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Going to the grocery store can result in high anxiety and a loss of more money than you planned to spend. Be prepared with a list of things that you need and look only for those items. Do not travel down an aisle unless it has an item you are looking for. Check the sale prices of similar items. Consider the weight of an item such as sugar. If you haven’t noticed, sugar is packaged in four pound packages now instead of the usual five pounds.  Compare the price of the ten pound bag with two-four pound bags. It is probably cheaper to buy the ten pound bag. Don’t be fooled by sale gimmicks meant to entice over buying. You do not have to buy all ten items on the 10 for $10.00 sales. Buy what you need and leave the rest. You will still get the items for just one dollar.

Manufacturers have lowered quantity and increased prices so the consumer gets less for more costs. Be diligent and carry a calculator to figure the unit price. Dog food is an item that is packaged smaller than what most consumers are used to. Instead of the 20 pound bag, you get 17 pounds. Consider another brand in larger quantities from a feed store if you have large or multiple dogs.

The meat counter is a challenge. If you like to buy meat under glass you might have noticed that it looks different once you get it home. The red meats look less red, and the seafood looks smaller. The glass can distort the way food looks,  so ask the clerk to show you the meat above the case. The large shrimp may all of a sudden look like medium size.

One more item to be diligent about is the check-0ut. Watch  the screen as the items are scanned and be sure they are correct. Sale items have to be scanned into the system or the machine will charge the usual price.  Be sure your items have been scanned correctly, especially on the first day of sales. Check the weight and charge on produce, sometimes the clerk does not know a turnip from a rutabaga.  Use coupons and the store card for discounts that will help you get out the door with some money still in your pocket.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 at 12:44 pm and is filed under Finances, Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.