Buying More Than You Need
Buying the biggest size — such as a 10-pound bag of potatoes instead of the 5-pound bag — can also backfire if you can’t consume all of it before it goes bad. “The average household throws away 20% to 40% of perishable items,” said Nelson.
Regardless of whether you got those items at a discount, you’re not saving money if you’re not eating them. “It’s better to run out of an item than to throw away unused food,” she said.
Being Loyal to Certain Brands
“We get so set in our ways of sticking with the same brands that we often will pay premium prices just to buy them,” Fobes said. “What many people do not realize is that most store brands are the name brands with a different label.” The name brands can cost as much as 25% more than the store brand, she added.
So if you want to save money at the supermarket, ditch your brand loyalty. “Without even using coupons, you can cut 25% off your grocery bill by choosing the sale-priced brand of your regular items instead of being strictly loyal to one brand,” Nelson said.
