Back To School Issue - Schooled Magazine

career & financeTo SlashThat Grocery Bill!It’s time to go grocery shopping. As if your meager income couldget any smaller. Here are some great ways to decrease your bill18Waysand increase your wallet size.By Rachael Cutler1Don’t go shopping hungry. Thatmeans you need to go shopping beforeyou’re on your last can of tuna.3Don’t go without a Don’t let yourselfbe tempted.2list. If you go witha list it forces you Avoid the higherto plan ahead of priced items at thetime and you won’t end of the grocerybuy unnecessary aisle. Companiesitems.put those there fora reason.45Food storage. We all are told to have alittle bit even if it’s not a year. So buy anextra can or two when they are on sale.67Don’t take the easy way out. If you needface wash or motor oil, a normal grocerystore may not be the best place to get it.You’ll end up paying much more than youwould a mile down the road.Coupon happy.8 Some peopleGet free cards. don’t like toGrocery stores coupon shoplike Smiths and but it could saveAlbertsons pass you loads onsavings on to the your groceryconsumer if they bill. You don’thave a store card. have to go toThey are super 10 differenteasy to get andvery valuable.1615Learn to cook. Cooking fromscratch is much more cost-efficientand it tastes better than preparedfoods! Macey’s offers free cookingclasses with great ideas that are easyand delicious. You can pick up aschedule at the Macey’s in Provo andOrem.Understand sales. Grocery storessometimes have “10 for $10” deals.Usually this means “1 for $1”.Check to make sure you don’t haveto buy 10 and then only buy whatyou need.stores either. Beware of marketing tricks. CompaniesMany stores spend a ton of money researching where towill matchplace their product in grocery stores. One beerRead your receipt. competitors’9company found they sold more beer by puttingMany grocers will print lower prices if their product next to the diapers. Don’t fallChoose cheap stores. Consumerreports claims that theor receipts or give you coupon in.coupons on the back you bring the into their trap.best bargains can be found atbonus points to cash in.Aldi, Costco, Market Basket,Be aware of those.Pay attention. Pay attention whenSlater Bros., Shoppers Food18 you’re checking out. Scanner errorsWarehouse, Trader Joe’s anddo happen and they happen often.Wal-Mart. Costco and Wal-In fact according to the NationalBuy seasonal foods. When buying produce: CherriesMart are the only local stores 10Institute of Standards and Technology,scanner errors in the stores’and asparagus are harvested in the spring and earlyto us, but I have found Macey’ssummer, peaches and nectarines are on in mid toand Smiths can have somefavor cost consumers nearly $2.5late summer along with melons. Corn is picked latepretty amazing deals.billion annually.summer as well. Apples are harvested in the fall soSMget your fill of them when they are cheaper.30 Schooled www.schooledmagazine.com171113Try store brands. Consumer Reportscompared different varietiesof stores products like paper towels,French fries, yogurt and more, andfound that store brands were thesame or better in quality.12Cook more and less often.When you finally get theurge to cook a good meal,double the portion. Thatway you can have a goodlunch for the next coupleof days. You can even putthem in a Ziploc and freezeit for later.Share the wealth. If you’re atrue lover of Costco but are onlyfeeding yourself, try splitting somethings with roommates and friends.I have found that things like detergent,snacks, deodorant, medicine,breads, canned goods, and bottledwater is much cheaper in bulk atCostco if you can use it without itgoing to waste.14Be realistic. You may tryto convince yourself thatyou’ll learn to like non-fatice cream or whole wheatbread but if you don’t eat it,you’re wasting money.