How To Save Money At The Grocery Store In Ontario Canada Being Frugal

Many people, not only in Ontario, Canada, but everywhere spend a lot of money on weekly groceries, and some large families struggle to afford all of the items they need for the week. As the price of groceries continues to escalate many people on a tight budget wonder how they will afford to feed their families. When you walk into your local grocery store and see a large box of cereal costing around $7.00, saving money on groceries can seem hopeless. Many of the grocery savings tips online are geared towards those living in the United States. From what I’ve read it is usually easier to find great deals on groceries in the U.S., but there are also some great ways to find deals on groceries here in Ontario, Canada too.

Plan a Weekly Menu Out Before You Go Shopping

Each week, sit down with your grocery store flyers to see what items are on sale. Giant Tiger, Zellers and Shoppers Drug Mart flyers also have great sales on groceries and other items for the home. After looking over the flyers start making a list of produce, meat, canned goods, snacks, cleaning items and anything else you need that is currently on sale.

If there is something on sale that you know you will need in the near future then add it to your list. When meat is on sale for good price then buy several of the sale items and stock up if you can afford to do so. It never hurts to have an extra roast, turkey, ham or package of ground beef in your freezer. Bread and milk both freeze well, so stock up on these staples when they are on for a low price. Once you have listed the sale items you are interested in you can begin to make a menu plan for the week. Your menu plan should include all meals, desserts, snacks and drinks for the week.

Saving Money on Meat

The price of stewing beef borders on outrageous. To save money buy a blade or chuck roast and cut it into stewing beef yourself. A six pound roast will give you enough meat to make several soups or stews. If you enjoy eating steaks, buy a roast on sale and cut it into steaks. You will get more meat for less money by doing a little extra work. Purchase a pork loin roast when it on sale and use half for a roast and the other half can be cut up to make pork chops.

Lunch meat is a necessity in most homes. Kids need it for school lunches and parents who bring their own lunch to work need it too. Instead of buying meat from a deli or an expensive pre-packaged lunchmeat, purchase a small ham, chicken or bologne roll that you can slice up for sandwiches.

For families who enjoy making salads a few times a week, salad dressing costs can really add up. You can make your own homemade salad dressing from scratch to save money. Homemade salad dressings taste fantastic and there are many free recipes available online.

Snacking on a Budget

Instead of buying expensive pre-packaged snacks you can save money by preparing snacks and treats yourself. If you spend the time to make your own snacks you can save quite a bit of money each week. A bag of whole, unpeeled carrots is much cheaper than purchasing a bag of peeled and washed baby carrots. By spending a few minutes to peel and chop up the carrots you will be saving money and the healthy snack is perfect for kids’ school lunches. If you have enough time you can save money by making banana bread, cookies or cake from scratch. There are plenty of frugal cookie and cake recipes online and most baked good freeze well, so you can bake up a big batch that will last for the whole month.

Store Hop to Save Big Money

One of the best ways to save money on groceries in Canada is to go store hopping. By sticking to one store you will likely end up spending more on your weekly groceries. When making your grocery list, pick a few stores to shop at. Shoppers Drug Mart, No Frills and Wal-Mart usually run good weekly specials and you never know what other stores will offer great sales on the items you need. No Frills Dollar Daze specials are perfect for any frugal shopper, and it is worth it to fight the crowds of bargain shoppers to get a loaf of bread or box of cereal for $1. Remember to be on the lookout for deals and to stock up on sale items like pop, juice, canned goods or any items that can kept in the freezer.

Purchase Family Size or Bulk Items When They Are On Sale

Whenever you can, buy the bulk items on sale. You can save a lot of money on items like paper towels, toilet paper, garbage bags, etc. Buying a large family box of cereal or bulk garbage bags will save you money in the long run. A lot of people shop at Costco in attempt to get good deals on bulk items, but unless you have a huge family or host frequent parties you will probably end up spending more money on groceries. Costco does offer a fantastic selection of fruits and vegetables, but you won’t find many health low-fat food options.

Clip Those Coupons

Clipping coupons is a good way to save money on groceries, and some store offer customers coupons as they walk into the store. Many stores also offer a point system account. If you use their bank and debit card to buy groceries in their store you can earn points that can be used to purchase groceries. You can search online to find the web sites that offer grocery coupons. Some sites offer printable coupons and certain sites even send out the coupons by mail.

If you have any of your own frugal grocery shopping tips please leave a comment and share them with everyone. Happy frugal shopping!