Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half

COLUMBUS, Ohio —You probably spend the biggest part of your household budget at the grocery store.
NBC 4’s Marshall McPeek found a way to potentially cut your costs in half—without using coupons or frequent shopper cards. He went shopping side-by-side with the experts.
Saving money at the grocery store is all about taking the time to think about what you’re buying.
We picked up three pounds of Red Delicious Apples. But Dave Daniel, vice president of operations for Giant Eagle, grabbed the same thing—only pre-packaged.
“That’s $6 in loose apples. And it’s $3.49 for a 3-pound bag of apples,“ Daniel said.
We paid for the convenience of bagged lettuce, but Daniel bought a head of lettuce for a fourth of the price. He also recommends taking a chance on the store brands.
“The Schwebel’s branded product is $2.59 and the Giant Eagle product is $2.19,“ Daniel said.
But, Daniel said, they’re made by the same company and are exactly the same product.
The meat department is where you can find big savings.
Individually quick frozen chicken breasts come in a big, discounted bag. You can thaw only what you need and freeze the rest.
If your grocery store has a butcher shop, go for the pork loin and ask the store to cut it into roasts, ribs and chops, instead of buying the individually-packaged pieces.
The pre-packaged meat cost more than $46, but the pork loin with the free butchering was less than $20.
In the canned vegetable aisle, the national brand corn was 96 cents, while the value brand was only 39 cents.
“There’s a limited number of packing houses in the United States. And corn is corn,“ Daniel said.
When you buy milk, only get what your family will use.
Even though a gallon may cost a little less per ounce, you lose the savings if it spoils and you have to throw it away, experts said.
At the checkout, the total of NBC 4’s groceries came to more than $99. But Daniel’s price tag was less than $50.
That was also before any coupons or frequent-shopper card discounts.
Regardless of what store you choose, the same techniques apply: make a list, stick to it, eat before you shop, go for store brands and think about your purchases.
If you use coupons, you can save even more. Most stores double coupons up to a dollar, and most stores let you use more than one coupon per product—doubling each one.
MONEY-SAVING TIPS FROM KROGER
- Use Manufacture coupons from the paper and home mailings. Kroger doubles coupons up to 99 cents everyday.
- With Kroger Fuel Plus rewards, you can save up to 50 cents per gallon on your gas fill-ups by shopping at Kroger. Cash you pay for any prescription is also included. For the week of Feb. 11 only, buying “gift cards” for other retailers at the Kroger Gift Card Mall will give you double fuel savings….even if you use the gift card for yourself!
- Watching the ads for weekly features and stocking up at the lower prices on items you use frequently will deliver substantial savings. Take advantage “Rebates”...while it may take extra time to comply with the terms of the offer it does provide substantial savings.
- Sign on to kroger.com and download electronic coupons to your Kroger plus card. That will create significant savings on top of the lower prices and the weekly features.
- Regular Kroger customers keep an eye on your mailbox for coupons mailed to you on products that you purchase regularly. A benefit of your Kroger Plus card.
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