by Ali Koomen

Created on: August 06, 2008   Last Updated: September 23, 2009

* KEEP A LIST: When you're close to running out of an item, jot it down. This saves you from having to take an unplanned trip to the market-and who ever runs in to buy one thing and actually comes out with just that one thing?

*CUT COUPONS: Most Sunday papers include a sheaf or two of coupons in their advertising sections. Clip coupons for the things you buy for and for new items you'd perhaps want to try. Take your coupons to the store in a recipe box, pencil bag or some other self-closing container. Sort them into categories so that you can easily find the savings if there's an unadvertised sale.

*WATCH THE ADS: Pay attention to the advertisements. Most grocery stores run their ads on Wednesday. Compare their meat and produce specials and build your weekly menu around the ads. However, don't chase the ads. Visiting three or four stores a week simply isn't practical, as it is both a waste of time and gas.

*KNOW YOUR STORE'S LAYOUT: Write your list using a plan of attack, keeping a layout of your store in your mind as you do. Keeps things on the list in logical order of where it's located in the store. If you forget something, you'll need to backtrack (possibly resulting in impulse purchases) or will have to return to the store, wasting time and money.

*DON'T IGNORE SCRATCH-N-DENT: Most stores have a close-out area, items that are either slightly damaged or no longer carried. It is perfectly fine to match coupons to these items, and sometimes this will happily result in getting the item for free!

*LOOK FOR REDUCED ITEMS: Bakery items, meat and produce all have a very limited shelf life. Most stores have quick-sale racks where shoppers can buy day-old bread, slightly brown bananas and nearing-the-expiration-date chops. If the item is something you regularly use, and you'll use it quickly, it only makes sense to take advantage. The store's loss is your gain.

*STOCK UP WHEN THERE'S: A SALE. Don't pay $1.29 for a can of peas, wait until there's a "ten cans for five bucks sale" and stock up. Using coupons matched with sales, buy it now, when you don't need it, rather than waiting until you do and paying full price.

*SHOPPER'S CARD: Take advantage of the shopper card program, if your store offers one. Even if you don't clip coupons, it can save at least 25% off the grocery bill.

*HAVE FUN: Grocery shopping can be a chore, or it can be a contest with yourself to see how much you can save. My personal best is the time I paid less than $54 on a $125 grocery tab. That's 57% savings! If I calculate the time I spent cutting and filing coupons, going over the ads, making my list and shopping, I spent about two and a half hours total. Considering the $71 I saved, I made about twenty-eight bucks an hour for my time. Now, if I could only figure out a way to make laundry pay off that well. . .

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