In our fast-paced, technologically advanced world, one thing that hasn't changed is that most families still need to save money on their monthly grocery bill. But your grandmother and even your mother may not have saved the same amount on groceries as you do today.
How does this affect your current efforts to lower your monthly grocery bill? Simple. If your mother raised you (wow! ), you probably still use the ways she taught you to save money at the grocery store.
You're finally listening.
The way we buy groceries has changed in many ways over the past twenty years. Convenience food used to be a rare treat, but now it is just how we choose what to eat. I think (I'm being a little sarcastic here) that my favourite in this group is the friendly fruit snack. Don't get me wrong, our family buys its fair share of fruit rolls, fruit chews, and fruit stretches. Let's be honest, though. The grocery industry took a highly nutritious and CONVENIENT food (a piece of fruit) and, well, changed it. We, as consumers, have come to think that this "change" is more convenient (huh? ), tastes better (yum, more sugar! ), and is better for us all around (now we look for percentages of fruit...instead of a piece of fruit...which is one hundred percent fruit).
Now I know that the way people think about a piece of fruit hasn't just changed by chance. Every year, huge amounts of money are spent on marketing campaigns that try to change our minds.
And this is something that has changed a lot in our friendly grocery store since mom and grandma's time.
What used to be a gentle way to convince someone is now a serious business. Your grocery store wants your business so much that from the moment you walk in the door, your whole shopping experience is controlled. I don't think this is that bad of a thing. Grocery shopping has become an art form in many stores, making it a very pleasant experience for the customer.
Still, as an adult in charge of your family's grocery budget, you need to pay attention or you could end up spending more than you saved.
If someone had repackaged a piece of fruit, my mom would have laughed at the idea that she would have to pay more money. But then my mother also cooked. She had a full-time job and came home every night to make a full meal.
What she didn't have to deal with were long commutes, a lot of after-school activities, and a culture that told her kids every day that fast and tasty is always better than healthy and cheap.
If a mom wants her family to eat together more often, eat healthy food, and stay within her food budget, she has a hard time doing all of these things. See the box of resources at the end of this article for more ways to save money on groceries.
My mom grew food, froze it, and put it in jars. The mom of today needs to be able to read labels well and know when "convenience" means buying something already packaged and when it would be easier to cook her own meal. In the food economy we have now, both things can be true.
So, if you're still clipping coupons because your mother did it, you should get out a calculator and a clock to see how much you're really saving on groceries and if it's worth your time to do it. (The answer is that it depends on what you buy and what your family eats.)
The grocery shopper of today has to be quick on her feet and know that she is a player in the game, whether she likes it or not. It's not hard to save money on groceries for your family, but you'll need to know what to do and have the right tools. You should also give yourself permission to learn a few new tricks that will help you do your monthly grocery shopping faster and save you money at the same time.
I'm sure your mom would be thrilled for you to know that.
