Frugal Grocery Shopping

Strategies for frugal grocery shopping requires taking the time to plan meals, examining store advertisements for sales, clipping coupons and avoiding pre-packaged foods when possible. This may mean changing the way your family eats, such as reducing meat consumption and incorporating more fresh vegetables than canned vegetables. However, with the thousands of different recipes from which to choose, you will no doubt find that eating healthier is tastier and cheaper.

Although buying in bulk appears to cost you more when checking out, when you divide the items by the cost, you will always find that you are saving money than if you were purchasing the items separately. In addition, bulk purchasing means you do not have to make as many trips to the store, which saves on gas and wear and tear on your car.

Frugal Grocery Shopping Tips

Most store brands contain the same ingredients as name-brand items. The only thing missing is the famous name and packaging. While you may taste a noticeable difference between some name and store brands, most are insignificant. Trying several store brands every time you go shopping will quickly familiarize you with the best-tasting store brands and allow you to forgo forever those expensive name brands.

Meats

We can all do with less meat in our diets because of the unhealthy fats contained in many meat cuts. Although we obtain much of our protein from meat, protein is a component many other foods, so reducing meat consumption should not affect your health. Frugal grocery shopping means discovering cheaper substitutes for meat that provides protein, such as:

• Cheese
• Eggs
• Beans
• Peanut butter
• Whole grains
• Mushrooms 

Instead of serving meat every night, plan a meatless meal every other night. Grilled cheese sandwich, tomato soup and a special dessert make for a warm and filling supper.

Try this affordable dessert:

Apple Fritter Rings

One egg
2/3 cup of milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
5 large apples
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Beat oil, egg and milk in a mixing bowl, and then combine sugar, salt, flour and baking powder. Mix all ingredients together until batter is thick and smooth. Cut apples into 1/2 inch rings. Heal oil to 375 degrees in a deep fryer or electric skillet. Dip each apple ring into batter. Fry three or four at one time until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, and then sprinkle on top of fried apple slices

Ideas for Frugal Grocery Shopping

Frugal grocery shopping comes down to planning, shopping wisely and using all, wasting none.

• Purchase ingredients to make cookies or cakes at home rather than buying them pre-made.
• Use fresh vegetables. Cutting them up and freezing them will save you a lot of money 
• Shop at farmers’ markets when certain foods are in season Drink water instead of soda pop. It saves money and is better for you.
• Cook most of your food in bulk if possible and freeze for future use (when you have limited time, for example, to fix something) 
• Freeze dark bananas to make banana bread Plan meals around what is on sale at your grocery store 
• Make Saturday your leftover meal day by using whatever is leftover in your refrigerator. 

Another frugal grocery shopping tip is to avoid running to the store just because you think you "need" one item. This is why planning meals ahead of time is a great time-saver as well as a money saver. Unbelievably, research indicates that going to the store to buy one item inevitably leads to purchasing more items, usually things that you do not really need. Grocery stores realize this and take advantage of this urge to impulse shop by trying to cram as many small "gee, I might need that" items in the checkout lane as possible.

Frugal Living Tips

1. Clip coupons on items you would normally buy.


2. Avoid prepared foods. The next time you go shopping and pick up a box or bag of an already prepared item, ask yourself if you can make that at home for less. If you can, then put that item back in favor of less expensive staples.
   
   
3. Buy in bulk. Consider the food items that you use most often. Cereals, meats, vegetables, condiments, juices, and paper products can be bought in bulk usually at a lower price at food warehouses like Costco, BJ’s, and Wal-Mart. If you have a coupon, you’ll save even more money.
   


4. Don’t shop when you are hungry. You are more likely to give into those impulse buys on an empty stomach.
   
   
5. Take a grocery list with you. Remember, the goal is to stick to the list as much as possible.
   


6. Shop grocery ads and specials. When the grocery store fliers come out plan your meals to match what is on sale.
   
   
7. Plan a menu before you go. Not only does this keep you from wandering around the store figuring out what is for dinner, it will save you money knowing exactly what you need.
   


8. It's okay to use store brands.
   


9. Buy fruits and vegetables in season.
   


10. Buy dried beans, not canned. It will be an extra effort but costs much less and will be healthier for you.
    
    

See more grocery shopping tips.

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Related Frugal Cooking Pages:
~ Tips on Frugal Living, ~ Freezer Meals, ~ Frugal Kitchen Staples, ~ Frugal Grocery Shopping, ~ Homemade Sauces, ~ Homemade Mixes, ~ Low Cost Recipes, ~ Using Leftovers

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