Money Saving Tip: Improve Your Grocery Shopping

In all likelihood, one of the biggest items in your monthly budget is food. If it's not, that's probably because you don't have kids yet or because you eat like a bird. With gas prices on the rise, food prices are following and we can all expect to be paying more at the grocery store sooner rather than later.

There are several sites that I know about that can help you improve the way you shop for groceries.

If you are a coupon clipper, you owe it to yourself to check out TheGroceryGame.com. This site is all about using coupons and maximizing their value. It started in Southern California but now has store listings nationwide - meaning that the site tracks what's on sale at stores in your area, what coupons are available in your paper, and then tells you when the time is right to put those coupons to use. It offers the first month for free and then costs $5.00 per month thereafter. If you have the patience to cut coupons and hold onto them for a while, this site will definitely save you money. If you're not a coupon clipper and/or are not willing to do some planning ahead, I'd say skip this one and move on to my next recommendation.

GroceryGuide.com is a new web site that addresses one of the biggest problems we have when it comes to grocery shopping - our hesitance to switch stores. You know this is true! You find a store that's convenient, you get used to the layout, you're familiar with the store brands and you stay there forever. This, friends, is a big mistake. Britney and I were recently in a different grocery store looking for something that our store did not offer and we were shocked at some of the price differences. GroceryGuide.com exposes those differences for you. Compare specials at multiple stores in your area to find the best deal and, perhaps even cooler, look at the price history for the items that are on sale. That will tell you whether the special is a great buy or just a decent buy.

If you're willing to do a little comparison shopping and are willing to venture out of your comfort zone to get a good deal, you CAN save money at the grocery store! Good luck!!