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Everyone likes saving money, and saving money on groceries is even better since groceries are typically one of the larger expenses each month. Here are some tips on how to maximize your grocery money.

1. Only buy what you need. This may seem obvious, but it’s really not. Go through your cupboards, refrigerator, freezer, and recipe book before you leave for the store. Make a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make this week’s meals, plus any household goods you may need as well. Be sure you’ve had a snack before going to the store, because hunger pangs will make it much harder to only buy what you need. Leave the kids at home, along with anyone else that might be prone to throwing unnecessary items in the cart. If you must bring others, allow yourselves a maximum of one item each that’s not on the list as a treat (and set a dollar limit for those items as well).

2. Stock up and shop wholesale clubs. This may seem like the antithesis of the first tip, but stocking up on items that you KNOW you will use that are non-perishable or freezable will save you money in the long run. For example, if you can purchase 4-packs of toothpaste at a wholesale club for less than 4 tubes at a regular grocery store, it’s a bargain that you’ll make good use of. Of course, you won’t buy a 4-pack of toothpaste every month — only when you NEED it. You can also buy large portions of meat either on sale and/or at wholesale clubs and freeze them. It only takes a few minutes to repackage them into smaller portions, but the cost savings are significant. It’s critical to ONLY buy the stuff on your list though — otherwise wholesale clubs can eat up a lot of your money. It’s not a deal if you don’t need it.

3. Go meatless one night a week or more. Even with buying your meat in bulk, it’s still one of the more expensive items on the grocery list. Eliminating it from the menu completely one or more nights a week will save money.

4. Buy perishables more frequently, but ONLY buy the perishables. Stopping in to buy JUST a bunch of bananas and some lunchmeat when you’re out of those ensures that the food won’t go to waste by spoiling before you can eat it. Wasted food is wasted money.

5. Use coupons, shop sales, and use frequent-buyer’s cards. Most stores have a card that allows you to receive a discount on all or many items, in exchange for allowing them to track your purchases. (That’s what those cards are typically for.) Usually all you need to do is give your name, address, and phone number. You can also use coupons in conjunction with the cards. Stores that offer double or triple coupons can save you even more money. If coupons really interest you, you may want to join a site like www.thegrocerygame.com which helps maximize coupon use.

6. Shop the “awkward” areas of the store most, and buy generic or store brands. The better priced items are normally anywhere but eye-level. Bending up or reaching down can mean a better deal for you. And don’t overlook generics and store brands. Generics are frequently the same as higher-priced brands, and it’s been my experience that the store brands are often better than the name brands. You’ll have nothing to lose by trying store brands either, since most stores will gladly refund your money and replace the item with a name-brand one if you don’t like theirs.

7. Finally, check your receipt before you leave the store. Be sure that everything was scanned at the correct price. Many stores will give you back double the difference if it wasn’t, making it well worth checking the receipt.

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