If you haven’t taken coupons to the supermarket lately, you’re not alone. According to ShopSmart Magazine, 28 percent of shoppers say they can’t be bothered with coupons, while only 15 percent say they’re a necessary evil. But even if coupons are not your thing, there are other ways you can take a bite out of your grocery bill.
“You don’t need coupons to save big,” says Lisa Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart. “You just have to know the secret saving strategies and be consistent about using them.”
Some of these strategies:
Look for the bags: You can save as much as 36 percent buying produce like apples, oranges or onions by the bag instead of individually.
Buy fresh from the deli: Some brands of meat sliced to order can be up to 18 percent cheaper and some cheeses may cost 30 percent less than the prepackaged deli meat and cheese in the refrigerator case.
Check out the dollar store: “It’s not just weirdo brands,” said Freeman. More dollar stores now stock up on brand names you’ll recognize. They’re even stocking fresh staples and beating the prices at chain grocery stores often by more than a dollar.
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Once you experience the savings these strategies can bring, Freeman said, you may never shop the same.