How to stretch your grocery dollar: part 1

One of the bonuses of having a low income is strengthened purchasing skills. Here are some lessons I’ve learned over the past year or so:

1. look for alternatives to the big-name supermarket – markets, greengrocers, butchers, bulk grocery suppliers
2. buy fresh fruit and veggies which are in season, and check whether they are grown locally. Local, in-season produce is usually the cheapest.
3. Prepare a shopping list. Estimate prices on your list before you shop (if possible) so you know whether an item on the shelf is a bargain or not.
4. Look beyond the SALE! sticker. Often, lower shelves will have cheaper brands of the same product which are not on sale.
5. Compare the price per unit – sometimes bigger is cheaper, sometimes not.

Tomorrow, I’ll share some tips on how I stretch our grocery dollar in between shopping trips.  But I’d love to hear how you get more for less at the shops.