(WFSB) – Throughout the month, Channel 3 is helping you save money.
One of the biggest concerns right now is the rising cost of groceries.
Eyewitness News spoke to consumer credit expert Clark Howard for advice on how to keep food costs from eating into your wallet.
The cost of groceries skyrocketed.
People pay on average 10-15% more for food today than a year ago.
So what’s a family to do?
We spoke to legendary personal finance expert Clark Howard for his advice on how to save money at the supermarket.
“What I recommend is what I call the reverse shopping list with groceries. You rethink the way you shop, where normally what people are going to do, even if they’re conscientious at the grocery store, they make a list of the items they need or have decided they want and even if they plan a menu they come up with a list What you are doing right now with inflation the way it is, is that you do something totally different: you look at the sales that are posted that week online by various supermarkets or uh, you know with traditional newspaper flyers, and you develop your grocery list accordingly of what’s on sale, not what you normally would, here’s my list,” Clark said.
One of Clark’s famous mottos is “buy from stores with concrete floors,” meaning outlet stores like Costco.
He says these stores can be great for buying in bulk, and he recommends nine items in particular that last a long time:
- Apples can be stored for months in a cool, dry place.
- Strawberries are easy to freeze.
- Onions and peppers can also be frozen and easily added to meals later.
- Dried pasta and preserves have a very long shelf life.
- So make rice and oats.
- Meat is usually the most expensive item in your meal. Buy it on sale and freeze it.
But if you prefer to go to a grocery store, Clark advises you to change places.
“There is such a price difference depending on where you shop rather than following the habits of what has been convenient and comfortable. Just because you know that in the store you like to shop and the milk is in aisle 6 and the beef is in aisle 11, you are going into uncharted territory in places where you can get a better deal. and you just have to be like a visiting team trying to figure out where the locker room is,” Clark said. “But if you do that, you’ll pay a lot less for your food.”
“So, are you talking about an Aldi or Walmart supermarket as opposed to your Stop & Shop? I mean, is that what you mean?” asked Eyewitness News.
“Exactly. You know, you look at Walmart. They’re now the biggest grocer in the country. And their prices, day in and day out, will typically be 20% lower than a typical supermarket. Aldi will be 30-40% cheaper depending on the product category,” Clark said.
Clark says that with a little planning, a willingness to try new things and break old habits, you can save money not just during rising inflation, but day after day, year after year. .
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