How Much Money Do You Waste Grocery Shopping?

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Grocery shopping is expensive. It’s even more expensive for a family of four. How expensive, you ask? In 2012, a typical family of four in the U.S. spent $944 per month on groceries. If you break it down, that’s $236 per week.

Talk about a lot of money. When you add it all up, that comes out to just under $11,500 for the year. Over a 10-year period, it comes out to over $113,000! Alright, enough with the numbers. By now, you know that I wasn’t lying when I said that grocery shopping is expensive.

So, what can you do to lower the amount of money you spend grocery shopping? I’m glad you asked. Below I’ve provided you with some tips to help you do just that.

Make a list

And stick to it. Before you head to the grocery store, find out what you already have. It’s also a good idea to figure out what types of meals you’ll be cooking throughout the week so you can plan accordingly. The more detailed your list is, the less chance there is of you making purchases on impulse.

Don’t go hungry

One of the biggest mistakes you can make while grocery shopping is going when you’re hungry. When you’re hungry, you’re more likely to grab a bigger quantity of food than you are if you just finished a meal. Fill up before you head to the store and your trip will be much quicker (and cheaper) than it would be otherwise.

Limit soft drinks

They aren’t healthy for your body or your wallet. On average, Americans drink 11 cans of pop each week. In order to decrease your chance of health risks such as diabetes, limit the amount of pop you purchase. Your wallet will be glad you did, too. The average American spends just over $300 per year on pop.

Don’t let food go bad

This may seem pretty obvious, but the average family of four wasted $2,275 of food in 2012. Based on the average family, which spent $944 per month on groceries, that’s nearly 2.5 months of food that went to waste!  

Coupons

Sign up for email updates from your favorite stores such as Meijer or Walmart. Instead of having to go out and buy the Sunday newspaper to take advantage of coupons, you’ll get them sent directly to your email. It’s also a good idea to do some comparison shopping. Some stores even take competitors coupons, so be sure to ask about the store policy.

Take your kids

This probably doesn’t sound like too much fun, does it? Actually, that’s the point. Who wants to spend an hour grocery shopping with one, two, or three kids that would rather be home watching TV, taking a nap, or basically anything but watching you grocery shop? Bring your kids along for the ride and I guarantee you’ll be in such a hurry to get out of the store that you won’t even think about walking down the snack aisle.

To reiterate my main point, grocery shopping isn’t cheap. I hope some of my tips will help you save some money. Does anyone out there have any other tips to save money on groceries? Let us know in the comments below!