Be Prepared - Update Fuel Savings Too

A while back I signed up for a service to help me save money on groceries. When I realized they were scanning the sale papers for the local grocery stores where I shop, I canceled the service and started doing it myself.



The three grocery stores in my neighborhood are Kroger, Publix and Aldi. (Often you have to determine if the savings is enough to drive from store to store, however, in my neighborhood all three stores are across the street from the other. That makes going to multiple stores more practical for me than it would if the stores were several miles apart.) They all have web sites with their weekly ad and other helpful pages like a menu planner, coupon offers and recipes. Kroger also offers a "Kroger Plus" card with additional savings. They also send coupons based on what I have purchased in the past. I've heard some complaints about having our shopping habits tracked, but I don't mind since it is used to save me money on the items I purchase.

Before I head out to shop I make a grocery list of the items we need. Then I review all the ads. On my list I mark the store and price for each item. Then I sort the list by the store and plan my route starting with the store where I can purchase most of the non-perishable items. Then I move on to the next store and try to purchase most of the perishable or frozen items from the last store.

In the hot summer months I often throw a cooler and some ice in the the car to keep the fresh items from spoiling or thawing.

Now this does take time and planing, but when I follow through with this plan we always save on our grocery bill.

This isn't for everyone, but with gas and food prices soaring every penny saved helps. For me it is worth the time and effort it takes.

There is another feature of the Kroger Plus card that can save you $ on gas. Some Kroger stores also has a fueling station on site. They offer 3 cents off the regular price of fuel which is a nice savings. However, for every $100 spent on groceries you get an additional 7 cents for a total of $.10 per gallon. They also offer a credit card that gives another 5 cents discount. I do not have this card and can't say anything else about it. I do not know what interest rate or terms are offered on the card at this time. I do plan on checking it out and will update again after I do so..