If you are looking for a way to save money on groceries but don’t think you can stretch your dollar any further, think again. There are so many ways to save on groceries. Some of them are time consuming, some are downright inconvenient. But if frugality is important to you or you are in a tight financial situation, give some or all of the following strategies a try.

Shop at a Discount Supermarket

Not to be confused with bent and dent or closeout stores, discount supermarkets like Aldi or Save-a-Lot offer their own brands, eliminate all the frills, and save you money. When I began shopping at Aldi’s, I went from spending about $400 per month on food for my family to about $240.

Shop at Walmart

If you don’t have an Aldi or a Save-a-Lot in your area, you will probably find that it is cheaper to buy your groceries at Walmart than it is to buy them at Kroger, Safeway, or other grocery stores. Even if you do most of your food shopping at a discount supermarket, Walmart is a great place to get paper products, cleaning supplies, disposable diapers, and pet food.

Make Frugal Substitutions

• Substitute ground turkey for ground beef. The turkey is lean, cheaper than beef, and hides well in dishes like chili, spaghetti, and casseroles. If your family isn’t dead-set on beef, turkey burgers are good, too.
• Substitute canned tuna for canned salmon. Canned tuna is very inexpensive and goes great in casseroles. If you love salmon patties, try your favorite recipe with tuna, instead.
• Substitute beans for meat. If your family enjoys Tex-Mex, use refried beans instead of ground beef in your tacos, burritos, and taco salads.
• Substitute powdered milk for fresh milk in cooking. Honestly, I wouldn’t voluntarily sit down and drink a glass of powdered milk. But for cooking, you’ll likely never notice it. Mix up a quart or so and keep it in the fridge for your cooking needs.
• Substitute frozen produce for fresh. Just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts, frozen fruits and vegetables are much cheaper, particularly in the off season (consider the price of strawberries in January!). If you want raw fruits and veggies to snack on, carrots, celery, and apples can be found dirt cheap all year long.

Study Grocery Ads

Even though I almost exclusively shop at Aldi’s and Walmart, I am still on the lookout for incredible deals in other stores. Pay particular attention to the front and back pages of the grocery ads as this is where the best deals are often advertised.

Combine Sales with Coupons

Not long ago, Kroger ran a sale on Kellogg’s cereal. The sale price was 3 for $8 which wasn’t a bad price for name brand cereal (though it was more than I was willing to spend). However, if you bought all three, you got $4 off at the register. That made the cereal 3 for $4. To sweeten the deal, I had a coupon for $1 off two boxes of Kellogg’s cereal. My final price was 3 for $3, or a dollar a box. I can’t get cereal for that price even at Aldi’s.

Use Coupons Strategically

Some grocery stores double coupons, usually up to around $0.50. I try to save my $0.50 and under coupons for these stores and use my bigger coupons at Walmart. There is, however, an exception to this philosophy. If saving the face value of the coupon will save you more in one store than the double coupon will in another, then of course, you will want to go the cheaper route. Also, look out for special days when some grocery stores triple coupons. If you have a good supply of coupons, you can rack up serious savings and even get some groceries for free!

Go Generic

Frugal shoppers have no brand loyalty. To maximize your savings, you have to go for the best price. There will be times (especially when using coupons) when you can get the brand name cheaper than the generic. And there will be a few items that you will decide you absolutely must buy in your favorite brand. For most items, though, you will probably find that the generic is just as good as the name brand.

Don’t Pay for Convenience

Is it easier to open up a bag of salad than it is to chop some lettuce and grate a carrot? Sure, but is it cheaper? No way. It amazes me how much we pay to save ourselves a few minutes of effort. Here’s another example: Oscar Mayer makes these handy little seasoned grilled chicken breast strips. They are perfect for putting on salads or fajitas. They are also $12.08 per pound (a fact that is disguised by packaging them in 6 oz packages for $4.59)! On the other hand, I could cook the chicken myself and spend about $2.00 per pound!

Watch for Manager’s Specials

These little gems can offer up significant savings. A manager’s special is a product that goes on sale a day or two before its expiration date. These specials are usually found in the meat, produce, and bakery departments and can discount the cost of an item by half or more. Always inspect the item for signs of spoilage but if it looks good, buy it! You don’t have to use it right away — put it in the freezer for later.

Cut Back or Eliminate Sodas

I’ll be the first to admit that too much of my grocery budget is spent on diet cola. My husband and I both enjoy and it and we both drink too much of it. Sodas, sports drinks, and other beverages can be very costly. Consider this. If each member of a family of four drinks just one soda per day, you will buy 122 twelve-packs of soda over the course of the year. At an average cost of about $3.50 per twelve-pack, that’s an annual cost of $427. If, like most people, you drink more than that, your cost will go up substantially. While water is certainly the healthiest thing to drink, iced tea is also a good choice and it is much more frugal than soda.

Eliminate Fruit Juice

I know, I know. Fruit juice seems like a healthy option, particularly for kids. And while some juices do have some nutritional value, others (even the 100% kinds) are basically pure sugar. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that if you do give you kids juice, you should only give them between 4 and 12 ounces per day, depending upon their age. The AAP further recommends giving them whole fruit, instead. And of course, not only is juice unnecessary for kids, but it is also an added grocery expense.