Be A Frugal Shopper
Grocery Cheap And Fresh

Being a frugal shopper is not only important in keeping our expenses down but when it comes to grocery shopping it also means choosing the healthiest and most economical both environmentally and financially.

I used to be squander bug when it came to food shopping, buying, frozen ready meals and junk food all the time. That is all behind me now and I not only feel healthier for it, my weekly shopping bill is much, much lower than it used to be.

This page gives you some handy tips on how to be a frugal shopper when it comes to buying your groceries. Hopefully this will also help to put a few extra coins in your purse too.

fresh fruit for the frugal shopper by pistol peet on flickr

picture by Pistol Peet

Fresh is better and cheaper - add them to your frugal grocery list

One of the big spending pit falls is processed food. Yes they may be easier to prepare but what are you really eating, preservatives, colourings and additives. Plus the cost of these items can be staggering.

The price of frozen ready meals is shocking and the amount of food in those little plastic trays is often quite unsatisfying, meaning that you will have to fill up on something else afterwards. This is both dangerous for the waistline and incurs more cost.

Buying fresh produce and preparing your own meals is not only frugal living but also much better for you health. It’s amazing how much fruit and vegetables you can get for your money. This is especially true if you buy from independent market stalls or farmers markets.

In the UK a new phenomenon has arisen over the past five years where a lot of markets sell produce by the bowlful for only one pound.

This is fantastic for large families or student households. (I often buy a bowlful of bananas and get at least 15 or 20 bananas for my money and they are all good too).

Buying fruit and vegetable that are in season is also a wonderful way to save money and give you a varied diet. Buying strawberries in winter is costing not only you more but also the planet. Vary your diet and help local growers by getting your hands on cheap plentiful seasonal produce.

Be a frugal shopper and keep your self on the frugal grocery road with these tips.

Watch out for coupons for items that you buy regularly.

Bulk buy items on sale if you regularly use them.

Go frugal grocery shopping on your own, that way you will remain focused.

Never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry, in a rush or tired. You will always come home with more than you need, trust me.

Use a hand basket not a trolley when shopping for a few items. The temptation and ease of filling up a trolley can sometimes be just too easy.

Take your own reusable bags to the grocery store with you. Many shops are now charging for bags and this will become more and more expensive as time goes on due to climate change issues.

Never buy single portion items. For example a box of rice will last you for several meals and cost a lot less than a single portion where you are mainly paying for the packaging.

Add your own flavourings to items rather than buying them prepared. A good example is cornflakes with raisins. It is far cheaper to buy a box of normal cornflakes and a bag of raisons (it’s a lot tastier tooand will make you a real frugal living consumer).