[...] 11 Ways to Save Money on Groceries, My Dollar [...]

Thanks for posting!

These are some totally awesome strategies. I definitely employ the “buy in bulk” strategy, but my biggest issue is I sometimes go overboard, particularly with fresh fruit and vegetables. I often find myself each week emptying out a lot of the groceries I’ve bought – uneaten, completely gone to waste!

I’ve been thinking of possibly buying my groceries for only 2-3 days in advance – what do you think about this?

Also, I’m not sure if there’s a similar credit card where you live, but here in Australia the largest supermarket chain Woolworths actually has a credit card they issue – the Woolworths Everyday Money credit card, and it offers 5% cashback on groceries and liquor.

Thanks again for posting these tips!

Cheers

Jeremy

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@Michelle – Yes, menu planning is great. I usually just jot down my plans on a piece of paper or in Excel.

@Bryan – excellent point. An underlying point in ALL these tips is that you have to make sure they are true at your grocery store for the things you buy. Thanks for the comment.

I think number 9 is a great point. Private label offerings used to be the crappy cheapo brand, but in recent years retailers have really stepped up their game, hiring the best people away from national brands to really compete.

I was consulting for a consumer goods company recently and they were doing a study on private label competition for some of their breakfast offerings. For all of the private labels tested, the quality was as good if not better than what this company offered. Now the box may not be as pretty and it may not be a brand you know, but its cheaper and better – so why not?

One thing to watch out for with private labels though is now some of them are getting so good that the price can often be higher, especially in places like Target or Whole Foods where they have tiered offerings for their private labels. It is not uncommon to see Archer Farms or 360 Organic cereals selling for more than the Kashi, Kellogg, or General Mills equivalent.

So be careful – just because it’s private label doesn’t necessarily mean it is cheaper. But, for the most part, it does mean it’s just as good if not better.

I completely agree with shopping less often; my fiancee and I are down to once every other week, and we’ve seen a drastic cut in our grocery bill from just a year ago! Ofcourse we also sale shop with coupons and stock up. We used to spend $320 per month on groceries, now it’s just $160!! And the variety is great.