As you know, I have a big family. And our grocery budget is insane! Every time the kids come home from school they are “starving“, and “there’s never anything to eat“. I end up making several trips to our neighborhood grocery store each week and hit my local BJ’s Wholesale Club two to three times a month. With all the shopping I do, I’ve become quite adept at spotting a good deal.
To keep to a budget, it’s important to find the best price on everything we use, food, household goods, gasoline… you name it. At first, I thought I was always getting the best price by doing ALL my shopping at BJ’s, but it turns out I wasn’t comparing apples to apples… That is Grocery Shopping 101! You need to compare price per unit to make sure you are getting the best deal. While most of the time I was getting the best deal at BJ’s, that wasn’t always the case!
Grocery Shopping 101
It’s important to figure out the unit price so you can compare items fairly. For example, I purchased two packages of Progresso soup (8 cans per pack) at BJ’s for $21.98, and found a $2.50 in-Club coupon in the BJ’s member coupon book, bringing the price down to $16.98 or $1.06 a can. At Food Lion, Progresso soups were on sale $1.49. Even without the in-store coupon the soup at BJ’s is still $.12 cheaper a can, than Food Lion’s sale price.
(PS… Scroll down to learn how you can purchase a BJ’s membership at a discount AND receive a $25 BJ’s Gift Card.)
On the flipside, a four pack of Coke 2 liter bottles at BJ’s cost $4.99, while a 2 liter of Coke was on sale at Food Lion for $.99. Plus I had a $.75 manufacturer’s coupon off two 2 liter bottles, making the price $3.21 for four 2 liter bottles.
It’s all about the savings.
Now, I’m not an extreme coupon-er, I don’t have the time to put that much effort into my shopping, but I do have a secret weapon that helps me keep to our budget. And I’m betting you have the same tool always within reach as well… it’s a smartphone!
I’m not even talking about a fancy app that searches for coupons, rebates, and best prices. While those are great tools, they can be extremely time-consuming, aren’t always reliable, and a lot of stores aren’t in the network or don’t take electronic coupons. The most helpful shopping tools on your smartphone are the calculator and note apps (and if you don’t have a smartphone, no worries you can go old school and use a calculator and a small notebook).
Here is my simple tip: Keep a price list on your smartphone of the most common items you buy (broken down by unit price) so you can make sure you are getting the best deal when you spot something on sale.
This helps make sure I’m always paying the lowest price. And when something is on sale I can easily check to see if the sale price is better than the lowest price at another store. When I find a lower price, I stock up (and if it is a lower regular priced item I note it on my list).
I hope this little tip helps you get the best deal when you shop!
Looking for more money-saving tips? Check out my guest post on BJs.com: Top 5 Tips to Save BIG at BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Want to receive a $25 BJ’s Gift Card (and I’ll get one too!)?
Here’s how:
- , to go to BJ’s Refer a Friend program, read and agree to the Offer Terms, and click GO to register.
- Open your new BJ’s Membership here.
- Use your Membership, and you and I will each receive a $25 BJ’s Gift Card.
- To receive MORE $25 BJ’s Gift Cards, invite your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Once a friend registers online using your link and joins BJ’s, you’ll each receive a $25 BJ’s Gift Card.
Do you have any “must do” shopping tips to share? Leave them in the comments.
Phyrra says
I will definitely try your price list tip on the phone!
coolchillmom says
I love BJs because I find it all and always rack up big savings
Brooke @ Blushing Noir says
That’s a good idea to keep a price list on your phone! We have things that we get at Walmart vs things we get at the grocery store vs Target… just our regular things that we remember. But if I kept a list of all the things we’d definitely save more!
Lynzy says
This is such a great post! I usually go to Costco for our bulk items!
Amber.m says
I love that shopping list idea!
Kendra says
Great tips! I never stick to my resolutions either but am always trying to save money.
Carla says
I laugh that I am 46 and still desperately needed this post. And I love I am 46 and woman enough to admit I desperately needed this post 🙂
Jess Scull says
This is perfect! Thanks for the awesome tips!
Deb- It's me, debcb! says
We don’t have BJ’s here but I hear it’s awesome. It’s so important to use coupons and compare prices. We have a couple of very overpriced grocery stores here in KC.
Andrea B. says
I’m starting to think maybe I need to shop in bulk a bit more … hmmmn.
I do love the check the unit price tip – so important!
Summer says
Thanks for all of the great tips!
Raina DelRio says
Such wonderful tips! I am always looking for ways to save in my grocery budget. I will definitely give your helpful hints a try!
Sarah B says
My husband set up our shopping lists on our cell phones using the “Sheets” app. It adds up the items as we go along and even adds the tax too. It ensures that we stay on budget. I highly recommend this app!
Felex says
Kate, do you know if Costco has a similar program?
Kate says
Unfortunately, only BJ’s will accept manufacturers coupons.