By Barbara Pierce
A box of cereal costing $7! Same for a box of cookies? And that’s at Walmart, known for lower prices.
We all experience sticker shock as we shop for groceries. Food costs have cooled down a bit, but we’re still feeling the pinch.
Though prices aren’t going to go down, there are several things you can do to stretch your budget as far as possible.
Some suggestions:
• Plan meals: There are people who can whip up a delicious meal using random items from the fridge like they’re contestants on a reducing-food-waste challenge on TV. Most of us aren’t them. We’re real-life people, who forget about containers of leftovers in the back of the fridge and turn to delivery when we’re tired and uninspired.
The thing is wasting food and using delivery will for sure cause you to spend more money than you’d intended on food. This is where planning and making a list can help.
Take inventory of what you have, come up with some meal ideas and build a grocery list from that to be as efficient as possible with your food budget.
• Make a list: Planning what you’re going to shop for helps you get organized and stay on budget. A list prevents overbuying and impulse buying. It can be useful to organize your list by categories, such as must-haves and nice-to-haves and these can be cross-referenced with sections of the store.
• Avoid impulse purchases: Stick to your list and avoid impulse purchases. Impulse purchases in general can be a drain on your budget. To avoid them, consider having a strict “stick to the list” rule.
• Plan your list around what’s on sale: This is important. Planning your meals and grocery list around what’s on sale is an effective way to keep your grocery costs down. As you make your list, go online to find the sale items for the store you shop at.
It’s worth watching for deep discounts on staples, too — so long as they won’t spoil! If your favorite brand of toilet paper, cereal or frozen fruit is on sale, it can be a good time to stock up. Just be sure it’s something you’ll actually use, rather than something you’re buying just because it seems like a deal.
• Choose store brand items: You might assume that a store-brand of any given food is a poorer-quality imitation of its name-brand cousin. But supermarkets these days are working to change that perception. Often the quality of store brands is the same as — or even better than — that of name brands.
For example, for Salonpas Lidocaine Pain Patches, a package of six cost $10.31. A package of six of Equate, the Walmart brand, is $7.12. Both contain the exact same ingredients.
Choosing store brands can add up to big savings, so it’s worth experimenting to see if they work for you.
• Use coupons: Coupons can help you save a lot. Start by downloading the apps for the stores you shop at and check them for coupons each week when you’re creating your list. Consider joining rewards and loyalty programs for access to more deals.
Local newspapers, especially the Sunday editions, often have coupons. Grocery stores send out advertisements with coupons in the mail. Some stores have printed coupons at the entrances. Some stores offer special discounts to loyalty program members. For others, the store’s app will let you clip the coupons virtually and add them to your account. You browse coupons and click on the ones you want. Then they’re automatically applied to your order at checkout.
• Buy in bulk: Products in larger-size packaging often have a lower cost per ounce than those in smaller packages. For instance, you might save overall by buying bigger boxes of cereal or tubs of mayo. This isn’t always true, though, so check the tags in your store to see if they break down the cost for you.
• Shop at discount stores: This can be a good way to reduce your grocery bill. For example, Bargain Grocery in Utica, with produce at its core, offers merchandise at lower prices. Price Chopper and Aldi are known for affordable prices.
Food Sense offers food packages at a large discount. “It’s a ministry of our church — Unadilla Forks Baptist Church, Leonardsville,” explained Sheri Feldman, co-manager. “We’re all volunteers, under the auspices of Food Bank of CNY. Anyone is eligible. We take cash only.” Basic monthly package offers about $40 worth of food for $20.50. See Food Sense on Facebook for details.
Being cost-conscious while grocery shopping takes some planning and organizing. But the benefits can be huge. By sticking to your grocery budget, you’re saving more money for other things that matter to you.