Food is one of the necessities in life. Most of us spend a few hundred dollars a month on it. Obviously, it’s not one of those things that we can just completely cut out of the household budget.
But we can save a lot of money on food if we are willing to put a little work into it. In fact, there are ways that anyone can get groceries for free. Interested? Read on to learn a few tricks that can slash your grocery bill.
* Search for coupons. Coupons for free items aren’t especially common, but you can find them from time to time. Sometimes they pop up in magazines or the Sunday paper, and they may also be found online. But don’t overlook the coupons that don’t cover the entire cost of an item. Combined with other money-saving techniques, they can help you get free items, too.
* Shop at stores that will double or triple the face value of coupons. There are some chains that do double coupons every day, or at least one day a week. And some have triple coupon promotions on occasion. The value of the coupons is usually limited, but this can still result in getting some items for free.
* Be on the lookout for buy one, get one free sales. Even if you don’t use a coupon, you can get one item for free. And if you can find a coupon with a high enough value, you could get both for next to nothing.
* Order free samples. Many manufacturers offer free samples of their products online. Visit the websites of some of your favorite brands, and you might find that sample sizes (or in some cases, full-sized products) are yours for the asking.
* Get customer loyalty cards from the grocery stores you patronize. These cards allow you access to valuable discounts, and some offer points that you can accumulate to get free items.
* Take advantage of rebates. Some companies offer rebates that you can request if you buy one or more of their promoted products. Sometimes these rebates are large enough to cover the entire cost of what you bought.
* Write to the manufacturers of products you’ve used. Customers often send in complaints when they receive a product that’s not up to par, and the manufacturer will often send them coupons for free items in an effort to keep them as customers. But they will frequently do the same if you send them a compliment, suggestion or question. You can contact most companies through their websites, or you can find their addresses on the container of the product in question.
The idea of free groceries isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. If you’re willing to hunt for coupons, sales and rebates, you can get many items for free, and get large discounts on many more. With these tips, you could feasibly eat for pennies on the dollar!
