Many of us are feeling the sting of inflation at the grocery store, as prices go up. But our I-Team has some tips on how to save money at the market.
When you grocery shop, do you have your meals planned out? If not, it's a good idea to do it, according to money saving expert Andrea Woroch. She says a family of four dumps $1,600 of fresh produce into the trash every year because it goes bad. That's just throwing away money, says Woroch. But she says planning your meals can save you money instead.
"Begin by looking at your calendar," said Woroch. "What days are you going to be home? Do you have a work lunch, do you have a pizza party for your kid's soccer game? Make sure you plan for that and don't overbuy." And when you plan those meals, Woroch suggests you pick recipes with similar ingredients, so you use up everything you buy.
"Let's say you buy a bag of potatoes, how often do you only use a few of those, and then the rest go to waste?" said Woroch.
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And buying in bulk is tempting, because it's cheaper. But Woroch says if you don't eat everything that you buy, it's just money down the drain.
"So really think about the family, the family size, what everybody eats," said Woroch. "Do you all eat the same foods? Try to limit what you buy in bulk." Woroch says another trick up her sleeve: buying fresh food, like meat, close to its expiration date. She says markets usually slash the price.
"They may mark it down by 50%, maybe up to 70% off," said Woroch.
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And before you head to the store, download the Flipp app. It tells you what deals you find at each grocery store.
But for some, going to the store means you overspend. If that's you, Woroch suggests shopping online instead.
"When you shop online, you can stick to that grocery list and there aren't any tempting food displays," she said.
To save on delivery fees, you can use curbside pickup.
And finally, get savvy about the credit card you use to shop. Woroch says some offer 6% cash back on groceries. She says you can find the best cards on sites like cardrates.com.