7 Ways We're Making Our Grocery Bills Higher

Most of us have our own routines at the grocery store. We reach for the brands we know, grab the bigger package when it looks like a better deal, and occasionally toss something into the cart simply because it's on sale.

Yet some of those perfectly normal shopping habits may be adding more to our grocery bills. Fortunately, a few small changes can leave us with a little more money in our wallets without changing what we eat.

Here are seven everyday shopping habits that may be making our grocery bills higher than they need to be.

1. Staying Loyal to Name Brands

We all have a few brands we're unwilling to negotiate on. Maybe it's our ketchup. Maybe it's our coffee. Some relationships are sacred. But, buying the familiar label every single time can get expensive.

Consumer Reports found that private-label groceries typically cost about 25% to 30% less than their name-brand counterparts. Meanwhile, in taste tests, plenty of store-brand products held their own against the bigger names.

None of us need to abandon our beloved cereal. But, staples like these can be good places to experiment with the cheaper label:

• Flour

• Sugar

• Canned vegetables

• Spices

• Frozen foods

2. Looking at the Price Instead of the Unit Price

A $4 box looks cheaper than a $6 box. Unfortunately, grocery-store math loves to make things more complicated.

Different package sizes make the sticker price a lousy way to compare some products. It’s the unit price that tells us what we're paying per ounce, pound, or other standard measurement.

Consumer Reports says we should compare unit prices, particularly because the store brand isn't automatically the cheapest choice when a national brand goes on sale. So, that tiny number on the shelf tag deserves a little more love from us.

3. Buying the Bigger Package Because It Looks Like a Deal

The jumbo package isn't automatically the bargain. Buying in bulk only saves money when the price per unit is lower, and we know we'll use everything inside.

A giant tub of strawberries isn't particularly economical if half of them will grow tiny little sweaters before anyone gets around to eating them.

When it comes to perishable foods, the cheaper choice may be the amount our household will realistically finish.

4. Shopping at the Same Store for Everything

Convenience has a price. Where we shop can make a surprisingly big difference in our final grocery bill. 

Prices can vary widely between chains, even when we're filling our carts with many of the same items. That doesn't mean driving across town to save 14 cents on pasta makes sense. Gas and sanity are worth something, too.

But, knowing which nearby store tends to be cheaper for meat, produce, pantry staples, or household supplies can make a difference over time. Then, we can map out our grocery strategy accordingly.

5. Buying Ingredients for Our Fantasy Selves

On Sunday afternoons, we have ambitions. We're making elaborate salads for lunch. We're cooking from scratch every evening. We're definitely eating all that spinach.

By Wednesday night, we've ordered pizza. Buying food for the week we wish we were going to have instead of the week we're realistically going to have can leave our good intentions wilting in the fridge.

Before we shop, we should check what's already in the fridge and think honestly about how many meals we'll cook that week. That can help us keep the food we don't need out of the cart.

6. Treating a Sale Like an Instruction

Buy two, get one free sounds wonderful until we remember we only wanted one. Sales can save money when they're attached to something we already planned to buy. 

They can do the opposite when they convince us to spend $12 instead of the $5 we originally intended.

The same thing goes for digital coupons. Saving $2 on something we didn't need isn't really saving $2. The grocery store still got the rest of our money.

7. Letting Convenience Sneak Into the Cart

Pre-cut fruit is lovely. So are individual snack packs, prepared vegetables, shredded cheese, and all those neat little containers that save us five minutes in the kitchen.

But, we can’t forget that we’re paying for those five minutes. Processing, preparation, and packaging can affect what food costs by the time it reaches the supermarket shelf. 

That doesn't make convenience foods a bad purchase. Sometimes, convenience is precisely what we need to get dinner onto the table.

But, when the grocery bill needs trimming, checking whether we're paying extra for the work we wouldn't mind doing ourselves is an easy place to look.

Make the Grocery Cart Work a Little Harder

We aren't going to coupon our way out of every increase in food prices. But, we don't have to make an expensive grocery trip even worse when a few smart choices can help us keep a little extra money in our wallets and the aspirational spinach out of the cart.

A few small changes probably won't produce one spectacular receipt. But, they may make the total at the bottom a little more tolerable.

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