Groceries Are Expensive: 8 Tips To Help You Save $$ While Shopping

You expect sticker shock when you step into a designer boutique, but who knew the grocery store would become a place where you walk around shaking your head too? The last year or so has had us doing just that. It takes far fewer items to rack up a $200 bill. Heavy sigh.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to shop while hungry. "Shopping on an empty stomach can lead to impulsive purchases of unhealthy and unnecessary items. Eat before going grocery shopping to avoid these temptations," says Jessica Perrone, founder of financial education website HerFinIQ.

You know what they say: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Well, that's true at the grocery store too. "Plan your meals and make a list of the necessary ingredients," says Perrone. 

Have a list with you when you are shopping and vow to stick to it, but Perrone says it's also important to be flexible and adapt your meal plans based on what is on sale and in season. "By combining your planned list with the current sales and seasonal items, you can take advantage of lower prices and fresher produce," she says. 

Don't be afraid to buy generic. "Generic brands can offer high-quality ingredients while helping you cut back on a few dollars here and there. It may not seem like much, but those few bucks can add up to savings at the cash register," says Courtney Alev, a consumer financial advocate at Credit Karma.

"Convenience items often cost a lot more and can quickly eat up your budget," says Kendall Meade, a certified financial planner with SoFi, a provider of digital financial services.

She speaks from experience. At her store, a 40-ounce container of pineapple chunks is $3.48, or you can get an entire pineapple for $2.38. "Depending on the size of the pineapple, that is usually three times the amount for a dollar less," she says.

"I know this may sound counterintuitive because sometimes there can be a small charge to do grocery pickup. However, when I do grocery pickup, I only get what I have planned on my list," says Meade. 

This allows her to avoid impulse purchases, and she only gets what she needs. You can also see your total before you get to the checkout allowing you to make swaps to stay under your budget.

Pay attention to which credit card you buy groceries with. Use the card in your wallet that offers the most cash back for the grocery stores you're shopping at, or consider opening a new one to earn more back on your purchases, suggests Andrea Woroch, a consumer finance and budgeting expert.

She says some credit cards like the Chase Freedom card give you 5% cash back at grocery stores but excludes big-box retailers.

Therefore, if you shop primarily at Target, Walmart, or Costco for food, she says to consider getting a different type of card, like a flat-rate cash-back card such as the Bread Cashback American Express card, which gives you an unlimited 2% back on every purchase regardless of where you're shopping or what you're buying.

Download the grocery store app at the place you frequent for access to digital coupons that you clip on your phone to score savings at checkout.

"You can find coupons for money off a product or off your entire purchases. The Albertsons for U Rewards program gives new users $5 off $25," says Woroch.