Saving Money at the Grocery

By Luci Fardo

I wanted to talk to you today about saving money at the grocery. It is a struggle in today's economy to make ends meet. Groceries is an easy place to start checking on ways to save money. What we put in our body is one of the most important things that keep us healthy. I am extremely careful with my food choices. At the same time, I try to get the best buy for the best healthy choices. I have some different things I do to save money at the grocery.

Oatmeal is a powerhouse in nutrition. They are very high in soluble fibre, can lower cholesterol and blood sugar, and have more protein and fat than most grains. There are so many healthy ways to eat oats. Of course there is oatmeal. Overnight oats are an easy alternative to oatmeal. You can also add some raw oats to your smoothie to make it more filling and give you extra nutrients. There are many different ways to add oatmeal to your diet. I eat it almost everyday. My grandmother told me that was how she lived until her nineties.

Another way to save money is buy using a lot of beans. Beans are loaded with vitamins, mineral and fiber. If you want to buy dried beans but don’t want to soak, buy split peas or lentils. They can be cooked up straight into soups and sauces without the pre-soaking step. There are many recipes that adding beans will potentially save money.

Take stock of the pantry and refrigerator before you go to the store. Plan your meals based on what you already have. At hour house we will say that we are going to eat the freezer. That just means we are going to avoid buying meat and make meals based on what we already have purchased. If we find something that is a rock-bottom price we will go ahead and buy that. For example, ham was .89 lb. so we did purchase that. We keep a magnet on our refrigerator that we note what we will need when we go to the store. It is specifically for groceries and other household items. We keep magnetic markers and erasers on the refrigerator and it makes it really easy to make a grocery list.

Make sure that you have a loose meal plan for what you will make when you are making the list. This way you won't forget any items you need for it. I try to plan meals based on what is on sale or seasonally available at the time.

Know which groceries have the best buys. Check the online sale ads in your area and plan ahead to go to two stores if need be with online coupons to ensure that you get the best possible deal. Another thing to use is restaurant coupons. It saves a ton of money. Shop at stores that offer reward fuel pumps to save even more money.

Check out your local farmer's market. There is an opportunity to buy fresh local food and save money at the same time. It is healthier and usually cheaper than at the grocery .

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