Save Money On Groceries At Wholesale Clubs And Grocery Stores

Searching to cut your household costs so, you can just pay the bills? Feeling like the only thing left to cut is your monthly grocery bill? You can cut your grocery spending as much as 50 percent if you know where to shop, how to shop, and when to shop.

First, there is usually more than one place to do your grocery shopping every week. Even in the smallest burgs of America, you do have a choice. Grocery stores carry most of the standard food and non-food items, but prices vary from week to week. Wholesale clubs such as Sam’s Club, Costco and Gordon Foods sell food and non-food items in bulk packaging and are found in larger cities and metropolitan areas. These stores normally do not advertise sales, but typically accept manufacturers’ coupons. Convenience stores like Circle K and 7-11 are simply convenient to purchase one or two items and fill up with your favorite beverage while traveling or shopping. These types of stores do not offer sales on grocery items and charge more on standard grocery items. Then there is the online option. Yes, now more national retail chains are offering online shopping; they will either ship the grocery items or have them available for pick up if located nearby.

Knowing where to shop to save the most money on your weekly bill is the most important step. One does not have to buy groceries at the same place week after week and month after month. Even if you must travel a few miles, you may be able to save on your monthly food spending. Retail grocery chains such as Albertson’s, Kroger, Giant Eagle, Publix, Safeway, and others run an ad circular each week advertising select brands for a specific price; many also include their own brand items on sale as well. Check each circular for the items you buy the most and compare the prices. Buying only the items that you need and that are on sale will also save you money. It is important to know the price range for items you buy frequently, so you know which store is offering the best price.

Second, wholesale clubs can be more affordable on items that you use more often or specialty items. Canned food items including soups, beans, and drink mixes are sometimes cheaper to buy in bulk than at your traditional grocery store. When comparison-shopping, do not look at the ticket price alone. Wholesale clubs base their prices on volume (ounces or pounds), which can be found on the shelf price sticker. Compare the volume price to the weekly price at your grocery retailer over the course of a couple weeks since grocery chains vary their prices from week to week.

A comparison of several products between a Costco and Giant grocery store was conducted by AOL Money & Finance, which found many of the bulk products were much less expensive at the wholesale club.

Sample of products compared:

Tropicana Orange Juice, no pulp – Costco savings of $.60/quart Maxwell House coffee – Costco savings of $1.54/pound Fillippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Costco savings of $9.93/quart Nabisco Oreo Cookies – Costco savings of $1.55/pound

 

Be aware that the above savings are for volume pricing only, and these savings do not represent the actual prices. Your state may charge additional fees including sales tax on food or non-food items. Wholesale or warehouse clubs also charge an annual fee, which varies at each club.

When you join and shop at warehouse or wholesale clubs, jot down what you buy, the date purchased and the date the item was completely used or the packaging was thrown away. This will give you an idea how long the product lasts and the cost to replace it on a monthly basis.

Lastly, knowing when to shop or which week has the best sale items is crucial. Typically, retail grocery chains will charge more the first week of every month. Why? Through observation and experience, retailers know this is when most people get their paychecks and Food Stamps are uploaded the first ten days of the month; therefore, people are likely to spend more on groceries. The best time of the month is to shop the third to fourth week when people are running low on cash and need to get through the rest of the month until payday. Oftentimes grocery chains will offer their 10 for $10 sale, which sometimes are good deals. In addition, they are more likely to sell multiple quantities of the same product for a reduced price.

Get more and spend less when you know where to buy groceries, when to shop during the month and how to stretch your budget throughout the month.