Five Quick Ways to Shave $100 Off Your Monthly Grocery Bill

The drought is doing a number on American crops. The Department of Agriculture designated around 1,300 counties as disaster zones because of drought and excessive heat, according to the LA Times. (http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-drought-food-prices-20120718,0,3098599.story) That damage could translate into higher prices at the grocery store. Bite back by taking a significant chunk out of your grocery store spending with these five tips for shaving $100 off your monthly food bill.

Match Coupons with Sales Think you don’t have enough time to coupon? Think again. In a matter of minutes you can easily save $20-$50 a week just by matching what’s on sale with printable coupons found online. Find a blogger that’s already doing the hard work for you by tracking sales at your favorite grocery store and follow their roadmap for savings.

Make Your Own Detergent
Homemade detergent is super simple to make and costs about a penny a load. This recipe from the Duggar family, one of America’s largest, is simple and cheap. There’s no way you could buy laundry detergent at the grocery store for that price—even if you choose the cheapest generic bottle on the shelf.

Cut Dryer Sheets in Half
Some people swear by this as a quick way to cut the cost of fabric softener in half. Just use half as much! Literally cut each dryer sheet in half and you’ll enjoy the same benefits while making the product last twice as long.

Avoid Convenience
Bagged salad, pre-made sauces and anything individually packaged is going to cost you more since it’s got an extra selling feature: convenience. If you don’t mind chopping your own lettuce, spicing up your own tomato sauce or dividing up products like yogurt, veggies or crackers into baggies or plastic containers you can easily save enough money to make the extra work worth your time.

Eat Less Meat
The most expensive products in your shopping cart probably come from the meat department. By adding more vegetarian meals to your weekly menu you can easily save money in grocery costs. And some experts say you’ll be healthier for it.

By Alison Storm

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