This post is by our regular contributor, Kristi.
I have a confession to make that will probably make other frugal shoppers cringe…are you ready?
I hate clipping coupons. Seriously. I loathe, detest, and abominate coupons.
For some people, coupons are a great way to expand their grocery budget. For me though, they’re a never-ending source of shopping regret. Whenever I attempt to be one of those savvy TLC-worthy extreme couponers, I fail miserably. I don’t understand how to double coupons in-store, how to use them to get things 100% free, and I don’t have a knack for coupon binder organization.
Honestly, for me, coupons are not worth the time. Any time I do manage to get my act together and sit down to clip or print out coupons, I inevitably forget to actually bring them to the store or fail to use them before the darn things expire. They always get crumpled in my purse, pockets, or lost to the black abyss of the diaper bag, never to be seen again…that is until 5 minutes after I just bought the item for full price. If I had a dollar for every un-used coupon that could have saved me a dollar, I could probably be in retirement by now.
Just like I have given up on my child-hood dream of being a ballerina, I have embraced the fact that I will never be an extreme-couponer. If you too hate cutting coupons (and even if you don’t) use these 10 alternative ways to tighten your grocery budget and cut your food spending costs every month.
1) Price compare your local grocery stores
It can be really tempting to get all of your shopping done in one store for the sake of convenience, but it’s worth recognizing that not all stores are priced equally. Driving a quarter mile down the road to another store can save you quite a bit of money every month.
When planning out my grocery list, I write down what I need from two different stores because I know which store has the items for a lower price. For example, Walmart carries almond milk and vegan butter at lower prices than our other grocery store.
2) Sign up for your grocery store membership card
Most grocery stores have food deals for membership-card holders only. Take advantage of those deals by signing up. It’s silly to shop without them when they cost nothing, and they can really help tighten your grocery budget.
You can also swipe your card at the coupon kiosk in the front of the store for a sheet of daily coupons. Coupons with absolutely no planning involved is great in my book. If you don’t want any of the items on the list, no harm no foul. Just leave them in your cart for another shopper.
3) Shop by the price per unit label
My mom taught me from early on to always look at the price per unit label instead of the actual price listed. You may think you’re getting a good deal because the price is lower on certain packaging, but that price per unit label is where you’ll see if you’re actually getting the best price.
My personal rubric for deciding a good price for food is to try to buy food that gets closest to $1.00 per pound or $1.00 per serving. Rice, beans, lentils, carrots, potatoes, onions, and bananas are just a few of the foods that I can usually buy for $1.00 or less per pound, and they are all healthy and filling foods.
4) Go with the store brand over name brand
There are certain items that absolutely taste better because they are name brand, but buying the generic items that look and taste exactly the same as name brand will save you money. Why pay the difference in price just for a label?
5) Watch for sales
Try to keep a general idea of the regular price of foods so that you know if you’re getting a good deal with listed sale prices. Organic chicken at our store usually costs about $8.00 per pound, so when it goes on sale for $4.00 per pound, I pounce and stock up.
6) Shop seasonally
Shopping seasonally is a great way to cut down on food costs. Strawberries in late spring, tomatoes, beans, and squash in the summer, and cabbage in the fall are just a few examples of foods that are priced much more reasonably in season.
7) Freeze seasonal or on-sale food items
Consider buying the lower-priced seasonal and on sale foods in bulk to freeze for use later in the year. We have a deep freezer that we use for just that purpose. Preserving food when it’s less expensive is a great way to offset the cost of food throughout the year.
8) Ask your store manager about ripe produce
Some stores automatically sell their over-ripe produce at a slashed price. If your store doesn’t, approach the manager to ask them to start selling the produce they would otherwise get rid of. Apples and bananas especially are great produce to buy cheap for use in breads, smoothies, and desserts.
9) Buy off of the close-out shelf
Candy cane flavored Oreos anyone? When seasonal goodies go out of season, you can find some great items on that hidden closeout shelf in the back corner of the store.
10) Mobile coupon apps
If you absolutely hate the idea of grocery shopping without coupons but, like me you’re a miserable failure at using them, download a mobile coupon app for your phone. Mobile coupons apps are a great way to tighten your grocery budget without the hassle of clipping and remembering to actually bring coupons with you to the store.
Coupon-less and still savvy
You don’t have to give up the title of savvy shopper just because you don’t like to use coupons. Even the most inept coupon users, like myself, can still find ways to tighten their grocery budgets every month.
There’s a myriad of ways to slash your grocery bill without actually clipping coupons. You just need to keep your eyes open and be on alert for when the best deals come around to get the best food prices.
Check out some of our other money-saving articles like 8 Ways to Save Money Shopping at Target, 20 Ways to Save Money In Your 20s, and The Best Cheap Cell Phone Plan.
If you haven’t been scared off from couponing yet, check out our posts 12 Tips for Beginner Couponers and How to Organize Coupons Using a Database in Excel [With Download].
Do you like to use coupons to tighten your grocery budget? How else do you save money on food every month?
Check out some of our favorite personal finance resources:
Are you getting the best credit card rewards? Check out the top cash back credit card offers (updated daily)
Make extra money: 15 ways to make money from your computer
Get the First Chapter Free!
Join our online community and get the first chapter of the book Student Loan Solution absolutely FREE!
I got my first ever rain check last week when the store was all out of the organic milk that was on sale. It was very easy and something I’d do again if sale products are sold out. Ask the cashier for one so you don’t miss out when sale items aren’t in stock.
Eyesonthedollar That’s a great tip! It’s always nice when stores will still honor their advertised sales even when they run out of an item.
We mostly save money by creating a menu around the sales flyer. If something is on sale, we generally eat it!
holly@clubthrifty.com Creating a menu around the sales flyer is a great idea!
These are all tips we use to feed our family of six for roughly $400 a month. They work!!!
Laurie TheFrugalFarmer That’s fantastic! We spend about $350 a month for our family of four. I would love to see a breakdown in your budget, if you’re willing to share.
We hate clipping coupons as well. It’s just not worth it from a time perspective, not to mention most of the items are for processed things we don’t eat anyway. That being said, we do many of these things in our family and stay under $500 for a family of 5.
Great tips! I recently embarked on a rather epic endeavor to compare prices at all of my local grocery stores and it has been so informative. Now, I feel comfortable that even without taking the time to clip coupons, just by shopping at the right store I’m saving money. I’m also a big fan of meal planning around the weekly flyer. I never know what to cook, so knowing that some type of meat is on sale is as good a reason as any to cook that this week!
Taking the time to compare prices is a huge help. Wal-Mart recently opened up a supercenter in our area. It’s really interesting to see what groceries are actually cheaper at Wal-Mart.
There is also the option to buy in bulk at one of those club stores. I would never spend the money on a membership fee, but if you know someone who has a membership, you can always ask to tag along when they go shopping.
Buying seasonally is my favorite! You get the cheapest and tastiest food that way :)
Apps like Cartwheel have saved me a ton of money! Buying generic is one of my favorite tips, although sometimes it’s not always the cheapest, so you have to look closely. I’ve noticed no difference between generic and name brands!
I don’t really clip coupons either…it’s too time consuming plus the coupons are usually for things I don’t buy. I do use Target coupons since they hand them out at checkout…and I also use their Cartwheel App. I definitely buy store brands as I usually don’t taste the difference. And I just buy whatever is on sale and plan our meals based on those items.
Love this! I actually wrote a similar post a few months back because I really loathe clipping coupons and knew I couldn’t be the only one wanting to save money without having to do the clipping work. Great minds think alike! Hah. Glad to see someone else who doesn’t think clipping coupons are worth the time :) I also find myself purchasing items I wouldn’t otherwise when I clip coupons, just because of the perceived “deal” I’m getting.
I love coupons, however, I know they’re not for everyone. These are fantastic tips if you don; like coupons – or even if you do!
FrugalRules $500 is great for a family of 5!
Ali_AnythingYouWant I swear by price comparing! I’m glad I’m not the only one who does this =] The extra time and hassle is worth the money saved, in my opinion.
Harmony@CreatingMyKaleidoscope I sometimes take advantage of my parent’s club membership card by asking them to pick up items like big bags of rice or jugs of maple syrup. I agree, they aren’t worth the cost in the long run for us to have our own membership though.
thatdangvegan You really do! I love it when cabbage is in season. It’s delicious and only costs about 25 cents per pound!
SimplySave The nearest Target is an hour’s drive from me, so I can’t take advantage of that, but I hear great things about it from others. There are very few things that I prefer to buy name brand. The rest taste exactly the same to me!
Andrew LivingRichCheaply I agree! Most coupons available are for things I would never buy anyway.
Christina@EmbracingSimple Haha! Great minds do think alike ;) I really and truly hate clipping coupons!
RetiredBy40 I admire people like you who both like coupons and know how to use them effectively!
I hate clipping coupons too! I do, however, understand it and once upon a time I was quite good at it! After Baby Crackin’ was born and our budget loosened up a bit, I lost all interest. In an attempt to be a good frugal wife I have, at times, tried to return to it but it’s a no go. I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I am far better off shopping at Aldi’s!