Save money without using coupons

While the tactic of using coupons is a great way to shave down your grocery spending, it admittedly is not for everyone (myself included). I always admire the great organizational skill of shoppers armed with a fistful of coupons at the checkout, but don’t always have the time myself to be that proactive.

There are some other strategies to help you save at the checkout that don’t require you to clip coupons.

Price Match

Price matching is awesome. Not only do you get the best deal, but you get to do one-stop shopping (saving both time and money). Score!

Make your list and look for key items in area stores. Decide who has the best deal on most of your list items and go armed with your flyer to get discounts on the rest. A few words of advice: Circle or highlight your targeted items to save time at the checkout. Also, some stores will price match, even though they don’t advertise as such.

Smart shoppers know that if you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Plan, plan plan

Getting out your scissors and clipping coupons may not appeal to you, but the truth is that you’re not going to save money unless you integrate a certain level of planning when it comes to your groceries.

Your weekly plan should be a little like this. Start by doing inventory with what you’ve already got. Waste not, want not! Second, check out flyers for recipes bases (pasta, meat, poultry, etc) and then evolve your menu from there. If you can come up with recipes that mean you’ll have leftovers for lunches the next day- bonus!

Stick to the list

This one is often easier said than done, but once you’ve made your shopping list- stick to it religiously. This means avoiding temptation and spontaneous purchases. To mitigate your shopping resolve, leave the kids at home. Don’t shop when you’re hungry. It’s also a good idea to shop when you’ve got a limited window of time to get it done. Less time to wander aimlessly.