I'm not the biggest fan of grocery shopping. I have to admit. Finding parking, missioning in malls and supermarkets, standing in queues and carting shopping bags from the car is not my favorite past-time. That's why I love the post-Covid rise in available online grocery stores. Most deliver within an hour, and I find I don't waste money putting unnecessary stuff in my virtual cart.
But I can't argue that often, hand-picking my own produce is much better. I can choose exactly what avo I want, or inspect the fridge for the freshest dairy products. So even though it doesn't bring me massive joy, I can be found physically shopping for groceries now and then.
I'll probably doing less online shopping and more supermarket visits since reading some of the genius hacks that people have been sharing on the internet. The team at Bored Panda has compiled a list of the best so that you too can save yourself time, money and stress.
#1 I Created A Facebook Group ‘Reducedfoodlondon’ Basically Showing Reduced Food In London. It Went Viral, Got Covered By The Londonist
Now we have 3750 members (20 days) posting their cheap food finds. Insane, but it helps everyone save money in London 😁 in talks to work with supermarkets too.
Image credits: Biggy-Travels
#2 If You Are Shopping For Wedding Stuff, Try To Avoid The Label "Wedding" It's Typically Marked Up
Image credits: GitRightStik
#3 Keep Your Toddler Safely In The Grocery Cart Seat (And Prevent Abductions) With A Carabiner
Image credits: 5_Frog_Margin
#4 I Look For Markdown Prices At My Local Market. Got A Bunch Of Meat For $12 Because The Sell By Date Is Tomorrow. Freeze It And It Will Last Me Over A Month
Image credits: Nyneave27
#5 I'm An Employee. Let Me Show You Something
Forgive me. I'm not an artist and I just wanted to show you how to lay your wine bottles down. The belt jerks since it moves as we scan items. Lay them vertically so they won't move all around or fall! I tell people about this "hack" every day and they're always so surprised so I thought I'd share with the group.
Image credits: BizzyGoblin
#6 Small Cream Is Very Expensive Per Ml. So I Buy The Full Litre And Freeze What I Don’t Need
Image credits: justhereforsomekicks
#7 It Was Cheaper To Buy An Actual Basil Plant Rather Than The "Fresh Picked" Sprigs In A Package
Image credits: guacislife12
#8 Always Check The Per Unit Pricing. This Is The Most Blatant Example I Have Ever Come Across
Image credits: thenewyorkgod
#9 Grocery Store Life Hack: Bring Bins With Handles For Your Cart. Place Them In Your Car Then Carry Them Inside Your House. Keep In Your Trunk For Next Use
Image credits: Eurekaa89
#10 Costco Tip; Face All The Barcodes Up So They Can Scan You Through Quicker
Image credits: shurik1
#11 If You Have A Bakery Outlet Store Near You, You Can Pick Up The Same, Fresh Bread And Cakes That You Get At Your Local Store For Less Than Half The Price
I picked up all of this yesterday for less than $13 with more than a week of shelf life on everything.
Image credits: gianthooverpig
#12 When You’ve Got Too Many Groceries For Your Reg Cab Pickup
Image credits: CholasCholas91
#13 Use Boxes Inside Your Reusable Shopping Bags To Make Them More Rigid
Image credits: BionicUtilityDroid
#14 My Lesson For Today: Check Prices Carefully! We Found These In The Regular Meat Section Today And The Price Was Honored
Image credits: moonshot214
#15 My Local Supermarket Sells 'Miss-Shaped' Fruit And Veg For Several Dollars Cheaper Than Regular Produce - Easy Way To Save A Few Bucks, Plus The Packaging Is Super Cute
Image credits: Kiloura
#16 Spread The Word About Restaurant Supply Stores
Every one I’ve been to has some of the best deals, bulk buying is required. Less than $1/lb for rice! Less than $1/lb beans! Some of the most expensive seafood scallops for $5.6/lb! And even nuts always expensive are cheaper here.
Image credits: Fun_Intention9846
#17 I’ve Had No Idea This Was A Thing For 45 Years Of Grocery Shopping. Hang Your Crunchables On The Back Of The Cart
Image credits: davedavedavedavedave
#18 How To Bag Groceries
Image credits: EMF911
#19 When You Forget Your Reusable Bags At The Grocery Store - You Can Use The Empty Or Nearly Empty Cardboard Boxes On Shelves Used To Hold Stock Instead
Image credits: ginsengwarrior
#20 Costco Pesto Hack To Last Beyond Expiration
Our family loves Costco pesto, but we can’t always finish the container in the 3 to 4 weeks that it’s usually valid from an expiration perspective.
Today we took a whole container and distributed into two brand new ice trays. Now we have pesto whenever we want and don’t have to throw away half used containers. Ice trays were $8 for two.
Image credits: mpmsfca
#21 Tip: Buy Clothespins 36/$1 At The Dollar Store Instead Of Pricey Bag Clips
Image credits: EyreISawElba
#22 Keep Your Shopping Bags From Falling Over In The Car
Image credits: GreenDad420
#23 I Finally Understand Why People Buy Large Cuts Of Meat When It Goes On Sale. Quit Job For School, Trying To Be More Frugal, And We Got 2 Large Top Roasts For Buy-One-Get-One-Free And Processed It/Cut It Up At Home Ourselves. Now We Have Meals For Days
Image credits: firelitdrgn
#24 Thoroughly Enjoyed Loading Produce Into This Crochet Drawstring Bag Instead Of The Plastics Or Letting Them Roll Around. Hope These Become More Popular As Reusable Shopping Bags Do
Image credits: supurrrnova
#25 Best Tip Ever
Use the dang scanner at self checkout. Scanned in all while still in cart and it took just a minute or two with no annoying prompts!! Then I took my time bagging it up. Thanks to whoever suggested this a few weeks ago.
Image credits: Topdogchicago
#26 Publix Supermarkets - When You See A "2 For $x" Sticker Like This, You Should Know That Price Discount *still* Applies Even If You Only Buy One
Image credits: roastedbagel
#27 Shop The International Aisle For Spices And Save Some Serious Coin
Image credits: cwvandalfan
#28 How To Carry All The Bags From The Grocery Store In One Trip
Image credits: randomusefulbits
#29 Veggies Don't Come Cheap In Alaska! 15 Bell Peppers For $5. Always Check Out The Discount Bins For Deals On Produce, Meat And Bread. Chopping Them Up To Freeze And Use For Meal Prepping
Image credits: MuskOxVet
#30 Put Your 6-Pack Drinks On The Sides Of Your Cart To Add Room
Image credits: Highlife2tall
#31 Get These Farmhouse Yoghurts From Aldi (UK) And Use Them As Spice Jars
Image credits: ajfromuk
#32 If You Worry About Your Purse Getting Taken At The Store Then Try Clipping It To Your Cart
Image credits: murdo1tj
#33 If You Need A Coin To Grab A Shopping Cart But Don't Have One At Hand, Just Use A Key. (Don't Forget To Get It Back After)
Image credits: Tomnomnomas
#34 I Bought This Bucket Of Bulk Nellie's Laundry Detergent In October 2015, And I've Just Now Made It To The Bottom!
Image credits: Jaymesned
#35 Aldi-Hack: Always Check The Dates On The Meat! 1/2 Price For The Day Before Date And They Tend Not To Mark Them
I always check the dates on the meat. Day before = 50% off and more often than not, they forget/don’t have time to put the red stickers on them. I got 6 pounds of chicken breast and four briskets (15 pounds of beef) for $55.
Image credits: BigBonedMiss
#36 Find A Discount Grocery Store Near You. Massive Discounts For Products Nearing Their Best By/Sell By Date. Perfectly Edible Almond Butt For 1.69
Image credits: DearScreen7887
#37 Frugal Tip! Stock Up On Charcoal In The Fall! I Usually Wait For Lowes To Do A 2 For $10 In The Fall. I Hit The Jackpot This Past Weekend
Image credits: Indy800mike
#38 Before Doing Any Grocery Shopping, Thoroughly Clean Your Fridge! You Will Not Only Know What You In Stock, You’ll Have A Clean Fridge
Image credits: wormnoodles
#39 Always Check The Clearance Aisle In Your Grocery Story. The Giant Bottle On The Left Isn’t Organic, But Had To Buy At $1.70. The Bottle On The Right Is $5.49
Image credits: uberchelle_CA
#40 Our Grocery Stores Gives A Free Balloon To Kids Who Ask For One. They Tie The Balloons To These Clips As A Weight. I Have Two Kids And Will Never Have To Buy Bag Clips Again
Image credits: AllMineAreTaken
#41 Bought A Tote Just For Groceries. No Bags And Carried A Weeks Worth Of Groceries Into The House In One Trip
Image credits: McPostyFace
#42 Shopping Cart Cup Holder Hack
I like grabbing my hot dog combo to enjoy while I shop but had nowhere to put my cup. I googled shopping cart cupholders and stumbled on this post from IKEA hacker using the Sunnersta container from IKEA for $1. I tried it out today and it worked like a charm! It hooks on easily to the metal rungs that don’t have the plastic bumpers. My cup was pretty secure and didn’t rattle around very much. The best part is that at $1, I won’t be too heartbroken when I inevitably forget it.
Image credits: gpoon
#43 Bought A Meat Slicer For $50 And A Block Of Turkey At Costco. 3lbs Of Lunch Meat For $16
Image credits: DonaldKey
#44 My New Grocery Store “Hack”
My local grocery store has recently added this big pre-made take and bake refrigerated aisle recently. They have all sorts of entrees and prepared sides in aluminum pans with plastic tops. You just take them and microwave them or heat them in the over. They also have a large selection of sandwiches. There’s hundreds of them, and most of them consist of a protein, a carb, and a veg, but there’s also pasta dishes, lasagnas, etc etc.
Two days before their expiration date they put discount stickers on them in the morning, and the discounts are pretty big. These large baguette sandwiches were only $3 a piece. Can’t remember the last time I saw a sandwich that big at that price. And the entrees were all $4-6 with the discounts. They are definitely enough for a complete meal for one person. Considering the overall price and the fact that you don’t have to cook, I’d say that’s the best deal I can find for “take out” (it’s not really take out from the grocery store I don’t think). The key is you go early in the morning when they put out all the discount stickers. I’m stoked because I can choose a meal for myself like a pot roast with veggies or shrimp over rice for the nights I go the gym after work and don’t feel like cooking once I get home.
Image credits: Murphy_York
#45 Using An Old Multi-Wine Bottle Bag To Hold All My Mason Jars For Bulk Food Shopping. Zero Waste Life-Hack
Image credits: pauley10
#46 My Wife Keeps Using My Grocery Cart Coins For Parking So I Had To Print My Own Money
Image credits: Designer_Ad_376
#47 Keep Your Groceries From Tumbling Around Your Trunk
Image credits: airacer71
#48 So We’re Officially At 1 Month Of No Doordash, Instacart, And Boy Do I Have A Hack For You: Have Your Wife Load Up A Doordash Cart And Then Use It As A Shopping List
Image credits: ken_wheeler
#49 If You Need A Cheap Meat Free Protein Source, Try Getting Soy Chunks From A Bulk Food Store. At My Local Shop It Only Costs 40 Cents Per 100 Grams It's 50 Percent Protein And Doubles In Size When Cooked
Image credits: PotemkinCityLimits
#50 Returning On Sale Items To Get Price Difference
I run into the luck of buying something at regular price and then seeing it on sale the week after.
The people working at membership told me to just buy the item again at the sale price then go to membership afterwards and ask for a refund on the original price- this way I return a new item and the original item I bought doesn’t get destroyed or marked down to be resold.
I’ve been doing this for years and recently Costco sent me this.
I didn’t even see that the item I bought had been on sale.
I’m curious if anyone has experienced this? Or has Costco identified me as someone who returns sales items to get the price difference.
Image credits: BasicBroVancity
#51 Every Since The Pandemic Started It's Been A Hassle Trying To Open Plastic Bags At The Grocery Stores Without Licking Our Fingers. Next Time When You Grab Your Shopping Cart Also Grab A Disposable Wipe To Moisten Your Fingers With
Image credits: SeaDawger
#52 Aldi Hack #104: Use Grocery Bags That Stay Open And The Checkout Person Will Bag Your Groceries
Image credits: setherby
#53 Found My New Favorite Aldi Hack
Image credits: drdisney
#54 Life Hack: Visit The Costco In The Area You're Visiting To Find Awesome Deals On Local Gift Cards
I live in the Las Vegas, NV area and Cowabunga Bay is a popular kids water park in the area, tickets are normally around $40pp so $70 for 2 tickets, parking, and a full lunch is a steal. My Costco also sells gift cards to lots of local restaurants and activities on a revolving basis so you might find a great deal on something you're looking to do anyway. Will be on my was to the San Diego area next week. Anyone have any insight on if it's worth stopping to check out their gift card selection?
Image credits: LilNuhget
#55 If You Own A Pickup, Use A Ratchet Strap To Keep Your Groceries From Moving Around And Spilling
Image credits: reddit.com
#56 Costco Hack: Hanging Roasted Chicken From Cart
I saw this Costco life hack on a local Costco Facebook group and wanted to share with you all. I’m excited to try this on my next Costco trip. Brilliant idea.
Image credits: reddit.com
#57 My Tiny Costco Hack Of The Day
Image credits: PoetryOfLogicalIdeas
