Grocery Shopping Blunders

I receive a daily email newsletter from the Everyday Cheapskate. I love receiving it because being frugal is just in my genetics. Some people are born with it...and those people are very annoying to those who are not!

The other day the topic was the 6 top shopping mistakes which blows your budget. Although her ideas were not ranked, I immediately thought of the number one budget-blower in our family...sending my husband to do the shopping! Although his shopping technique is interesting and it pleases the kids' immensely, he always seems to come back with frozen pizza and ice cream.

What do you do to keep your grocery shopping running on budget? What do you NOT do to keep yourself on track? I'll let you know what a card-carrying cheapskate like me would never do while shopping.

I don't care about name brands. I'm not impressed with flashy labels or high-priced items meant to make me feel appreciated. I buy the lowest price item.

I don't ignore unit pricing. Our grocery stores are kind enough to tabulate many of the price per units for me. But, I carry my calculator and work it out where I can understand it. Don't be confused by price-per-unit or price-per-serving. Stick with what works for you...price-per-ounce or price-per-pound. Don't compare apples to oranges...keep your scale the same for like items and you won't be tricked.

I try very, very hard to not impulse buy. I probably should wear blinders as I walk back to the very back row of the grocery store. The grocers hire very talented people who place traps all along the way. I appreciate their talents but I won't be beaten by advertising gimmicks that throw me off course financially.

Along the same vein, don't shop without a list. Not planning is probably the number one reason people make over-purchases or under-buy and then return to the grocery store later and impulse buy. Have a plan before you leave the house. Know the contents of your pantry, refrigerator and deep freezer. Shop with confidence. I've made a list of all the items I frequently buy for our home. I can use that as my checklist every week, marking off the items that are missing or in low supply.

When you get to the checkout, don't drop your guard. Scanners are great tools but they're not always accurate. Watch the register monitor and make sure the prices are what were posted in the store. Some companies even promise you a "reward" for spotting errors in their system. If nothing else consider it a great memory game!

Don't be afraid to use competitor advertisements. Our local WalMart welcomes ads from other grocery stores. I love the convenience of only traveling to one store to do all my shopping. Carrying those ads with me is worth the hassle of having the customers behind me wait 20 seconds more in line. You'll even find that certain check-out clerks are more well-versed than you at spotting bargains and they'll help you decipher the local ads and probably pass on items you didn't know about. We have a favorite check-out lady and we shop when she's on duty.

Most professional budget cutters would say not to shop with children. I totally disagree. My six children have shopped with me for 12 years and we're still going strong. They've learned to compare brands, find unit pricing and carry competitor ads. My oldest boys can shop by themselves now and I know they'll bring home the best bargain in the store. Shopping isn't a problem with children...it's a training session. I'm making sure the next generation takes after me!

But, I would ask you to leave your husband at home....unless you need pizza and ice cream.

Please contact us or leave a comment if you would like some more information on this topic.