Online Grocery Shopping Tips for Frugal Shoppers

Most people head right to their local grocery store when they want to save on groceries. They think that online grocery shopping is expensive and offers limited options. However, for those who are willing to spend some time searching out the best deals, buying groceries online can be a very frugal option.

Shopping online is also a great way to build your emergency food preparedness stockpile. This is because most online products have a long shelf life and are sold in large quantities.

Amazon.com used to be all about books, but has expanded into quite a few different categories, including groceries. People who quickly browse through the site will probably form the impression that there is no way they can save on groceries by shopping on Amazon.  However, there are actually some incredible deals on Amazon.  The keys to saving money on groceries through this online site are:

·         Knowing how to use special offers.  These offers usually involve buying products that are worth a certain dollar amount.  For example, there may be an offer for $5.00 off a purchase of $25.00 or more of a specific brand of cereal.

·         Remembering to look for big sales.  For example, Amazon recently had a sale of up to 50% off a selection of health and beauty products.

·         Using Subscribe and Save.  The Subscribe and Save option allows you to save an additional 15% off your purchase and allows you to get free delivery on your order. (You can opt to have your order shipped as infrequently as twice a year and can cancel your subscription at any time, so it makes sense to choose this option!)

·         Checking out the manager’s specials.  The specials range from sales on candy to discounts on herbs and spices.  Combining these sales with shipping specials, such as 99¢ shipping on groceries or free shipping on $25 orders can make shopping online as cheap as shopping at the grocery store.

·         Keeping an eye on Your Coupon Book. This is a selection of e-coupons that shows up at the bottom of the main grocery page.

Of course, no matter how good a deal you find, it is only a truly good deal if you can use it. So, before you press the Add to Shopping Cart button, make sure you really will eat 6 boxes of granola before they expire!

If you are shopping for meat and don’t want to head to the store, you can sometimes find good deals online. However, it can be tough to get all your ducks in a row to get the best sale possible and you may still pay a bit more than you would if you kept an eye on your local grocery store’ reduced meat counter.

For example, you can combine a gift certificate you earned through MyPoints.com and a special offer from your newspaper’s coupon section to get a fairly reasonable deal from Omaha Steaks.

Lugging home 24 cans of chicken, #10 cans of powdered eggs and huge boxes of powdered milk is not on most people's list of favorite chores. Online grocery delivery makes the whole process so much easier. In fact, people with money to burn can order a three, six, or twelve month supply of groceries for their emergency preparedness food stockpile through survival sites with a single click.

Frugal shoppers can also enjoy the luxury of having their stockpile food delivered to their door without breaking their piggy banks, but will have to shop around and buy items gradually.For example, Honeyville Food Products offers $4.49 shipping for an entire order in the US and sometimes offers email coupons to customers on its mailing list. (I like to buy powdered eggs from Honeyville.) Mountain House has a sale page of items that can also provide significant savings for budget conscious shoppers.

eBay. Great for finding collectibles, used clothing and...groceries? Strange as it seems, you can find some good deals on non-perishable grocery items on eBay. Canned butter, canned cheese and other survival food products are frequently listed on the site. While many of the auctions have inflated prices, persistent shoppers should be able to snag a good deal or two.

You can also find packaged foods in bulk in the auction listings. For those who can eat 96 granola bars before they go stale, the savings can really add up!