t know what it should cost!  Be sure to check the price per pound, oz,
    unit, per diaper etc. each time you shop.
  5. Cook & Freeze! When Albertsons has their Buy One Get One Free Meat sales, plan on
    buying extra for easy thaw and cook meals for later. Why make 1 meatloaf when you
    can make 3 in the same amount of time and freeze 2 for later?  Same goes for Teriyaki
    Chicken, Pot Roast, Meatballs, and various crock pot meals. This saves not only a lot of
    cash, but a lot of time as well!
  6. Be Courteous!  Treat the cashiers with the courtesy and great respect they deserve!  I
    can’t tell you how much this has saved me over the years.
  7. Think Cleanly! You can really waste a lot of money on Cleaning Supplies you just don’t
    need. What do you need?  Laundry detergent and stain treatment, bleach, window
    cleaner, baking soda & vinegar, ammonia for vinyl floors or oil soap for hardwoods,
    dish liquid, dish detergent for your dish washer, a stack of old rags and a little elbow
    grease.  That’s pretty much it.  Anything more is overkill, overpriced, and just money out
    of your pocket.  
  8. Organic – I would love to buy all Organic food; however, I am realistic about organic.  My
    family’s food budget just does not allow for this.  Organic products tend to be priced at
    nearly double their non-Organic equals, which should put them out of consideration for
    stretching your grocery dollars.  When Organics are the same price as non-organics –
    go Organic!   Another option is to grow your own.  Check into square foot gardening.  Try
    container growing for vegetables. I’ve not had to buy lettuce more than once this past
    summer by growing my own in a container.  It could be a great project for you and your
    kids.  My son loves pulling out his “own” carrots and picking his own salad!
  9. Costco:  Yes, I have a membership.  Yes, when there are no deals at Albertsons or
    Fred Meyer on eggs, shredded cheese, oatmeal, or a steak for my husband I will go
    there and if I’m there I’ll pick up milk.  However the minor price difference between milk
    at Costco vs Fred Meyer does not tilt the scales in favor of Costco.  I will go to Costco for
    garlic – minced or granulated – yes my husband goes through it quickly enough! I will
    also go to Business Costco for the Parmesan cheese. But mostly we shop at Fred
    Meyer or Albertsons.
  10. Herb and Spices!  If you are trying a new recipe that calls for a spice you don’t have,
    stop by the bulk foods or natural foods section at Fred Meyer and get just a little.  It will
    cost you pennies vs dollars for a tiny bottle.  If you are out of an herb or spice or that
    oregano no longer smells like oregano, get a cheap refill at the bulk foods section.
Top Ten Ways to Save Money at the Grocery Store:
Examples