AARP offers '99 Great Ways to Save'
HOUSTON - The non-profit AARP is out with its annual list of 99 Great Ways to Save. They post new ways to save money each year, and we had a chance to chat with the editor about them.
Their tips cover ways to cut costs on a wide variety of expenses, from gas, to travel, to maintenance, to groceries.
Editor Neil Wertheimer, Deputy Editor of AARP Bulletin and AARP the Magazine, says you should do three things before you go to the grocery store.
First, he says take inventory of the food that's already in your fridge and pantry. And eat it! Thirty percent of the food in America gets thrown out. That means we're wasting 30% of the money we spend on food.
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Second, he says to create two shopping lists.
"The first one is for the meals that you’re going to prepare in the coming week, a specific list," said Wertheimer.
"The second list should be a rolling list of pantry items that you’re getting short of that you’re going to need to buy at some point in the near future. The trick here is to always look for great discounts for the butter, the flour, and the cleaners you might still need, and wait until it's at a really nice discount. At that point, get enough for several months," explains Wertheimer.
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Third, he says to download the app for the grocery store where you shop. He says stores often offer deals on their app or website, that can help you save big.
Another tip to save money on groceries is to buy store or generic brands, rather than private label brands. He says a recent AARP study with shoppers around the country compared prices on a set list of items. He says they found store brands save an average of 27%. That's $40 worth of food for $29.
For the rest of AARP's 99 Ways to Save, click here.