I used to be a grocery shopping moron. I bought what I wanted when I wanted it and didn’t think about prices or sales. All of that changed when I found myself in $30,000 of student loan debt. Once I started paying down my debt, I really cut back on my spending and learned how to use coupons, follow sale cycles and meal plan using my grocery store’s circular.
Here are a few of my grocery shopping “sins” from my prior life:
1. I shopped at the “fancy” stores.
Do you ever get suckered into buying something because it’s marketed in a way that’s super appealing? You know, those stores with the gorgeous displays and delicious samples. Yeah I’m talking to you whole foods! Every time I walk in that store I can’t leave without spending $100, even if I ran in to grab 3 things.
2. I bought off-season.
Locally sourced fruits and veggies are usually cheaper (less transportation cost) and fresher. Raspberries in the late summer are cheaper than raspberries in the dead of winter. When I bought whatever I craved, I paid way more than when I started paying attention to what produce is in-season.
3. I didn’t care about sale cycles or seasons.
Not looking at the flyer is a sure fire way to buy things when they’re full price. I never knew that sales are cyclical and certain products go on sale at certain times of the year. Summer is a great time to stock up on BBQ condiments, December is a great time to stock up on baking goods like flour, sugar and shortening. Eric is already looking forward to the clearanced corned beef we’ll pick up next week post St Patrick’s day.
4. I purchased in bulk.
Have you noticed how many grocery stores are now offering “bulk” size products? My local ShopRite has a whole section of the flyer dedicated to bulk size items. Sometimes buying in bulk is a good idea. If you have a family of 20 or are feeding the high school football team on a nightly basis that 5 gallon bucket of mayonnaise might be a good idea. If you’re not, you might want to stick with a smaller jar.
5. I bought too many perishables.
I had good intentions of eating all of that delicious fresh produce, but I often forgot about it, and later found it moldy in the back of the crisper. Shameful, I know! Our juicer has helped a little bit with food waste. Now I cut the bad spots off apples and the pears and toss them in the juicer instead of throwing them away.
6. I bought “sexy” specialty items.
Those “fancy” grocery stores practically convinced me that buying domestic products was a sin. Does that $5 a box imported pasta really taste any better than the $1.25 box? To me it doesn’t. Now I pick and chose which specialty foods are worth the added cost.
7. I only bought brand name products.
Everyone knows that Del Monte canned corn is far superior to the generic store brand. Or is it? Once I started trying different brands and using coupons, I realized that I actually preferred certain “off brand” or generic products instead of brand name goods.
How do (did) you waste money on groceries?
Image: Polycart