Finance Roll

Whether it's rising fuel prices, production costs, or inflation, the prices we are paying for our food, whether it's eating out or our groceries, continue to climb higher. If you are trying to save more and spend less, trying to get ahead financially, even your food purchases need to be budgeted.

You will find the following money saving strategies will help you gain an advantage in the rising prices at the restaurant and grocery store.

1. Plan, plan, and plan. If you find yourself regularly running to the convenience store, you won't be saving money. You should set up your own system to plan what groceries you need to buy, and what stores you are going to shop at. One simple idea is to have a marker board or chalk board at home, where the family can keep track of what items they are out of and what they are running low on. You would also be able to watch sales for things you know you will need in the weeks ahead. For example, you are going to need some picnic food for the big family picnic next week. Instead of waiting until the last minute, plan ahead and shop for bargains.

2. Become a savvy price comparer. Allow a few seconds for you to look at the price and amount, size and/or weight. Eventually, when you keep buying the same items over and over again, it becomes encoded in your memory of what prices seem cheap and expensive. You will also be better able to discern good buys and the really great buys.

3. Shop for bargains. Skim the store ads to spot good deals. Shop the local discount stores and dollar stores. Buy bread at your local bread store, where you can buy bread at half the price of the grocery store.

4. Use coupons. Yes, this strategy still works. It's almost become a cliché to "use coupons" when buying groceries, but it still works. And now you can get the coupons you want right off the internet. You can check out the product's website or search for the hundreds of other web sites that have free printable coupons.

5. Buy in bigger quantity. Buy in bulk and eliminate most of the packaging and costs associated with the packaging and distributing. For many products, the majority of the cost goes to the packaging of the product. This is why you can buy a litter of pop for the same price as a 20oz bottle! The pop only costs pennies compared to the expense of the plastic bottle. You don't have to necessarily buy in bulk, just buy larger quantities. For example, you will generally get a better deal of you buy a 36-roll of toilet paper versus a small package of 4 or 8 rolls, especially if there is a sale.

6. Start a garden. If you have the space available, the most dramatic way to save on groceries is growing your own food. You eliminate all the middle men. You eliminate the distributing and packaging expenses. And you know where you food is coming from. If you don't have the room, join with a neighbor who does.

7. Eat out Less. You have heard this statement countless times, but it does work. If you're serious about saving your way to success, you need to significantly reduce how many occurrences and how much you spend on eating out. You may want to consider eliminating eating out entirely for a few months as you start on your financial plan to success.

8. Buy the cheaper product. If your debts are rising and your bank account is almost empty week after week, you need to stop buying the steaks and start buying the hot dogs and hamburger. You can never get ahead by saving money when you spend money; therefore, you need to be spending less. Buy the generic brand. Buy the ingredients instead of the pre-ready meal or food item. Buy a 5 pound bag of potatoes instead of the bag of frozen French fries. Stop buying the groceries with the highest price. Buy the cheap potato chips instead of the Doritos.

To find out more how you can be saving more and spending less, visit http://www.savingyourwaytosuccess.com.