Living Thrifty: Adventures in Grocery Shopping

Here’s a handful of ways I’m keeping my grocery budget down.

1. Grocery Store Cards

Everyone knows you can save money by getting your grocery store’s rewards card.

Here's mine.

But I really maximize on the card’s saving power by being fully committed. There is no payoff for brand loyalty. I surrender to the will of my supermarket. I become obsessive about only buying discounted items. It’s a good thing.

I saved almost $5 off my $20 grocery bill today
by shopping carefully with my card.

2. Buying in Bulk

This 42-ounce canister of oatmeal was much cheaper per ounce than the smaller sizes. I also bypassed the Quaker brand for the generic. And I got a discount with my rewards card. Savings upon savings upon savings!!

3. Dented Cans and Day-Old Bread

I’m never bashful about browsing the clearance racks. You can usually score savings of 50-75% off.

These cherry turnovers are a sweet and sticky treat at $3.49.

But they're twice as delicious when they're half the price!*

*Your results may vary.

4. Special Deals

I’m always on the look-out for new ways to save. Today I found this cereal with a full mail-in rebate. That’s a $5 box of cereal for the price of a postage stamp!

5. A Caveat

It’s easy to get carried away. I must constantly remind myself, it doesn’t count as saving if you buy things you aren’t going to use. A 2-for-1 deal on bread is no deal at all if I end up throwing one loaf away.

What am I missing? How do you save?

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My favorite thing about bargain hunting is that grocery shopping is always an adventure. Steadfastly adhering to your usual grocery list feels like a chore, but I get to go to the supermarket and explore.

There’s always something new on sale, something exciting amongst yesterday’s baked goods. By hunting down the best deals of the day, I’m constantly discovering new foods, new brands, new flavors. And isn’t that the best deal of all?