By Stephanie Vozza

Is there anyone these days who isn’t looking to save money? Whether it’s eliminating services (such as a housekeeper or lawn company) or cutting back on discretionary spending (like that daily latte), most of us are tightening our belts.

So what can you do to save money at the grocery store? It depends on how much time you want to spend.

What can I do in five minutes?

Make a shopping list and stick to it. We all know that you shouldn’t go to the grocery store hungry. You also shouldn’t go to the grocery store without a list. A list will help you avoid impulse buys as well as forgotten items and second (or third!) trips to the store each week.

Another task you can do is to sign up for your store’s customer loyalty card and use it. Many stores will mail you coupons based on your purchases.

What can I do in an hour?

Start clipping. Coupons help the average shopper save approximately 12% off of their grocery bill. The key to using coupons successfully is to compare prices. Just because you have a coupon, doesn’t mean that item is the cheapest. Check the store brands as well as other labels to make sure the price you are paying for an item is the best. Also, coupons can tempt you to try new products, so evaluate the necessity before buying.

Another task you can complete in an hour is to pick up the sale flyer from your grocery store. Compare prices at the different stores in your area and shop at the store that has the best deals. If you don’t get your local newspaper or can’t find the flyers, you can often access this information at your grocer’s website.

What can I do if I make this a priority?

A lot. If you are already clipping coupons, start saving the coupons you might not normally clip and create a coupon file. The key to the deepest savings at the grocery store is to match coupons with store sales. You can do this work yourself, but you can also sign up for a service that will do the matching for you. I know of two: Coupon Mom (www.couponmom.com), which is free; and The Grocery Game (www.thegrocerygame.com), which is a fee-based service.

What can I do online?

Coupon Mom is a website by Stephanie Nelson, who has written books on this subject and has appeared on Good Morning America several times. When you visit her website, register as a member and you can have access to two great tools:

The Grocery Deals List and the Grocery Coupon Database. The Grocery Deals List matches store sales with available coupons. You get the date the coupon ran and the final price of the product. The Grocery Coupon Database allows you to search for any available coupons – in newspapers and online. You can print coupons right from your computer.

The Grocery Game matches store sales with available coupons. The Grocery Game takes savings a step further than Coupon Mom by telling you when an item is a good deal. Since stores run different sales, certain items might be discounted deeper later. The Grocery Game keeps track of all of this by coding deals with different colors, letting you know when is a good time to stock up. This is why you should keep the coupons you may have otherwise thrown away; sometimes you can get items for free or purchase something you might want to try at a deep discount.

The Grocery Game offers a four-week trial for $1. Otherwise, it’s $10 for an eight-week subscription to one store’s sales. Each store you add is an additional $5.

Using the store sale/coupon system, I easily save at least 40% off of my grocery bill. This system of shopping will take some time, as you will be stockpiling items and creating an inventory in your pantry and freezer.

Another way to save money at the grocery store is to create a price book, a small notebook you keep with a list of every item you buy and the best price you paid (be sure to note if this price was with a coupon).

It will take you a few weeks to establish a price book, but the time invested is well worth it. Start by going through your receipts. A price book will help you to know when a product is a great deal so you can stock up. Sometimes stores put items on sale, but the discount isn’t that deep. A price book will also help you determine which items at warehouse clubs are good deals and which are cheaper when purchased at the grocery store with coupons. And a price book comes in handy when your store is running an unadvertised special.

Finally, be sure to visit your grocer’s website to see if they offer any additional savings programs. Kroger, for example, allows you to register your Kroger Plus card online and then add coupons directly to your card. Harris Teeter has in-store rewards that link to your MVP card. Be sure to check online for special deals.

Thanks, Stephanie! Do you have ideas on how to save at the grocery store? Please comment below!