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This article series is now available as a professionally formatted, distraction free paperback<\/a> or ebook<\/a> to read offline at your leisure.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n This is the one post we didn\u2019t originally have on the schedule for this series, but when we saw it listed several times when we asked for recommendations at the start, we decided to include it.<\/p>\n I can definitely see why it was requested. There are many chores that parents have their children participate in while they\u2019re growing up, but usually mom and dad retain exclusive control over grocery shopping. Thus, when a young man leaves home, he finds himself blinking under the fluorescent lights of the local supermarket, thousands of products stretched out before him. That first outing he may feel a little giddy as he wheels his very own shopping cart around the store, but that thrill quickly turns to dismay when he finds mid-week that even though he dropped some major coin at the register, he now has nothing to eat.<\/p>\n Below we share some basic tips so that you can cruise the aisles of the supermarket with confidence and get the most bang for your buck.<\/p>\n Back in the old days you either made your own food or bought what you needed from the single general store in town. Now, we have almost an embarrassment of options when it comes to where to procure our food. It can be hard to sort through all those options, so below we provide their pros\/cons along with a little description of each:<\/p>\n A traditional grocery store offers one-stop convenience \u2013 you can pick up bacon, toilet paper, and shampoo in one trip. But you pay for this convenience with higher prices on things that aren\u2019t on sale or you don\u2019t have a coupon for. But if you shop the advertised in-store specials at straight supermarkets, you can save a fair amount.<\/p>\n Warehouse stores offer discounts to shoppers by selling products in bulk \u2013 big pallets of toilet paper or huge jugs of soy sauce. Whether the hassle of this system and the annual membership fee required are worth it is much debated. That you can save a good deal of money on things is not in dispute; bloggers have documented it<\/a>. But to expand on the “cons” listed above, it’s important to mention a few caveats:<\/p>\n In general, for a young man just heading out on his own, I don\u2019t think a warehouse store membership is beneficial. If you do get one, split it with a friend (you can share a card if you go together), and stick with buying non-perishables.<\/p>\n It can be fun to check out your local Indian, Asian, or Mexican supermarket to see the things they carry that no other store in town does. When I make carne asada, I like to go to the supermercado to get freshly made tortillas and a selection of Mexican pastries.<\/p>\n You may have heard the urban legend that ethnic grocery stores have lower prices on items like meat and produce because they don\u2019t have to follow the same safety standards as other establishments. But this is a misconception. The lower prices are due to the store sourcing the products more directly and cutting out the middleman.<\/p>\n In my experience, ethnic grocery stores aren\u2019t generally as clean as traditional ones, but maybe that isn\u2019t such a bad thing!<\/a><\/p>\n An outlet grocery store stocks what might be turned \u201csupermarket hand-me-downs\u201d: dented cans, products that are about to hit or have surpassed their “use by” dates, Christmas-themed cereals in July, stuff a traditional store decided not to carry anymore, and so on. You can get some great deals on these \u201csecond-rate\u201d items, but you have to shop carefully. Dented cans and expired meat and dairy can make you sick (see below for more information about expiration dates).<\/p>\n For those on the Eastern half of the country, Aldi is a different kind of discount grocery store to check out. While groceries at outlet stores are discounted because they\u2019re \u201csecond-rate,\u201d Aldi cuts prices by mainly offering only a small selection of their own decent quality house brand, only accepting cash, debt, or EBT cards (no credit cards or checks), stocking the few aisles with products still in boxes and pallets, and making you bring your own grocery bags and \u201crent\u201d a shopping cart for 25 cents (you get your quarter back when you return the cart).<\/p>\n While many traditional supermarkets have begun to carry a selection of natural and organic groceries, natural grocery stores have a much wider array of these items and are reliable sources of things like grass-fed beef and free range chicken. At the same time, if you\u2019re looking for Cheetos or cream of mushroom soup, you\u2019re out of luck.<\/p>\n Prices at health grocery stores are higher than traditional grocery stores, but the higher prices do (generally) net you a more natural product. And bulk items, like spices and grains, can be cheaper here.<\/p>\n Many cities and towns hold weekly farmer\u2019s markets where farmers in the area come and sell their produce, meat, and baked goods. It\u2019s a fun thing to attend (take a date!<\/a>), the goods are fresh and delicious, and it\u2019s nice to stick it to agribusiness by supporting local farmers. The pitfall is that the prices can be pretty steep.<\/p>\n ____________<\/p>\n So there you have a rundown of your main grocery shopping options. And with these choices come more choices: many people decide to do their shopping at more than one store. For example, you might budget money to buy your meats and produce at a natural food store, while buying your staples at a discount store. Or you might shop at different traditional supermarkets each week according to which store has the best deals on what you need that week. These advertised specials can be found online and as inserts in the Sunday newspaper. Some stores like Wal-mart will match the prices of other stores’ advertised specials, and that can save you from running from store to store.<\/p>\n Of course many folks find the convenience of getting everything they need at a one-stop-shop like Wal-Mart outweighs any other factor.<\/p>\n There are other things to consider as well:<\/p>\n Always go with a list. <\/strong>To save time and money, always, always create a shopping list before you head to the store, and stick to it religiously. Studies done by the grocery industry have shown that 60 to 70 percent of purchases at the grocery store are unplanned. That pretty much fits my experience. I remember when I first started shopping for myself, I\u2019d just grab things from displays that looked tasty and interesting. This wasn\u2019t good for either my waistline or my wallet.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to create your shopping list:<\/p>\n By grouping items on your list together that are found together at the store, you\u2019ll avoid getting to the far side of the store, and then realizing you forgot something on the other side where you came in. You’ll need to get familiar with the layout of your grocery store to do this, but the effort is well worth it as it saves you time and hassle.<\/p><\/div>\n Check the unit price to get the best deal. <\/strong>Instead of simply looking at the overall price when deciding which product to buy, look at the unit price. The unit price tells you the price per pound, ounce, liter, etc. of a product.<\/p>\n Many stores have the unit price right on the shelf label, but it’s usually smaller and more discrete than the total price. Here’s a picture of Walmart’s price labels with the unit price pointed out:<\/p>\n If your store doesn’t display the unit price, you can figure it out yourself by simply dividing the price by the number of pounds\/ounces\/etc. in the package. For example, the unit price for a 10-pound package of flour costing $5.00 is $.50 a pound ($5\/10 lbs = $.50).<\/p>\n Breaking a product’s price down like this allows you to better compare prices of different items. This is especially important when different brands package the same product in different quantities. In an effort to maximize profits, companies will package and price items in such a way that you’ll actually buy the more expensive item on a unit price basis. For example, consumers often intuitively think that if they buy the biggest box on the shelf, they’ll get the lowest unit price. For the most part that’s true, but not always, so it\u2019s worth it to double check.<\/p>\n Some items have what’s called a quantity surcharge. <\/em>Grocery stores will often jack up the price on products in large-sized packages, driving the unit price up. Buying the single serving or smaller sized package can actually be the better deal if a larger product has a quantity surcharge. This happens a lot with cereals, so make sure to compare before you decide to buy the big-ol\u2019 three-pound box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.<\/p>\n Go with generic brands when you can.<\/strong> As we discussed in our post on being a savvy consumer<\/a>, generic products can be hit or miss. Many are manufactured in the same factory as the brand name product and simply given a different label. They\u2019re discounted because they don\u2019t have to spend money on advertising to maintain \u201cbrand awareness.\u201d Other times, a generic is cheaper because it\u2019s not made as well. So just do some experimenting. I always buy the generic first, and only switch if I\u2019m dissatisfied with it.<\/p>\n Skip coupons. <\/strong>Now this is just my opinion. Plenty of people are super into couponing and think it\u2019s the bees knees and extremely worthwhile. Personally,I’ve tried couponing, but the payoff was never worth the time and effort. Most of the coupons you’ll find in the Sunday paper are for crap food like Dunk-a-roos and Juicy Juice boxes; it was rarely for stuff I\u2019d buy anyway. We have to remember that coupons aren\u2019t printed because food manufacturers want to help out our budget. Coupons are a marketing strategy to get consumers to purchase something they wouldn\u2019t buy in the first place. I\u2019ve also noticed that coupons get issued for stuff that\u2019s already overpriced to begin with. I can save 15 minutes of my time and save the same amount of money buying the generic brand versus clipping a coupon for the name brand. Or I simply choose the brand that the store is running a special on.<\/p>\n Shoppers gonna shop<\/p><\/div>\n Shop on a full stomach. <\/strong>To save money, never shop on an empty stomach. Studies show that when shoppers visit the grocery store hungry, they usually end up spending more money on food<\/a>. So go shopping after you’ve eaten a meal, when possible. If your schedule doesn’t permit that, at least have a small snack before hitting the supermarket.<\/p>\n Understand the difference between \u201csell by,\u201d \u201cuse by,\u201d and \u201cbest by.\u201d<\/strong> It\u2019s easy to notice that most food products come with dates stamped on them. But what’s the difference between “sell by” and “use by\u201d? I honestly didn’t know myself until writing this article! But it’s a good bit of knowledge to file away as it can help you make purchasing decisions, figure out whether a bargain at a grocery outlet store is a good deal or might make you sick, and prevent you from throwing away perfectly good food (and money).<\/p>\n When it comes to perishables like milk, always reach to the back of a shelf to grab a carton; the store will put products which are closer to reaching their “sell by” date up at the front of a shelf or on the top of a stack while the fresher ones will be in the back or on the bottom.<\/p>\n Once you bring a product home, cook a “use by” product on or before the date given, and store “sell-by” perishables at 40 degrees or below and “best by” items in a cool, dry cabinet.<\/p>\nDeciding Where to Shop<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nTraditional Supermarket (Safeway, Walmart Neighborhood Market, Kroger) <\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Warehouse Store (Sam\u2019s Club, Costco)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Ethnic Grocery Stores<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Outlet Grocery Store (local variations)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Natural\/Health\/Organic Grocery Stores (Whole Foods, local natural food stores)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Farmer\u2019s Market<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Tips for Grocery Shopping Like a Pro<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n
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