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Cost Free. Activate cash-back offers and clip digital coupons to get cash back on purchases. Download the Ibotta app or the browser extension. Why are groceries so expensive? What is the cheapest grocery store? What is a realistic weekly grocery budget? Does Medicare provide a grocery allowance?

Subscribe to the CNBC Select Newsletter! Read more. The savings we show are how much a family of four could potentially save from implementing each strategy. Many stores are now breaking down the price of groceries on shelf price labels.

For example, when you are looking at a huge wall of toilet paper, how do you figure out which one is the best price? Some packages have 24 rolls and others have 36 rolls while others are double rolls—and each package is a different price!

If you forgot your calculator, you would just have to guess. Not any more, many stores now tell you in fine print on each shelf price label how much each little piece of toilet paper costs. The same thing goes for cereal and almost every other type of product.

They will often tell you the cost of a product per grams. This allows you to leave your calculator at home and quickly find the best deal. This is a smart way to shop. Making your own meals from scratch is one of the biggest ways that you can save money.

Like the table above illustrates, the more prepared the food is, the more it usually costs. The nice thing is that home made food is usually better for you too.

So making your own meals from scratch can save your wallet and your health. Freezing meals can help you save a lot of time and can make cooking meals from scratch more realistic for busy people since this can save a lot of time.

Check with your city or town to see how the quality of your water compares to bottled water. Many cities now offer water from the tap that is just as clean or cleaner than bottled water. Why break your back caring bottles of water when the stuff that comes out of the tap is the same or better?

You will buy more food if you shop hungry, and you will buy food that appeals to your appetite at that time rather than what works for your weekly grocery budget.

Shopping with kids can add to your grocery bill and retailers know this. All grocery items that are geared toward kids are placed at their eye level.

These stores buy damaged or defective goods from major grocery chains and food manufacturers that are still safe to eat—the packaging just got damaged in shipping or it has the wrong expiry date printed on it. See 25 more tips to help you grocery shop on a budget and save money!

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She has written for various publications, including Allrecipes, Greatist, The Healthy, The Kitchn, and more. Benjamin Franklin famously said, "In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes," but if there were room on that list for three items, the third would be grocery shopping.

Indeed, grocery shopping is something we have to do, regardless of want or desire. It's the only way to have food in the fridge and pantry. At this point in your food shopping life, you may have a routine to ensure you pick up everything on your list in the least amount of time.

It's possible you even have techniques to limit buying unnecessary items or impulse purchases that can drive up your grocery bill. Indeed, when it comes to shopping for groceries and saving money, having a strategy is important.

You may feel certain you've read and heard all of the grocery shopping strategies and tips. But even old dogs can learn new tricks — or in this case, seasoned shoppers can learn new tips for saving money.

We called upon veteran savings-oriented shoppers for their best money-saving tips, and we asked a financial expert for tips, too. Here, read on for tips and tricks for saving money at the grocery store. Before you write your grocery list or step foot in the store, come up with all the meals you plan to prepare and eat for the week.

If you already do that, take it a step further. Plan meals that use the same ingredients so you don't have to worry about any fresh produce or herbs going to waste. Spoiled food is wasted money. Not only will you save by not buying an array of different products, you'll also cut down on items going bad that you'll have to toss in the compost or trash.

You may grab a shopping cart out of habit the moment you walk through the sliding doors at your local grocery store, even if your grocery list is rather short. But limiting the amount of space you allot yourself while shopping can help you spend less.

Many supermarkets offer markdowns on fresh foods with an expiration date that is within a couple days. The same is also true for shelf-stable items that are overstocked. Even if you're not planning on making a meal with those ingredients or don't want to change your meal plans, you can stock up for a future meal.

We all have our favorite brand of certain items, such as diced tomatoes or canned soups, but when it comes to staple pantry items you may be paying more for the name rather than the product. Grocery stores are masters at utilizing all the available space on shelves in order to grab your attention and get your dollars.

End caps, for example, are one way for stores to highlight foods, whether there is a deal or not. Sale items are enticing, even for hardened shoppers.

Then, when you use something, turn the slash into an x. This makes it much easier when it comes time to make your list. Keep things stocked for quick-n-easy meals. Easy meals for us might be spaghetti or mac-n-cheese or a quick stir-fry.

Buy in bulk when it makes sense. If you can save money, over the course of a month or two, by buying in bulk, plan to do so. Keep your receipts, then enter into a spreadsheet. This will be your price list.

Use it so you know when bulk or sale items are a good deal. Buy frozen veggies. While fresh veggies are a little better, frozen veggies are almost as good, and much better than nothing. And since you can keep them in the freezer, they rarely go bad. Because when you run out, it will be too late.

Meat is expensive. We have vegetarian meals several times a week think pasta or chili and for other meals, you could just use a little meat as a kind of seasoning instead of the main ingredient — think Asian, Indian and other such cultural food.

Actually, I eat vegetarian all the time, but the wife and kids do a little of each. Pack your own lunch snacks. Buying pre-made snacks is convenient, but a big waste of money. Buy little baggies and buy the snacks in bulk, then it will take just a few minutes to pack some snacks for lunch each day.

Make leftovers for lunch. Cook a lot, then freeze. Alternatively, you can cook a whole mess of spaghetti for example and freeze it for multiple dinners.

Plan freezable dinners and cook them all at once. Always have batteries, toilet tissue and light bulbs. Be sure to check to see if you have these items before you go to the store.

Try crock pot dinners. We discovered these in the last year, and they are easy and cheap and tasty. Cut up a bunch of ingredients, throw them in the pot in the morning, and have dinner ready for you when you get home.

Can anything be more perfect than that? I submit that it cannot. Clip coupons. I know, sometimes they seem like too much trouble. Check store entrances, newspaper and flyers for coupons.

Only use coupons for items you were already planning to buy. Look for specials. Every store has specials. Be sure to look for them in the newspaper, or when you get to the store they often have unadvertised specials — look on the higher and lower shelves for deals.

Try the store brands. They waste gas, and almost inevitably, you buy more than that one item. If you plan ahead, make a weekly menu, and shop with a list, this should drastically reduce the number of trips you make for a small number of items.

But if you still find yourself running out for a few items, analyze the reason — are you not making a good list, are you forgetting some items from your list?

Stock up on the things you frequently go out for. Sugar cereals are a bad buy. Lots of money for no nutrition. Look for whole grain cereals with low sugar. Add fruit for better flavor. Be watchful at the register.

Sale items can be a great deal. Comparison shop. Look at the different brands for a certain type of product, including store brands. Sometimes there will be a significant difference. in order to get the comparable unit price. Go during slow times. One of my favorite times to shop is late at night.

But during working hours or other non-peak times is good too. Avoid right after 5 p. Know when the store stocks its fresh fruits and veggies. In my area, that makes a big difference. Fruits and veggies can go bad quickly, because they have to be shipped.

Plan one big trip a month for bulk staples. You can get fresh items at another store on other weeks, but doing a big bulk trip will cut back on the expense and amount you have to carry for the other three weeks. Avoid trips to the corner store. Or the gas station! These are some of the most expensive stores.

Ranking right up there with airport stores. Try co-ops. You can often save a lot of money at these types of places for staples. When you shop on an empty stomach, everything suddenly looks delicious! Get to know the supermarket layout and where the healthy foods are located.

On the perimeter or outside aisles of the store you will usually find the fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, lean meat, eggs and lower fat milk products. Go to the inside aisles for other nutritious staples such as grain products, beans, nuts, seeds, peanut butter and whole grains.

Skip the aisles with the pop, candy and chips. Buy in season. Vegetables and fruit are cheaper when they are in season. Avoid waste by buying fresh fruit at different stages of ripeness.

Choose some fruit that is ripe and ready to eat, and some that will ripen in a few days. Buy frozen or canned. When fresh is out of season or too expensive, buy frozen or canned vegetables and fruit.

They are just as nutritious. If using canned vegetables, rinse them under cold water first to wash away some of the sodium. Look high and low — not in the middle.

The most expensive items are usually put on the shelves where you can easily see and reach them. Some of the less expensive items may be on the higher or lower shelves.

Choose foods with a best before or expiry date that will give you enough time to eat it all and prevent waste. Reduced vegetables are good for soups and stews. Ripe bananas are perfect for making muffins or banana bread.

Day old bread is fine for eating and makes good French toast or grilled sandwiches. Ripe melons can be diced and frozen, or puréed to make smoothies. Choose store brands. No-name or store brand items are nutritious and are usually cheaper than the brands with fancy packaging.

Try no-name or store brand products such as cereal, pasta, vegetables and canned goods. Compare the unit price for similar items. You can usually find the unit price in small print under the main price. This price can help you compare whether a large or small size of an item is a better buy. Buy from the bulk bins.

The bulk bins are good for ingredients such as dried herbs, spices, rice, pasta, flour and different whole grains.

Buy only the amount that you need to save money. If you have food allergies, be aware that bulk bins are not allergy-safe. Stock up on the basics. Rice, pasta, low sodium canned fish, and dried legumes beans, lentils, peas all have a long shelf life.

Stock up when they are on sale, but only if you have space to store them at home. Store your food properly at home. Prevent waste by storing foods properly.