Shopping Right Could Save You Bundle

Expert Proves Not All Methods Are Created Equal, Then Offers Money-Saving Pointers

(CBS)  What's the least expensive way to buy the groceries you need?

That's what Consumer Reports Senior Editor Tod Marks was wondering, so he set out to find out.

He tested four different approaches to grocery shopping to see which saved him the most money, purchasing the same 30 items on each of four shopping trips.

Marks, who writes the Consumer Reports blog "Tightwad Marks" and is a longtime expert on the retail world, shared the results on The Early Show Wednesday, then offered general shopping advice.

1. Impulsive Shopper; spent $288.26

Marks went down the aisles, checking items off his list, not paying any attention to which brand of mustard might be cheaper or which size cereal might be more economical, not looking for sales, etc.

2. Savvy Shopper; spent $166.22

Marks took full advantage of sales, put his store loyalty card to work, and sniffed high and low for coupons.

3. Warehouse Shopper; spent $156.16

For this approach, Marks compared unit prices for all of the items on his shopping list. Shopping at Costco, Sam's Club and other warehouse stores requires you to buy items in bulk. Buying four cartons of Tropicana OJ that are bundled together is of course going to cost more than buying one carton at the supermarket. But if you compare those unit prices, you'll often wind up spending less at the warehouse clubs.

Store-brand Shopper; spent $154.62

Marks visited his local Stop and Shop and simply purchased the store brand of everything on his list.

MARKS' CONCLUSIONS:

Clearly, you have to put some work into saving money. And the work you put in can save you A LOT -- like over $100!

But which of the options is truly the best?

Marks says most people are probably not going to sub out every item on their list for their store's brands, so that's not the winning solution.

If you have a large family and/or like to buy non-perishables in bulk, that yearly fee at the local Costco will certainly pay off.

But for most people, shopping supermarket sales and clipping coupons is going to be the way to go. Just to illustrate how much you can save by using a coupon, consider Marks' purchase of Frosted Flakes cereal. He bought two, 14-ounce boxes. As an impulse shopper, he spent $8.98. As a savvy shopper with a coupon, he spent $3. It's easy to see how savings like that can add up quickly.

Marks adds that, once you begin paying attention to sales and coupons, you'll notice that staples like cereal, orange juice and bread regularly go on sale. If you shop wisely, YOU SHOULD NEVER HAVE TO PAY FULL PRICE FOR ANY OF THESE STAPLES AGAIN!

[sjc_1]

A family of four shopping at a place like Food 4 Less here could save thousands of dollars per year. It always amazes me how people will not do this, spend thousands of dollars more on gasoline for their SUV, but are unwilling to pay a dime more for better schools.

[lorifelix]

very good tips for grocery shoppers. I have found that many new savers feel that using coupons is a big hassle and altough they have intentions of using them, never quite master a system. Onmy money saving website, www.morewithlesstoday.com I offer several ideas for organizing your coupons, getting started usingcoupons , downloadable coupons (right on my website) and e-coupons that get loaded right on to your store car or Upromise account(coupons wth no .clipping).
The idea for the website is for friends to share tips to help each other through these uncertain times. I update it continually. I hope you will take a look. all my best, Lori at www.morewithlesstoday.com