Frugal Tip: Shop for Food by the Pound

There are dozens of tricks that you can use to reduce your weekly grocery bill. Coupon clipping is a number one choice, of course, and one that most people already know. But frugal shoppers are interested in tricks that are new for them. One neat money-saving grocery trick that many people aren’t aware of yet is the trick of shopping by the pound.

Here is how it works:

- Select a per pound price that you are willing to pay for your food. This will vary depending on your diet, budget and location but a good place to start is $1 per pound.

- Commit to only purchasing products that are within this budget that you set. Find staple foods that are always in this price range. For example, potatoes may always be less than $1 per pound in your area. Build your family’s core menu around a set of recipes using these staple items.

- Look for specials each week that are also in the price range. Use coupons and sales to access great deals that keep your purchases under your price limit. For example, pineapples may be on sale one week for less than $1 per pound, allowing a special treat into your family’s meal planning without compromising your food budget.

- Supplement your usual grocery shopping with trips to farmers’ markets and U-pick farms for additional per-pound food shopping.

As an added benefit, you will likely find that buying your groceries by the pound actually keeps you healthier because you’ll be eating fresh, in season produce as the bulk of your meals. (Take a look at these 50 healthy foods that are under $1 / pound). Healthy people require less medical care and therefore incur fewer costs that way as well so this is a win / win situation for the frugal shopper! It may challenge your cooking skills a little bit to get used to this new way of shopping but in the end your family will thank you for it.

What’s your number one tip for saving money at the grocery store? Share it in the comments!

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