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How to Save at the Grocery Store in December?
Each and every month brings in new deals and coupons to save money at the grocery store. If you look into the grocery expenses of an average American home, you would realize that it forms a significant part of the total expenses. According to USDA that tracks grocery spending, there are four major categories of family types: thrifty,low-cost, moderate & liberal. Numbers change every year due to inflation, but for an American family of four, that spending ranges from $570 – $1100 monthly. Grocery prices have risen sharply over the past few years and a conservative estimate is that they’ll rise +3.5-4% year over year.
See the full Oct 2015 report at: USDA Website
There are a few tips and tricks which you can use to save on the grocery bills this December. Below are some tips which can surely help you out.
1. Make your choice is simple:
If you really want to save on the grocery bills, instead of making complicated recipes, you have to simplify the recipes according to the five ingredient rule. If you haven’t heard about the 5 ingredient meal, you have to look it up on the Internet by doing a quick google search. What you will find is that just by making every recipe simple and limit the ingredients to more or less five, you can greatly reduce the numbers of items you have to buy when you go out for grocery shopping. Since you’re simplifying the recipe, you would be able to lower the bills quite easily as well and possibly re-use some of the same ingredients multiple times during a week.
2. Opt for the seasonal fruits and vegetables:
In each and every season, there are different fruits and vegetable which are seasonal. Instead of opting for the non-seasonal fruits and vegetables, you have to look into the seasonal options which are present in December in your area and you have to opt for them. This would also ensure that you have to pay less for these fruits and vegetables as well.
Depending on the weather and geographical location, the seasonal fruits and vegetables change from week to week. Best place to shop is your local farmers market, check your city website to find the locations and days when these markets are setup in your area. That’s a great way to buy fresh cheap vegetables and at the same time help your local farmers.
3. Buy frozen vegetables not meals:
If you’re going for the packaged frozen food, they can be pretty expensive but if you instead shop for the frozen vegetables and fruits, you would be able to get them at a more affordable cost especially if you’re getting something which is not currently grown in this season. The frozen meat options would be much more affordable as well.
You have to look into the ingredient list and buy exactly according to the ingredient list if you want to ensure that you are getting everything needed to prepare the disk still saving money while shopping for groceries.
4. Buy large quantities:
Whenever you are getting more quantities of groceries, you would be able to easily save quite a bit of money as well. Instead of buying in smaller quantities at the local store, you can also look at the online grocery shopping options which may provide you with a discount on bulk purchases as well. Stores like Costco, Sam’s club or BJ’s may also be a good place to shop if you are looking for local options. When buying in bulk, you just need to ensure that you have a proper method and space of preserving the grocery items.
This would ensure that whenever you are buying in bulk quantity, you can store it easily for future use as well and you would be able to save a significant amount of money by buying in bulk as well.
5. Plan Ahead:
Creating a meal plan for the week is by far the most important and effective way to control your spending. Regardless or the time of the year or season, having a mean plan per day will help you shop smart and keep you on budget. If you’re clear about the meals which you want to cook in the coming week, it would be easier for you to look into the ingredients as well. Instead of getting each and everything which you can get your hands on, you have to plan your each and every meal of the week and once that is planned, you would be able to get the ingredients accordingly and not over spend.
That is why, you have to look into the meal which you want to cook and you have to divide it into the 5 ingredient meal and then you have to pick the ingredients at the grocery store so that you do not have to spend a lot of money.
6. Shop around for the best deal:
Not each and every grocery store provides you with the fruits and vegetables at the same cost and therefore you have to shop around and look through the weekly ad pages to determine which stores has the best prices for the fruits and vegetables you plan to purchase and then decide which one is the most affordable. Coupon clipping is not necessary if you watch for the deals and adjust your menu based on what items are on sale any given week but coupons can help on items you have to buy that may never or seldom go on sales.
So, if you’re thinking of saving on your grocery bills this December, these 6 tips will definitely help you. Keeping track of your expenses month-over-month and then adjusting your shopping habits is the key to success when it comes to staying on a budget. Good luck!
