Over the past 12 months, food prices for major grocery items like meats, poultry, fish and eggs rose 5.9%, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ food index report for July 2021.
Money expert Clark Howard says despite inflation affecting what people pay at the supermarket, you can maneuver around the price hikes if you know where to look.
4 Ways You Can Save Amid Rising Grocery Prices
In this article, we’re going to go over some fresh tips from Clark on how you can pay less for the items you buy at the supermarket.
“I’m obsessed with looking for ways to save money,” Clark says.
1. Buy the Store Brand
Generic brands are not seen in a favorable light by many shoppers, Clark says, but that’s because of a lasting misconception.
“A lot of people who grew up in the era I did in the 1970s have this idea that a store brand is just rotten terrible, and it’s not the way it is now,” he says. But back then, “store brands used to be pitiful. They used to be pathetic.”
But a lot of supermarkets have invested in their own private labels. Store brands like Great Value (Walmart) and Kirkland Signature (Costco) have done much to improve the image of generic items.
Not only has the quality of store brand items vastly improved, but the price is right for generic brands now.
“The store brands are so much cheaper, typically 20-30% cheaper,” Clark says. “And those store brands have changed so much over the decades.”
