By planning ahead, my wife and I never pay full price for groceries. The trick? Follow these top tips.
Sweet Tip #1: Check the Flyers
Some of the best deals are found on the front and back pages of our weekly flyers. We stock up on items when they’re on sale, and have enough to last until the next time they’re marked down.
Many stores also offer “10% Tuesday” or “Customer Appreciation Day,” where we save on our entire purchase (which is a great day to stock up!).
Sweet Tip #2: Collect Coupons
We originally thought that coupons were a waste of time – until we realized they really do add up. The best part? You can find coupons everywhere – from the mail and local newspaper to in-store displays and websites like save.ca.
Sweet Tip #3: Skip Convenience Food
We try to stay away from convenience food (from packs of salad to pre-cut mushrooms). We you buy pre-packaged food, you’re paying for the ingredients and the labour or machinery used to prepare the meal. We save money and have a healthy family meal by making it ourselves at home.
Sweet Tip #4: Freeze your Produce
Too often, we bought fresh fruit and vegetables, only to forget them in the fridge and end up throwing them out. Frozen produce may cost slightly more, but it’s a great way to avoid spoilage and we can stock up when there’s a sale. This way, you always have ingredients on hand to make a quick stir-fry or smoothie.
As a bonus, the flash freezing process locks in many of the nutrients that fresh produce loses during shipping.
Sweet Tip #5: Clean with Care
Using everyday items that we already buy, we can make our own cleaning products (and save on pricey products in the cleaning aisle).
For example, to clean glass, use 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 litre of water. To scrub baked-on food from pots and pans – or to deodorize carpets (especially good if you have a pet) – use baking soda.
By following these simple tips, you’ll save a bundle on your family’s grocery bill. (So there’s more left for shoes, baseball tickets and books.)
Tom Drake is the owner and head writer behind Canadian Finance Blog and also works as a financial analyst for a major retailer. Tom and his wife Amanda welcomed their beautiful baby boy Christian in October of 2009. To read more of Tom’s posts, subscribe to Canadian Finance Blog’s RSS feed and follow @CanadianFinance on Twitter.