Saving Money on Groceries Without Using Coupons
Buy Generics and Clearance Items for Big Supermarket Savings
Nov 4, 2009
Hands down, coupons are the best way to get cheap groceries at the supermarket, but thankfully, for those who prefer not to use coupons, there are other ways to save money on groceries.
Save Money Without Coupons at Grocery Warehouse Stores
Grocery warehouses are a great place to get wholesale groceries without using coupons. In fact, most warehouse stores such as Sam's Club and Costco don't accept coupons except their own.Warehouse stores all work basically the same way. They require the purchase of an annual membership which generally cost between $35 and $100 in order to have the privilege of shopping in the store.
Warehouse stores are very popular, and many people swear by them. While it is truly possible to get great deals at warehouse stores, it’s also possible to be ripped off by them because at times, the prices in the warehouse stores are substantially higher than at the local supermarket. Because of that, it’s important to have a good handle on grocery prices in order to avoid overpriced items at the grocery warehouse.
Generally speaking, the best deals at grocery warehouses include meat, dairy products, spices and some frozen food items.
Save Money on Groceries Without Coupons by Buying Generic
Store brand groceries are almost always cheaper than name brands so they are ideal for those who want to save money at the grocery store without using coupons.
Even though buying generic is a great way to get cheaper groceries, it's still a good idea to stock up on them when they're on sale, particularly when shoppers get one free item when they buy one.
Get Cheaper Groceries Without Coupons by Buying Clearance Items
Most stores have shelves, usually in the back of the store somewhere, with clearance items. These include foods such as bakery goods, cans that are slightly dented, boxed items such as cereal with slightly damaged boxes and other less than perfect packaging.
Refrigerated grocery items that are on clearance are kept in with the regularly priced items and are a bit harder to spot, but they often have a colored tag to indicate they are a clearance item. With practice, it can become easy to spot these clearance items.
Great deals can be had on marked down meat, but it goes fast, so it's a good idea to ask the grocery store meat manager when the meat is generally marked down and make a point of going to the store at that time for the best selection.
Get Cheaper Groceries by Shopping at Discount Grocery Stores
Many cities have discount grocery stores, where overall prices are cheaper. Generally speaking, discount stores are not quite as nice as regular grocery stores. This doesn’t mean that they are dirty or unsanitary, but that the flooring, fixtures, and so on may be older and more dingy.
Other common factors with discount stores is that many of them do not require the use of a store loyalty card to get items at the sale price, and though they generally take coupons, they seldom, if ever, double coupons.
At many discount grocery stores, the customer bags her own groceries, and may need to provide her own bags, or pay a small price for the use of the grocery store’s bags.
The bottom line is that discount grocery stores are no frill stores, with overall lower prices.
Although grocery coupons are one of the best ways to get cheaper groceries, it's not the only way. Cheaper groceries can also be found at warehouse stores, by purchasing generic groceries, by seeking out clearance items at the neighborhood supermarket, and by shopping at grocery discount stores. This is good news for the frugal shopper that wants to save money on groceries, but doesn't want to use coupons.
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