Save Money on Groceries Without Coupons

Photo by: istockphoto

One of the best ways to lower grocery costs is to shop at stores that have the lowest prices. For example, a basket of 15 items recently purchased at Kroger cost $10 more than the same items purchased at Walmart ($53.87 versus $43.50). When we priced a basket of 10 items at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, the tab at Trader Joe's was $20 cheaper. It might seem a little time-consuming to actually run this experiment yourself. ... more 

Photo by: istockphoto

One of the best ways to lower grocery costs is to shop at stores that have the lowest prices. For example, a basket of 15 items recently purchased at Kroger cost $10 more than the same items purchased at Walmart ($53.87 versus $43.50). When we priced a basket of 10 items at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, the tab at Trader Joe's was $20 cheaper. It might seem a little time-consuming to actually run this experiment yourself. But you only have to do it once -- and the savings could be substantial. Think of it this way: If you were buying a big-ticket item, such as a TV, you'd probably invest some time to shop around and research prices. Although your weekly grocery bill may not seem like a major expenditure, you're shelling out $10,400 a year if you're spending $200 a week. That's a lot more than most TVs -- which you could easily afford to buy if you cut your weekly grocery bill in half.

• Overcome Your Addiction to Shopping

less