Saving money on groceries becomes easy and almost second nature with just a little planning.

What type of planning will help you succeed in saving?

1. NEVER grocery shop when you are hungry. Hunger makes your cart bulge with impulse buys.

2. Always shop with a list but make it a flexible list to take advantage of unadvertised specials. These unadvertised specials are often at prices near cost. and are usually located on the end-caps of shelves.

3. Use the weekly grocery store newspaper or online ads for creating your list.

4. Use coupons but just on the items that you really need. If you don’t need something it isn’t a bargain at any price.

5. Begin to build a food savings bank (a pantry) at home. Try to add at least one or two non-perishable items extra a week to this shelf or storage area. Always purchase these items when they are at an excellent sale price.

6. Carry a notepad and pen so you can jot down prices on the items that you use frequently. This will help you recognize a great bargain price. Use this notepad in all the different grocery stores you shop so you can compare their base prices.

7. Only go to one or two stores every month. If you can shop only once or twice a month for staples you will save by not exposing yourself to temptation.

8. Meat is frequently our most expensive item in the grocery store so there are a couple of things you can do to reduce the expense here.

First, check the butcher’s specials or the near expiration date section. If you have room in your freezer or can mentally change your menu plan you can find real bargains here. Roasts and steaks are often a great buy this way.

Second, think of a roast as a piece of meat with possibilities instead of having to always roast it. You can easily slice a boneless pork loin roast into pork chops, stir fry pieces and still have enough left to roast. The savings for slicing your own can often be a dollar or more a pound.

Finally, a great motivator to continue working your plan is to have a method to keep track of your monthly savings. You can keep a paper record or just put the coins into a jar and have a visual record of your savings.