GREENSBORO, N.C. — Gas, electricity and groceries. It's three things people are talking about on Facebook that have steadily increased in price.
We went straight to an expert to find some ways to save when shopping.
Natasha Walker is a financial consultant in Greensboro. She also runs a Facebook group to help people coupon.
Here are five things she recommends doing to save money at the grocery store:
- Find coupons
- Plan your meals
- Make a grocery list
- Use the cart method
- Make a budget
Walker said to treat coupons like cash. She said the easiest way to coupon is to get the Sunday paper, but also save the printed coupons you get with receipts at the grocery store.
She also said if you're new to couponing, she suggested joining a Facebook group.
Before you even go to the grocery store, Walker said to plan out your meals for the week. Walker said you can always google cheap and easy meals to make life a little easier.
Once you plan your meals for the week, it's time to make a grocery list. Look back at the coupons you have and put those items down that you may need.
A life hack that Walker mentioned was to use what she called the 'cart method.'
She explained that this means going to the grocery store's app or even Instacart and putting all the items you need in there, but don't actually check out. This is a way that you can see what you're expected to pay at the store before you even go.
Lastly, make a budget. This is often the most challenging thing to do, but Walker recommends using an app like Mint that can help you plan out everything.
Whatever you do, the best advice she has is to never go into the grocery store without a plan.
"Making sure you go in with a list. Have some sort of idea of what you're going to purchase while you're in the grocery store. This will play a huge role in reassuring that you're buying things that you need and also that you're not overspending. You're not going to pick up anything that's not on your sheet. It's kind of like an accountability thing," Walker said.