Smart Shopping

Even though the budget category of groceries and household items is often one of the largest categories, it’s also one of the most variable.  If you are looking to save money in your budget, this is a good place to start.  Yet, many people don’t want to go totally frugal, however, there are lots of opportunities for savings.  Here are some hints – I expand on these in future posts:

1. Know your prices!  I can’t emphasize this enough.  It’s impossible to know if you are getting a good deal if you don’t know what the best price is.  (read this post for how I made this mistake during the recent Circuit City liquidation sale).  If there are some items you typically buy, like diapers, you should also keep track of when they go on sale, and what the best sales are.
2. Use coupons.  Coupons can often save you big money.  While my family typically shops the grocery store perimeter, which contains items that rarely have coupons, we still manage to clip quite a few coupons – for diapers, cleaning products, toiletries, restaurants, and other household items.  All You magazine offers loads of coupons (over $40 of very usable coupons in this last issue).  You can buy a 2-year subscription to All You through a deal we have with Southern Living at HOME.
3. Stockpile.  If you have room at home, buy in bulk, or buy in advance, and save until you need it.  I recently bought a ton of food at great prices from the Omaha Steaks store, but that required most of the extra room in my fridge.
4. Buy the minimum quality that you need, but make sure you don’t buy something that will just end up in the trash.  This works for electronics, clothing, and other household items.
5. Save receipts in a good, safe location.  If something breaks or needs to be replaced, you’ll want to be able to easily return it.

Any other good, smart shopping tips?  Post them in the comments!

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