- 1). Use your local price clubs for your bulk paper goods, toiletries, bakery items and meats. Be sure to check your local grocer's weekly circulars before making a purchase. In most cases, club prices will be lower as long as you have the room to store these items when purchased in bulk.
- 2). Use coupons and store cards combined with coupons for the best deals. Be sure to have a file organized by date so that you can use the coupons before they expire. Read the circulars each week to ensure you only buy products on sale. Check online for any downloadable coupons available for the week.
- 3). Buy less expensive store brands or no-name brands for common products. Some of the less expensive sodas, mixes, condiments and vitamins are very much like the brand-name varieties but cost significantly less.
- 4). Use products until they are completely finished. Adding a little bit of water to shampoo or even conditioner when it's at the bottom of the bottle will help you save. Use deodorant and antiperspirant sparingly. These products contain chemicals that are absorbed by the body, so from a health standpoint, the less you use the better. Also, many people over-apply these products, thinking they will be more effective. In this case, it would make more economic sense to purchase a stronger product and then use it at the right amount. Use bar soap until it is entirely gone.
- 5). Use a home delivery grocery service. At first, you may think it is more costly. However, many of these services are very inexpensive. The other way you save money is by buying the items on sale without fear of unnecessary impulse shopping while at the store. The money you save more than makes up for the extra cost of delivery. Frequent users also get free deliveries and some free merchandise for using the service.
- 6). Learn what products are worth. Even if you don't use an Internet shopping service, you can compare prices for popular products on the Internet before you go shopping to help you get the best price. Just be sure you are comparing apples to apples and making calculations based on equal quantities.
- 7). Buy fruit and vegetables in season and from local sources. Many chains now work with local farmers, wineries and distillers to sell products that can save you money, especially if you are willing to buy in bulk. Farmers markets are also a great way to save on locally grown goods.
- 8
Check unit prices to make sure you are comparing the same quantity. Sometimes products are made to look like the same size as a counterpart but may be a few ounces smaller in quantity. Unit prices are there to keep the consumer alert to these kinds of practices.
next post