10 Supermarket Shopping Tips

The food industry is not dedicated  to feeding your family healthy, good food. Their mission is to take lots of money out of your pocket and leave you smiling about it.

Supermarkets are a mature industry; this means growth potential has peaked, so they have to be clever to keep increasing profits. So we, the shoppers, have to be smarter and even more clever. Of course they call it market research and product development, but make no mistake about it, they want your money.

Here is a small example:

Traditional supermarkets show single digit percentage growth. But 'organic' foods are growing at 12-14% per year. Of course Wal-Mart and the like are climbing on the organic bandwagon.

And the definition of 'organic' is manipulated to be looser. It no longer means what we shoppers think it does. To us, organic means no pesticides, natural fertilizers and small, well-intentioned farmers. For them, it means food factories that adhere to standards where they can maximize profits, limit costs and still call it organic. So be careful with organic food, it may not be what you think.

Returning to supermarkets, they use the latest research in human behavior and structure stores to take advantage of us.

Over the next several weeks, the Frugal Yankee will explore how they do this and how you can be a savvy Frugal Yankee. First, Ten Shopping Tips.

The Frugal Yankee's Top Ten Supermarket Shopping Tips

1. WRITE IT DOWN - Have a white board or a blackboard near your fridge and pantry. When you run out or have an idea, jot it down. Train your family to do the same and life will be easier and more efficient.

2. HAVE A BUDGET - and stick to it. Decide BEFORE you go shoping how much to spend. You'll be surprised how this little bit of discipline works. We have a friend who is always in financial straits. Yet whenever we go to his house, there are fancy cheeses, top shelf breads, the finest cuts of meat and the most expensive wine. He could easily save $50 a week in groceries. That’s $2600 a year!

3. CLIP COUPONS - This used to better. These days coupons are often for high-profit products you don't need,  But every week this Frugal Yankee finds about $4 worth of useful coupons. That’s over $200 a year. I'll take that.

4. NEVER SHOP HUNGRY - Do we really need to explain? Remember what mom used to say about your eyes being larger than your stomach. Now imagine that you're hungry, there’s a cornucopia of goodies before you, and you're paying with a debit card.

5. SHOP ALONE - This can be a tough for families with kids, but if you can swing it, shopping will be faster, with fewer distractions and no temptations from nagging voices.

6. MAKE A LIST - The reason you've heard it so often is because it works. With a list you are less likely to do impulse shopping, and impulse shopping is EXACTLY what the supermarkets want.

7. BE BASIC - Buy staples and make your own meals. They're called convenience foods for a reason, and you'll pay. A recent study found that many convenience foods take as long to prepare as a real meal. They cost more, may have bad things in them and they take as long. So why are you buying them?

8. BE SAVVY, Part 1 - Find the best stores for the items you buy. Supermarkets are good for basics, but not for fresh food. Where I live, the farm stand has vegetables and fruits at consistently lower prices. And if I plan my shopping route, it takes no more time than shopping at one place. A side benefit to independent stands or butchers is that they often use locally grown foods. Better food, better prices, locally grown, improving your community's economy - sounds like a no brainer to this Frugal Yankee.

9. BE SAVVY Part 2. -  Knowing how supermarkets manipulate you will make you a better shopper. We'll tackle that baby in our next report (see below). Meantime, check prices and compare unit pricing.  Make sure you get the best price. But here's a hint, if it's at eye level, you're NOT getting the best deal.

10. BUY IN BULK - but only if it is on sale. Supermarkets are sneaky about bulk buying these days, so be careful. If it’s on sale and you use the item, buy lots and stockpile. This is a terrific way to save. Sometimes you'll have to repackage when you get home. For example, if you find a really good deal on chicken quarters, go ahead and buy that enormous 'family pack'. When you get home, separate, wrap in aluminum foil and freezer bags, label and freeze until you need it.


Bonus Tips: .
Ignore fancy packages The prettier the package the higher the cost.

Be leery about the end of aisles. They may be soon to expire, discontinued or somehow suspect items.

Drop by our web site, www.FrugalYankee.com. We have a podcast on which grocery stores offer the best overall prices. The savings are as much as 25%.

NEXT WEEK: How supermarkets rig the deck and take advantage of you.