This is a new feature here at Bargain Hunting Moms called Tuesday Tips! I get emails and questions all the time asking for tips to save money while shopping. I know that most of the posts here are for online deals, but our Tuesday Tips will also be related to grocery and department store shopping.
Each week, I'll highlight a tip to help save money whether you're shopping online or grocery shopping! I hope you'll find them helpful.
One of the ways I save on my grocery bill is by stockpiling grocery staples. When I see something on sale that my family uses on a regular basis, I buy as much as I can. The above picture is a picture of my cupboard after I stocked up on chicken broth and canned milk at Kroger this winter.
When I see a good deal on things my family uses all the time, I'll buy as many cans, jars or packages as possible. I would much rather pay .50 for a can of chicken broth than $1 regular price. While it might seem like a lot of money to put out for your stockpile, when you see your weekly grocery bill shrink because you aren't buying the same products every week at full price, you'll be happy to have your stockpile to "shop" from each week.
I currently have nice stockpiles of canned vegetables, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, chicken broth, and canned milk. I'm sure there's more, but that's from memory. Anything that can be stored for a while can be stockpiled!
How to make the most of stockpiling:
- Watch sale ads. After a while, you'll notice a pattern to the sales. For instance, I know that things like chicken broth will go on sale(in this case it was 10 for $5) a few times a year so I'll buy as much as I need to hold me over until the next sale.
- Buy as much as you can afford to buy. Don't buy more than that. You don't want to over-extend yourself. The goal is to save money!
- Organize your stockpile. Put similar items together, so you can easily see what you have. Otherwise, you might find yourself "re-buying" things.
- Put newer stockpiled items behind the older ones. That way your stockpile is always "fresh."
- Keep a list of stockpiled items that are running low on the shelves. If your stockpile is in a garage or basement out of site, you might want to keep a running list of everything in your stockpile as well.
It may take a while to see a difference, but after you manage to build a stockpile of staples, you'll find that your grocery bill will start shrinking and you won't spend as much each week. You can rely on your stockpile on weeks when you don't have time--or maybe money--to shop.
Do you have any stockpiling tips? Share them in the comments below!
