How to Use Coupons on Items You Already Planned to Buy

Coupons can save you money, but only if you use them on things you were going to buy anyway. That's the part that gets lost when people talk about couponing. A coupon isn't automatically a savings just because it takes money off the price. If you buy a $6 product you...

Digital Coupons vs. Paper Coupons: Which Is More Useful?

Coupons have changed quite a bit. You used to have to cut them out of a newspaper, remember to bring them to the store and hope you didn't leave the whole pile sitting on the kitchen counter. Now, most grocery stores have their own apps, digital coupons and loyalty...

Store Brand vs. Name Brand: How to Compare the Real Value

The cheapest item on the shelf isn't always the best deal. And the item with the biggest discount sticker isn't necessarily the best deal either. When you're standing in the grocery aisle comparing a store brand with a name brand, the real question is pretty simple:...

How to Compare Grocery Prices Without Getting Fooled by Package Size

Grocery stores have gotten very good at making prices look cheaper than they really are. A package is $3.99. Another is $4.49. At first glance, the $3.99 option looks like the obvious choice. Then you notice one package has 12 ounces and the other has 20. Now the...

Private Label, Name Brand, or Discount Brand: What Should You Buy?

Walking down the grocery aisle, you can end up with three or four versions of basically the same product. There's the name brand you've seen forever. There's the store's private-label version. And then there's the really cheap option sitting on the bottom shelf. So...

When Paying More for a Name Brand Actually Makes Sense

Saving money on groceries doesn't mean you have to buy the cheapest version of everything. In fact, trying to do that can sometimes backfire. There are products where the store brand is just as good as the name brand. There are others where you can taste the...

How to Find the Best Store-Brand Substitutes for Everyday Staples

Switching to store brands is one of the easiest ways to cut a grocery bill without changing what you're eating. The problem is figuring out which products are worth switching. Some store-brand foods are nearly indistinguishable from the name brands sitting next to...

How to Compare Store Brands Across Different Grocery Stores

Shopping at different grocery stores can save you money, but there's one problem that makes comparisons harder than they look: Every store has its own version of "cheap." One store might have an inexpensive pasta that's actually a great buy. Another might have a...

How to Compare Frozen, Canned, and Fresh Versions of the Same Food

Fresh isn't always better. Frozen isn't always cheaper. And canned food isn't automatically the budget option. When you're standing in the grocery store looking at three versions of the same food, it's easy to assume you already know which one is the best choice....

Building a Grocery Cart With the Best Mix of Brands and Prices

You don't have to buy the cheapest version of everything to have a cheap grocery cart. In fact, that's probably not the best way to do it. A better grocery cart is a mix. Maybe the store-brand pasta goes in the cart because it's half the price and nobody cares about...

The Five-Minute Pantry Check to Do Before Grocery Shopping

One of the easiest ways to waste money at the grocery store is buying something you already have. You get home, put the groceries away, and discover another box of pasta behind the cereal. Or three cans of diced tomatoes you forgot about. Or the giant bottle of...

How a Grocery List Can Prevent Impulse Spending

A grocery list isn't just there to remind you to buy milk. It can also keep you from spending money on things you didn't plan to buy in the first place. Walking into a grocery store without a list makes it incredibly easy to start adding things to the cart. A snack...

Why Shopping Hungry Can Cost You More

Going grocery shopping when you're hungry sounds harmless. You're only going to grab a few things, right? Then you walk past the bakery. You smell the bread. You see the cookies. The prepared food looks like an easy dinner. Suddenly the grocery list you carefully made...

Flexible Ingredients That Make Budget Grocery Shopping Easier

One of the easiest ways to spend too much at the grocery store is buying ingredients that only work for one meal. You need a certain cheese for one recipe. A particular vegetable for another. A special sauce for something else. Then the week gets busy, you don't make...

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Grocery Sale Cycles: How Often Do Common Foods Go on Sale?

If you shop for groceries on a regular schedule, you've probably noticed that the same foods seem to go on sale again and again. One week it's chicken. The next week it's cereal. A few weeks later, the same chicken is discounted again. This isn't necessarily random....

How to Spot a Truly Good Grocery Deal

A big sale sign doesn't always mean you're getting a good deal. Grocery stores are designed to make discounts stand out. You might see "SAVE $2," "50% OFF," "LOW PRICE," or "BUY ONE, GET ONE" and immediately assume you're spending less. Sometimes you are. Sometimes...

How to Avoid Buying More Just Because Something Is on Sale

A sale can make a grocery store feel like a place where you're supposed to stock up. You walk in for a carton of eggs and notice that cereal is half price. Then there's a deal on pasta. The coffee you like is discounted too. Suddenly, your $50 grocery trip is looking...

Seasonal Grocery Sales: What to Buy and When

Grocery prices don't stay the same throughout the year. Some foods become more affordable when they're in season. Others tend to see promotions around holidays, sporting events, grilling season, or other times when shoppers are buying more of them. That doesn't mean...

The Best Foods to Buy When They Hit Their Lowest Prices

Grocery prices are annoying enough without paying the highest price for something you know you're going to buy anyway. The good news is that a lot of foods follow pretty predictable price cycles. If you know when certain things tend to get marked down, you can stock...

Building a Six-Week Grocery Savings Strategy Around Sales

You don't need to become one of those people with a basement full of canned beans to save money on groceries. You just need to stop treating every grocery trip like a fresh start. Most of us buy the same things over and over again. Chicken. Pasta. Cereal. Coffee....