Saving On Groceries And Other Things
In a time of crisis, where people are suffering from the global economic meltdown, there are sites on the net attempting to help out those less fortunate. One such website is www.FreeStuff4Free.com, which offers a large selection of freebies. On top of providing surfers with a great range of freebies, there are also sites available that will provide tips on how to save money through shrewd actions. Given that grocery expenditure is the greatest expense outside rent or mortgage payments, it is advisable to save on groceries where possible. Below are some tips to help out:
Drink more water. Soft drinks, cordial and coffee, cut deeply into your grocery budget, probably more than you could think of. If you are buying individual bottles of water, look into other ways of getting water to drink. There is absolutely no reason to purchase bottled water all the time. The amount being charged is crazy given that often the water bottled is nothing better than the water from taps. Support your kids to drink tap water. Much of the range of flavored sugar-water contains no nutritional value except for the added vitamin C (which basically could have been given via an orange). By scaling back on fluids other than water will literally save you hundreds if not thousands depending on your family situation.
Consider purchasing generic and store brands. This is something that most consumers have not tapped into as of yet. The reason for higher prices of branded products is basically the packaging. Increasing a brand’s awareness and reputation costs money and therefore the cost of that is passed onto the consumer. If you have not started using generic brands I suggest you look at the ingredients and nutritional value between the 2 and compare. Most if not all the time, they are identical and therefore you should pick the generic brand on principle. Even when purchasing from the pharmacist, ask if there are any generic or cheaper equivalents for your medicine. You are guaranteed to save yourself an absolute bundle.
Find out when your store marks fresh produce. When the “use by” or “best before” date is approaching grocery stores often reduce their stock to make sure they go through the registers. One of the best deals is the roasted chickens at the local Harris Teeter. Find out when they discount it after the lunch rush hour. It’s been kept hot, but is losing some of its freshness and so they will knock the price down to around $3. This is enough for me to make chicken focaccias for the next week and therefore helping me save copious amounts of money instead of purchasing lunch everyday.
Combine these above tips with obtaining freebies, and you are well on your way to saving yourself heaps of money!