Money Saving | Money Tips

Let the ' Money Saving Guru' give you a few extra tips to save on your Grocery Bills.

I'm sure like me you are at your wit's end trying to manage your grocery bills and you are not alone!Prices of groceries have jumped by

7.5% in the past year alone and people are facing the biggest price increase since the 1970's - Thousands of people are scrambling to feed their families and feed them well somehow, on a painfully small budget.

According to the U.K. Statistical Abstract for 2009 an average family of three spends £4,189 on food each year alone. Quite a few people have begun avoiding fresh foods while stocking up on cheaper high calorie items that offer little nutrition in their efforts to cut costs.

Unfortunately experts estimate food costs to rise steadily for another year. How can you afford to feed your family healthy quality food

while still cutting down on food costs? It is possible!

You just need to learn how to shop smart and stretch every pound. Even a savings of £4 of your weekly food bill will help you save £200 per year. Let's take a look at the top ten surefire ways that you can cut down substantially on your grocery bill and still eat healthy.

You might have read a lot about how important it is to make a list. I'd say that it's more important to learn how to do make a list the right way, otherwise you will not be able to make it a consistent habit. With a little practice you can put together a menu plan for an entire month in less than 10 minutes. Let's take a look at what you need to do.

If you shop at a number of stores, make sure that you've got each store's weekly sales ad flier ready with you before you start planning. Also go through all your cabinets, the supplies you have in your fridge and freezer, to find out what you have in stock and what you need to buy more of. (Tip: This gets much easier to do if you have some kind of order to stocking your cabinets and fridge)

Now that you are aware of what supplies you have at home and what will be on sale for the coming week, plan your menus for the rest ofthe week based on these two factors. Get creative!

Begin making your shopping list by listing out all the staple items you need such as milk, sugar, flour, bread etc. and any other products you will need that are on sale, to cook the items on your weekly menu. Your list should consist of all the items and ingredients you need along with the quantities needed. Check off all the items you already have in stock!

Planning ahead this way will allow you to save a ton of money on groceries simply because you won't be making a mad dash your nearby store to pick up items you don't have at the last minute. It'll also save you hurried trips to the local McDonalds because you ran out of options.

You'll also avoid 'impulse buying' this way. Save the menu for the week in a separate file along with the grocery list, just for the record.

Once you get more used to planning your weekly meals, you can tackle a monthly menu. This isn't as difficult as it sounds. Once you get used to buying items in bulk you can cycle a number of your weekly menus into a workable monthly menu. (Save the file on your computer with the month attached; for example, Aprillist.doc for the month of April).

You can establish a whole new tradition of having a few standard meals on certain days every month, which your family will look forward to or even one or two nights a week with the same meal plan. Planning a weekly or monthly menu will help you ensure that your family eats well, with proper balanced nutrition and you can recycle menus or use parts of old menus to make new ones each month.

If you recycle menus this way, your grocery list is done, since all you have to do is print out your previous lists. Saves a ton of time!

According to current research, people who make a 'fast trip' to the store end up spending 54 percent more than they expected to. If you spend just 10 pounds on impulse purchases three times a week, this is going to cost you an additional £120 per month.

So how do you save money? By cutting down on 'impulse buying' and the number of trips you make to the store. This strategy can save you thousands of pounds every year. Begin by shopping once a week. Once you get more used to bulk buying you can shop once a month. The less you go to the store, the less you will spend. Avoid the temptation to walk up and down the aisles, choosing items that look good.

Stores are designed to make you spend more. That's why they have certain food items placed near check out counters and higher priced items stacked at eye level on all their shelves. Since you've already made your list, stick to it! The advantage of having a list is that you browse less and ultimately spend less on impulse purchases.

The only time that impulse shopping is good for you is when you take advantage of sales by choosing items that you use regularly or items that have a long shelf-life. Otherwise, if it's not on list, don't buy it. You can make a note of the item and add it to your list the next time but you'll probably discover that you don't really need it by the time your next shopping trip comes around.

If you absolutely cannot resist impulse buying give yourself the leeway to buy five extra items within a certain pound amount. Don't buy non-food items at the grocery store since you can probably find them for cheaper at other outlets. Buy bread from your bakery and toiletries from your drugstore…Double check to see that you've completed all the items on your list before you leave the store.

Another way you can save money on your grocery list is to just take cash to the store and avoid ATM's and credit cards. Only do this once you figure out the approximate cost of your grocery bill. Nobody wants the embarrassment of being short at the check out counter by £4.67! Shopping with cash will help you watch prices while you shop.

Take only the money you think you'll need after you've made an educated guess and factored in a little extra. This will definitely help you cut back on your total grocery costs!

There are shoppers who swear by their 'Price Books.' Regular shoppers claim that they save at least 20% off their bill by using this strategy.

The idea behind a price book is develop your ability to detect real and sales patterns that you can take advantage of. A price book is simply a little notebook that a person uses to note down what they commonly buy and the lowest price for each item. It is simply the most practical tool you can use to make sure that every pound is well spent.

Since you are now tracking prices, you will be able to compare them and stock up on items whenever you find a real bargain because now you'll be able to spot a real bargain!

Many stores use the strategy of marking up prices and then declaring a sale, which doesn't benefit you in the least. Keeping a little price book in your purse will help you identify the real sale items and figure out whether it is really a good buy or not.

Get a good small notebook and organize the page into several columns. For example -- Date, Store, Item, Size, Price, Unit Price, Sale, etc. Jot down the regular or sales price of the item once you get home with the help of sales ads or your store receipts. The unit price section is the most crucial column, since this helps you identify how much you are actually paying for each unit of the item regardless of its size.

The price book will also help you identify the right times and seasons for buying foodstuffs and the sales patterns of your favorite stores. Some meats and staple foods go on sale depending on whether they are in season or the holidays have come around. Keeping a price book will help you identify the best times to stock up on these items for the lowest price and come out a winner!

To recap, since you've planned your monthly menu, organized your corresponding grocery list with the quantities you need, have a price book in hand that helps you be aware of the best times to buy, you are ready to tackle the next step-Bulk buying!

Buying items in bulk can be the biggest way to save on your grocery bills. The question is how to buy in bulk wisely? What should you buy and how will you store it? It's scary to think about whether you'll actually be able to use it all. So let's take a look at smart bulk buying.

You've already prepared to be a smart bulk buyer if you've followed all the above steps. Since you've planned your menus ahead of time and know exactly what you need you can buy cuts of meat, canned/frozen foods and large boxes of food items in bulk. Most foods are usually cheaper in bulk that single size.

Check to see if you can shop at a wholesale club. Buying in bulk can be terrifying in the beginning especially when you are shopping once a month since your food bill will seem huge.

Just remember that everything you buy is something you need and that it would cost much more if you bought the items separately at your usual store. You'll save tremendously this way.Make sure not to buy more than you eat and not to be tempted into buying items that aren't on your list in bulk.

Another criteria you need to keep in mind is that some bulk prices are not as economical as buying several units of the product.

Your price book will help you evaluate whether it's a good deal or not since you now know each unit's regular price. Do a little crunching before you decide to put it in your shopping cart.

If you find a really good deal, stock up! Remember to stock up only on non-perishables. It's no use buying a huge bag of fruit, if it's going to end up rotting in your fridge. Canned goods, flour, rice, pulses are some items that can store well for a long time. Your aim here is to stock your cabinet and fill your freezer with the highest quality foods at the lowest possible price.

If you do stock up on perishables, then re-package and store them in smaller bags -Divide them into daily portions and freeze them. You can also be a smart bulk buyer by sharing the costs with friends or family. Buy in bulk and split up the food accordingly. This can be a great time saver too if you both swap shopping trips.

Don't ignore coupons because they seem like too much work. Some savvy shoppers have been able to save anywhere from 50% to 80% off their grocery bills by being coupon masters.

You can buy coupons in your Sunday paper or browse online stores that offer free printable versions that you can use at your grocery store.

Signing up for special offers by email or even buying two to three copies of your Sunday paper every week can help you save on your food bills dramatically.

There are a number of sites where you can order coupons online for a few pennies each. By using more than one coupon for each item you buy you can easily stock on sale items.

Some stores even offer electronic coupons that get deducted automatically from your store discount card.