Money Monday Tip #15

5 Ways to Save Money in the Kitchen and on Groceries

Cooking. Supercook is a new recipe search engine that finds recipes you can make with the ingredients you have at home. Simply add the ingredients you have in your home and Supercook will find a recipe.

Groceries. Find your local flyer deals fast by entering in your zip code and save bundles in the store with My Grocery Deal. This is a great site, especially if you do not have the time to look through the flyers in your mailbox or newspaper.

Coupons. Coupons.com allows you to print coupons from your printer. I have not tried this site, but it looks like a good one. Just be sure to check with your local store to make sure that they accept web based coupons. If you prefer the old school method, clip out coupons from your Sunday paper. I know people that buy several papers just to get multiple coupons and increased savings. FYI: Wal-Mart, Target and K-Mart also accept manufacturer coupons.

Make A List. Making a list before you go to the store prevents overspending. Supermarkets position items in the store to increase impulse buying, just look around at the check out line. Did you really go to the supermarket to buy that pack of gum or those tic-tacs? “Every aspect of a store’s layout — from the produce display near the entrance to the dairy case in the back to the candy at the register — is designed to stimulate shopping serendipity” ~ Real Simple.
Don’t go to the store hungry, make a list and stick to it. Download a free grocery list here.

Buy Generic. Don’t be quick to overlook all generic foods and products. Often times you are really paying for the brand name while the generic product boasts the same ingredients at a lower price. I taste the difference between Tropicana Orange Juice and the store brand, so 99% of the time, I buy Tropicana. My motto on this is: If you can’t taste the difference, don’t pay the difference.

Bon Appétit!

Photo Credit: SwissMiss.