How to Become a Smart Shopper

When it comes to shopping for the family, how can you ensure you're getting the best without spending the most? Joining Away We Grow host Diane Mizota is Teri Gault, author and CEO of TheGroceryGame.com, with money-saving tips for the grocery store.

Related: Tips to make grocery shopping even healthier

If you're trying to save money at the grocery store, says Gault, the most important thing is to think about being an investor. "You want to buy when it's on sale, before you need it, before you run out of it. Then you never pay full price."

In addition, she notes, everything that you eat and buy runs goes on sale approximately once every 12 weeks. "Stock up thinking in a 12-week-cycle," she says. Her third tip for saving money is deal stacking. "This is where you actually hold a coupon until it meets a sale." By following these tips, Gault says you can cut your grocery bill by about 67 percent.

Related: How to coupon: 4 simple steps

If you think that cutting and filing coupons is too time consuming, Gault has a simple solution. "Keep your inserts intact and write the date on the front…so that way you can just cut out the coupon that you want to use that week."

Shoppers looking to save can stock up on fresh foods, says Gault. "Organic milk lasts twice as long as conventional milk. So the tiny little date on the package is your key. If it's on sale, stock up according to that date and how much you will use."

She adds that you should always buy fresh produce in season to get the best price. However, she adds, "whenever your fresh produce is not in season, your frozen food aisle will have buy-one-get one-free sales."

As for foods that are not fresh, such as boxed or canned, Gault points out that they have a long shelf life that can extend to five years in some cases. "Use a permanent marker to mark the date that's on the package, so that you can use it in time." And you can also stock up on paper goods such as Charmin Basic because those things never go bad.

Finally, Gault notes that warehouse clubs are great for some items but not for others. "The eggs, the butter, and the cheese are almost always the cheapest that you can get, and they're really good quality. And the birthday cakes. Everything else, using the things we've talked about, you can beat the club store prices by shopping smart the other way."

For more money-saving grocery tips, check out TheGroceryGame.com.

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