Ways you can save money on groceries

Alicia Rockmore, a professional organizer and chief executive of Buttoned Up Inc., offers these tips for saving at the grocery store:

Follow the 80/20 Rule: Shop for the most important foods first and make them no less than 80 percent of what you buy. Leave the extras, such as snacks, for the last 20 percent.

Loyalty cards: Get everyone in the family a grocery loyalty saving card and use it. Most shoppers can save at least 10 percent just by using such a card.

Buy basic: Buying a head of fresh lettuce is cheaper than a bag of washed, cut lettuce. Whole chicken is cheaper than skinless boneless breasts.

Coupons: If you clip coupons, organize them in a simple wallet or envelope by expiration date and leave them in your purse or the car at all times.

Check online: Visit each week the Web sites of your favorite one or two grocery stores to view ad specials and special online coupons. Kroger, which owns Fred Meyer and QFC, has a special site at www.shortcuts.com that allows shoppers to click online coupons and automatically link those to their loyalty cards.

Other tips:


• More online coupons can be found at www.smartsource.com.



• Buy produce that is in season. It typically will be the cheapest.



• Usually, one type of meat is on sale each week at a grocery store. Buy it when it's on sale and stock up.



• Try Amazon.com for non-perishable groceries you use in bulk. The site has great pricing and often free shipping.


One last tip: Sign up and become a secret shopper, one who shops and then fills out reports on stores' quality of service and more. Such shoppers are paid or reimbursed for their reports. Shadowshopper.com has details on how to try it.

For more information, check www.thegrocerygame.com, www.betterbudgeting.com or www.getbuttonedup.com.