By Kira Vermond
How much did you spend on groceries last week? Between wallet-busting shopping runs and last-minute trips to pick up frozen pizza, the cost of chow can take a bite out of anyone's budget. But there's good news. You can save money at the checkout counter tonight - without resorting to scarfing down canned pasta or day-old bread.
We asked two retail experts for the scoop.
Consider what you're buying
It sounds obvious, but a lot of people are on autopilot when they shop and hardly notice what they're spending, says Kimberley Clancy, owner of Frugal Shopper Canada in Mississauga, Ont. So start paying attention to the cost of your staples like milk and apples. "That way if there's a change in price, you'll actually know if it's a good deal," she says. No more taking the store's word for it.Go big then go home
Instead of swiping a couple of potatoes, onions or carrots from the bulk bin, pick up prepackaged bags for a savings of up to 50 percent. Or bypass the stewing beef and opt for a cheap roast. When we tried it, stewing beef was going for $11 per kilogram while a hunk of roast was only $6.59 per kilogram. And it took only five minutes (and a sharp knife) to cut it up for a homey stew.The small picture
"Think about the money in your pocket, not the money in your bank account," advises Philip Graves, a consumer behaviouralist and author of Consumer.ology: The market research myth, the truth about consumers and the psychology of shopping. Studies show that when people focus on the cash in their wallet instead of their salary, they spend less. So, if you budgeted $100 for groceries that week, then stick to your budget.
Seven Ways To Save On Your Grocery Bill...tonight
