Buying groceries has become a financial nightmare for many people. The cost of food has surged in recent years thanks to inflation and supply-chain disruptions from COVID-19. And with grocery prices up so much, it should come as no surprise that 94% of Americans recently indicated that they are still worried about the cost of food and beverages.
If you are one of the many people who is worried about running up big credit card bills to pay for groceries, there are some possible solutions. These tips could help you keep more money in your bank account while still letting you serve delicious and nutritious meals for yourself and your loved ones.
Figure out which stores are cheaper for you
Shopping at stores with lower prices can help you spend less on food, so spend a few weeks writing down the price of staples at your local grocery stores as you shop. If you find that the items you are buying every week tend to consistently be much cheaper at one store than at another, make that your home store.
Tracking prices may seem like a lot of effort, but the reality is that this doesn’t have to take much work if you just try out different local stores for a few weeks and keep your receipts or write down prices in a notebook or your phone’s notes app.
You may be surprised how big of a difference there is between different stores in your area — and you may be dismayed to find the store you shop at out of habit has been overcharging you. When I did this exercise, for example, I found…
