Grocery mistakes can cost you $1,300 a year. Via Shutterstock
I won’t pretend I’m perfect. I’ve made ALL 9 of these grocery mistakes, causing my bill to skyrocket. And I’m guessing you have, too. Which is why I made this list – to help us both remember to be a savvy shopper and save money in the long run. How much money? Committing just two or three mistakes on one trip will cost you $25 or more. Week in, week out, and that adds up to $1,300 a year!
How many of these grocery mistakes are you making?
1. You are shy.
You can learn a lot from the people who work at the grocery store. What days are meat and seafood delivered? When is the store restocked? Where is the discount bread and pastry rack? But you won’t know any of this unless you ask.
2. You try the samples.
It’s true that samples are free food and that they can make a Costco membership pay off in a few visits, but you’re also much, much more likely to buy a new product that wasn’t on your list when you take a bite of that delicious concoction and linger to hear the sales pitch in hopes of scoring a second free delicious snack. The whole point of having a sales rep on the floor giving out free samples is to sell that product!
3. You shop without a meal plan.
After years of wondering how to meal plan, thinking it was this big mystery that would take a lot of research to uncover, I FINALLY made my first meal plan. This is what it entails:
- I grab a dry erase pen.
- I write down what meals we are going to eat each night.
- My husband looks at the list and checks if we have everything we need. If we don’t, he adds it to the grocery list.
- That’s meal planning!
Here is a picture of the results of our meal planning. We make really simple meals and repeat a lot of dinners. If that’s cheating, then I’m a cheater through and through.
What are you eating this week?
Okay, so it can obviously get a lot more complex. But it can also be ridiculously simple. And either way, you’re going to make one weekly shopping trip, thereby spending less money. Mid-week shopping trips for “one gallon of milk” end up costing, on average, $25.
4. You use the BIG cart.
The bigger the cart, the more you’re tempted to fill it. Why do you think your typical Costco bill tops $200? The carts are enormous. Next time you head out for groceries, grab one of those teeny tiny two level carts that are so darling.
5. You shop when you’re tired.
This is why my husband hates grocery shopping – it is 791 decisions packed into 45 stress-filled minutes. Purdue or Hormel? Ground beef 85% lean or 90% lean? One pound or two? And that’s just for one item! Now imagine trying to make all those decisions at the end of your day, when you’ve already made perhaps thousands of decisions. Not to mention your feet hurt, you gotta pee like a racehorse, and you’re hungry.
6. You are loyal.
Always buy Crest toothpaste? Tide detergent? Horizon milk? You’re a sucker! Being brand loyal prevents you from taking advantage of sales on similar brands. Experiment once or twice a week with a new brand and make a mental note when you find ones you like. Then make sure to buy the best price within your favorites.
7. You shun generic.
Got something to prove? Try generic – even if you’re too ashamed to tell your friends. There are some REALLY good generic brands, depending on the store you shop at and the particular item you are buying. I’ve found that more than half of the generic brands I buy are as good or better than mainstream brands. Don’t write off all generic because of one bad experience.
8. You shop when you’re hungry.
If you haven’t eaten in more than an hour, you’re setting yourself up for a junk food binge at the market, one study found. Hungry shoppers tend to buy more processed snack food that is immediately ready to eat. So shopping hungry hurts your budget (junk food costs more than healthy food) and your health.
9. You don’t bring a list.
When’s the last time you remembered everything on your list – without your list? I’ll give a $100 to the next person who can remember their entire list by heart! We flip between a paper list and an electronic list, and we seem to forget our list less if it’s stored as a digital reminder in our iPhones. Here’s how to create a grocery list that multiple people can add to and edit. The beauty of having your list is twofold. You won’t have to run back to the store midweek and you’ll be less tempted to buy things off list.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
Watch the checker as she/he rings up the items. I’ve sometimes caught an item being rung up twice when I only bought one.
Take notice of prices, one time the floor display had a price for an item that was higher on the shelf and the register rang up the higher price. I pointed out the discrepancy, showed the checker the lower price that I saw and was then given the correct price. They had neglected to take down the sign so they were obligated to give me the lower price.
Many people end up paying too much because the computer price doesn’t match the shelf tag.
You are so right, Myke! At the very least, check the receipt BEFORE LEAVING THE STORE!
Wow, this is actually a unique list! The thing about samples is surprising to see on here, but it makes sense! I love samples and I know they have caused me to buy products before.
Shopping without a meal plan is a big one. My wife and I notice a HUGE difference in our grocery bill when we shop with a meal plan. Plus, we know how long it will be before we have to go back.
@MoneyMiniBlog Thanks for your comment and welcome to BargainBabe.com! The free samples “mistake” is on the fence for me. Is it a mistake if you DON’T buy the product but DO get a free sample? Hardly. But then what about the times that you DO end up buying an extra product because the free sample was THAT good?
So what does your meal plan look like?
Re your item no. 2, BB: I don’t take Costco’s samples because I don’t shop there when hungry. I realize, however, that doesn’t stop others from sampling. Even so, one would have to consume A LOT of samples to pay off a Costco membership “in a few visits.” Someone else made a similar statement in a recent blog on the value (or not) of a Costco membership
@Diane You absolutely would need to munch on a LOT of Costco free samples to get back the $55 dollar membership. Think of it this way. If you go to Costco and eat enough samples to skip lunch, you’re saving about $10 if you eat out. Which means your membership pays off in six visits 6 x $10 = $60). If you would have otherwise eaten lunch at home, you’re saving about $4. In this case, the Costco membership would take 14 visits to make back your $55 membership fee (14 x $4 = $56).
If you are also feeding a child, which Julie said she does in her recent post about ways to make a Costco membership pay off, the pay off comes even quicker!
I tried to go to Sam’s Club to get some samples the other day. Imagine my shock when they had a vending machine delivering the samples. It was a small single piece of candy too. You just scanned your card and it dropped in the bottom. Not worth it. I do think the memberships are worth it for some items I purchase regularly. I’m toying with buying an Amazon Prime membership, but my orders are typically high enough to get free shipping, and I don’t mind waiting another few days. I also don’t watch much TV or movies, so the other benefits are largely lost on me too.
I also have to remember to avoid buying some items out of season. Although it’s pretty easy to get fresh fruit and vegetables year round, the prices tend to go up a little bit in the winter for some things around me.
@John McKinney A vending machine delivering free samples?! That is a LOT cheaper than having an employee make the samples and hand them out, but I imagine the “conversion” rate – the percentage of people who end up buying a full size version of the free sample – is also much lower.
As for Amazon Prime, I have a love/hate relationship with our membership. We share with a few other families (you can add up to four households) so it is quite the bargain, but having the membership psychologically ties us to Amazon. Because we’re already paying for shipping through Prime, we sucked into buying a lot of other items from Amazon that we might otherwise buy from a brick and mortar store. I do love the convenience of the Subscribe & Save program and have found the customer service to be excellent on returns. Incidentally, CVS just introduced a similar ship and save program. Here’s our review: http://bargainbabe.com/cvs-ship-save-vs-amazon-subscribe-save/
I’ll add “shopping with kids” to the list. We very rarely take the kids to the store because they ask to buy EVERYTHING we see. I’m a ninja when it comes to sticking to the list/telling them no, but my wife caves a bit (to be fair, she’s a rock star when it comes to getting them to bed on time and making sure they eat all their veggies. Me, not so much).
We build all our shopping lists in FitFin (www.fitfin.com). FitFin combines our shopping list(s) with our budget. It helps us know what we spend month-to-month on groceries, etc., and also gives us a very good idea of what we’re going to spend BEFORE we go to the store. There’s even a link to your budget right on the shopping list. Full disclosure: FitFin is a site I created. Check us out at http://www.fitfin.com! It’s free.
Don’t forget to stock up when your favorite products are on sale!! It’s always worth it to buy in bulk when it’s a product that is always on your list. Check out more really helpful tips here..
http://www.fitsavefun.com/money-advice/2014/5/3/save-money-on-groceries
@Alissa Good tip! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.