Debt Management Tips: Grocery Store Savings Made Easy

Did you know that the average American family spends anywhere from $7,000 to $18,000 on food every year and a good part of that is spent in the grocery store?

For many families your weekly grocery bill is a fixed expense (in other words you spend approximately the same amount each week). This fixed expense if not kept under control can work against any debt management strategies you may have in place.

The problem is when you’re trying to either manage debt or reduce debt you need to find creative ways to save money in all aspects of your spending.

There are ways to reduce your grocery store expenses without having to sacrifice good nutrition or make drastic lifestyle changes.

The key to effective debt management is to make spending less a priority and be committed to the extra time, effort and challenge of stretching your grocery store dollar further.

You also need to understand that most grocery stores especially the big chains are strategically designed and stocked with one main goal in mind – to get it’s consumers to spend as much money as possible. And, they know what they’re doing – the average American family spends upwards of $80 a week on ‘impulse’ purchases alone.

Why do we do this? Its human nature and a direct result of tempting displays and strategic planning on the part of the grocery store.

In some families the amount of unplanned purchases can add up to 1/2 of their total food bill.

Okay, but how can I win at the grocery store game?

The simple answer would be to take a grocery list and stick to it. But there’s more to it than that. You see, sometimes we need things that we forgot to put on our list. That’s okay – it happens. When you forget something, what you need to do is make note of it on your list before you place the unplanned item in your cart. Where possible write these items in a different color ink or write it and then circle it. The result is over time, you’ll get a better handle on your grocery store spending habits and you’ll have a visual of just how easy those unplanned purchases can add up.

In my next ‘managing debt’ post I’ll discuss more debt management tips for avoiding common grocery store spending traps.