3 ways to trim your food budget

If you’re spending too much money on food, the easy remedy is to eat out less. If you’ve already done that, then you may be looking for ways to cut back on your grocery bill. If you’re having trouble figuring out how to spend less at the grocery store, here are a few things to think about…

Only buy food: It can really be convenient to get all your shopping done at one place, and if you’re buying groceries at Walmart or Target, you might be on to something. But if you’re using your local grocery store as the place you always buy things like shampoo or contact solution, you may be throwing money away. Even though you may have to make an extra trip, you can save money by getting those non-food items somewhere else.

Don’t shop so often: Every time you go to the grocery store, it can be tempting to grab an extra item or two that isn’t on your shopping list. If you’re shopping once or twice a week, those extra purchases can add up quick. Try to do your grocery shopping no more than once a week, make a list, and stick to it. And definitely don’t shop on an empty stomach.

Pay attention to unit prices: If you buy a 24 pack of Dasani bottled water each week, check out that 36 pack. You may not think you have room for it, but buying those extra 12 bottles might save you money when you look at the unit price. But, unlike shopping at bulk stores like Costco, you can’t always count on the higher count items being cheaper at your local grocery store. My local grocer often has a certain brand of sliced cheese on sale, but only the 12 slice packs. When on sale, I can get two 12 slice packs for .75 to 1.00 less than the price of one 24 slice pack. Pay attention to what’s on sale and ALWAYS check the unit price.