Biggest piece of advice to save at the grocery store?

[bjl584]

Most common answers I see are:

Shop on a full stomach
Make a list and stick to it
Look for store brand versions of name brand products

[kork13]

Look at unit prices. It's normally in tiny numbers somewhere on the price label -- dollars per ounce, or whatever. It's shocking sometimes to realize that even within the same brand, you can easily get a swing of 20-30% or more based on which specific package of am item you're buying.... Let alone difference between brands.

[ua_guy]

Shop alone. Forgetting an item isn't nearly as bad as your other half wandering around adding to the cart saying, "this looks good, we should get this!". (or children, or whomever you also drag into the store with you).

[disneysteve]

Don't shop when you're hungry has never worked for me. It results in me getting home with very little because nothing appealed to me while I was there.

I 100% agree with keeping a list. We have one on the fridge and all of us add to it throughout the week as we find things we're running low on or think of. That way when I go shopping, I buy things that we actually want and need.

Definitely at least try the store brands once. Most are just fine. Some are even better than the brand name. And then there are some that are just lousy, but you'll never know until you try them.

The less processed the food, the better the value (and the better for you). Don't buy pre-sliced fruit and veggies. They charge 3-5 times as much and seriously how hard is it to slice a pepper?

[Fishindude77]

Grow a small garden. With very little effort and not much space you can get a whole lot of high quality fresh produce for several moths every year.
Foraging ... mushrooms, berries, fruit, etc. can also yield a lot of good free food, plus it's fun.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

make a list and stick to it and preplan meals. Also inventory your pantry or freezer before you shop.