Saving money at the grocery store might seem intimidating. After all, everything about the experience, from the upbeat music playing in the aisles to those precut packages of vegetables — is designed to part you and your hard-earned dollars. But you don’t have to become an Olympic-level couponer or buy food by the pallet to trim some bucks from that total.
Whether you’re already a cost-conscious shopper or you’re thinking about your spending in new ways these days, a few small changes can go a long way if you make them long-term habits. “If you take out some convenience products and you save $10 in one shop, that might not seem like much,” says Erin Chase, who runs the blog $5 Dinners. “But if you shop once a week and you keep that up, you’re looking at real long-term savings.”
She suggests you try out a few money-saving tactics and see what sticks in the long run. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
