7 Shopping Tricks

1. Shop alone — and after eating
One simple recipe for avoiding impulse buying: Do your shopping after a light snack or meal and leave the kids at home.

2. Understand how stores work
A basic understanding of merchandising can help you avoid overspending.
• Products are displayed at the ends of the aisles in order to catch your eye. Think carefully about whether what you see there is really necessary — or a bargain — before you toss it in the cart. Many "featured" items are not bargains at all.

• As you peruse the aisles, bend over to check the prices on the bottom shelves and compare them to the cost of the items at eye level.

• Avoid buying the items displayed by the register. The magazines at the checkout stand cost much more per issue than they would if you had a subscription, and cookies in little packages cost more than a from a box. Almost everything near the register is there to inspire you to buy on impulse, not to save you money.

Tip: Make fewer trips to the store and you'll find yourself with fewer chances to pick up a few extras you don't really need.

3. Buy house brands or generics
The less-costly house brands are often so similar to national brands that you wouldn't be able to tell them apart without the packaging. Read labels to compare nutritional value and you'll quickly see how little difference (if any) there is.

4. Check the unit price
As you cruise down the aisles comparing products, take note of the unit price that appears on the store shelf just below or above the product. The unit price tells you what the product costs per ounce or some other consistent unit of measurement.

5. Use savings cards and coupons


6. Buy in bulk
Buying in bulk is a no-brainer if you're feeding a big family or the whole preschool. But you can still benefit from these discounts if yours is a smaller family or you have limited storage space.

7. Buy from the source
Get produce from a local farmer's market and you can avoid the store markup on fresh vegetables and fruit