Author: Elizabeth Morgan

With the economy in a free-fall, many of us are wondering if our jobs may be next. Yes, the unthinkable is happening to nearly 20, 000 families everyday. Have you saved enough to be secure if your job is next? If you have not had the foresight to do so, or the extra cash to make your nest egg grow, all is not lost. One of the best places to look for savings is in your grocery budget.

For most of us, there is more than a little wiggle room in our food expenses.

If reducing spending sounds monotonous, it does not need to be.

You do not need to go without your favorite foods, only make a few efforts to make better spending decisions.

10 tips for getting saving fast and stretching your food budget:

1. Buy extra when prices are low. Anytime you can save 50% or more is a good time to stock up and buy a few extra items on nonperishables.

2. Use double coupons to reduce expenses. Even without the desire to coupon all the time, using high face value coupons is a money saver. Ten coupons for a dollar each will save you $10 a week, while going to a double coupon store will save you $20 per shopping trip.

3. When an items is on sale, use a double coupon too. Did you know that most products purchased this way are free or just a few pennies?

4. Knowing when to buy will help you avoid paying full price. If you do nothing else, always buying on sale will save you 30-50%. Grocery stores usually run products on a rotating sale schedule of about 4-8 weeks.

5. Generics and store brands are great options. Gone are the days when generics were of less than desirable quality. Be willing to try store brands and watch your savings grow.

6. Deeply discounted groceries are usually found in dollar stores. With prices steadily rising, the dollar stores near me are offering canned goods, milk, eggs, free produce, and frozen foods at deeply discounted prices.

7. Go shopping alone, without the family and spouse. To get you best deal takes concentration and the fewer distractions or time pressures the better.

8. Shop with a budget and a shopping list. Planned purchases take temptation and overspending out to the equation.

9. Keep food waste to a minimum. You worked hard to reduce expenses, so don't waste your efforts.

10. Free coupons can be printed online. Free grocery coupons are now availiable online. Many printable coupons are worth a dollar or more before doubling.

Yeah, times are tough I know, but you can find money in your food budget to start saving a nest egg, just by making a few minor adjustments at a time. The important thing is to just get started today and a few weeks from now you will be a pro at saving money on groceries.

Free printable coupons for you! Print free money online $1 coupons to help you save. Great free coupons with new offers all the time. You may also enjoy money saving grocery shopping secret. A free guide to saving big bucks at the grocery store. Eat healthy, reduce grocery bills, save more!