One way to avoid overspending at the grocery store is to stay organized. It doesn’t matter if you are a couponer or what your budget is, there is no reason to buy more than you need and end up with wasted money, food and time. Here are some tips for staying organized at the grocery store.
How to Stay Organized While Grocery Shopping
The best tip of all is to make a list each and every time you go. This way, you have a good outline of what you need and what you will be buying to avoid unnecessary purchases. It will also give you a clear idea of your shopping goal so you can do some of the other tips on this list.
Look through the grocery store ads before you go shopping. Don’t just head to the same store you are used to with a pile of coupons and no plan. You could be missing out on great deals at other stores and forgetting about some coupons you had to use. If you don’t receive the ads, you can use the Favado App to see the sales at your local stores.
Look through your coupons before you go shopping. The way to maximize your savings is to match coupons to items that are already on sale. Again the Favado App can help with this as under each sale item there is a list of coupons (if any) that can be used on that item to further lower the cost.
Come up with a way to organize your coupons that makes sense for your personal habit. If you make large couponing trips, get yourself a large binder and organize them into types. If you are less of an avid coupon shopper, a small purse sized file system that can be bought at the dollar store in a good idea. Here are tips for organizing your coupons.
Sort your coupons before you leave and know the coupon policies of the store you are going to. It is also a good idea to have a printed version of that particular store’s coupon policy in case you need to reference it.
Plan meals. Unless you want to make a trip to the store daily, plan your meals by at least the week. This will give you an idea of what you will need to buy for the week’s meals and cut down on extra trips to the store to buy missing ingredients.
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Take stock of what you already have on hand. There is no reason to buy duplicates of something you already have on hand and it is very easy to forget especially when it comes to non-perishables such as canned goods. Here are tips for keeping track of your pantry inventory.
Use technology. There are many great apps out there that help you save money and stay organized. The King Ring App helps you keep track of all your store loyalty cards in one place on your phone. There are also many apps that provide cash back on purchases. The nice thing about mobile coupons is that you can scan the receipt at home to earn money, so you don’t have to remember to bring coupons into the store. Here are more ways to save with mobile coupons.
Don’t shop during peak times. The stress of being around a crowded place may make you forget items or hurry too much to get out of the store that you don’t effectively shop.
Try to shop without distractions. Turn off your cell phone and leave the kids and spouse at home if you can. When you have others with you, you are more likely to get sidetracked, feel rushed or forget something on your list.
Take note of your coupons and their expiration date before you shop. Nothing is more annoying than getting up to the register and having a coupon not work because it is expired. You either buy the item at full price or end up wasting yours and the cashier’s time. Plus, it throws off your whole budget.
What are some ways you try to stay organized during grocery shopping trips?
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