3 common grocery store blunders that could be costing you money

Grocery shopping is simple, right? You grab a cart, get your food, and pay. But do you truly have the upper hand when it comes to deciding what you buy and how much? Or do you commit these 3 common grocery store blunders and pay too much? Here's what they are and how to avoid them to help you save money and stave off extra pounds.

The biggest grocery shopping mistake you can make for both your health and your pocketbook is seemingly small: shopping while hungry.

• It can be tempting to head to the grocery store when your stomach starts to rumble. After all, there's food there, but shopping on an empty stomach is the number one way that grocery shoppers succumb to expensive, calorie-heavy foods.
• Those impulse buys can drain your finances and cause the numbers on the scale to soar.
• Instead of shopping while hungry, eat a small snack before heading to the store. Your wallet and your waistline will thank you.

Grocery store displays are designed to keep shoppers salivating and piling groceries into the cart. In fact, everything from the way the aisles are laid out to the numbers on the price tags are engineered to create the ultimate environment for mindless shopping.

• You can resist even the most seductive marketing trick with a simple solution of your own: an iron-clad grocery list.
• Decide what you want before you enter the store and resolve not to deviate from your list, regardless of how tempting those impulse buys may seem.
• If you calculate ahead of time how much your groceries will cost and have the cash in your pocket, wallet or purse before you enter the store, then you won't have a choice but to stick with the list. Of course, you'll need to leave your debit and credit cards at home. Although it might sound risky, it's how things were done in the days before people had access to electronic banking.

Do you spend lots of time on the aisles at the very centre of the store? Bad idea: that's where grocery stores stock the most calorie- and sodium-heavy pre-packaged foods.

• Give your body a break and up the healthiness factor of your next grocery trip by sticking to the perimeter of the store. That's where you'll find fresh items like dairy products, crisp produce and less-processed foods. Shopping the perimeter can save you a bit of time and money, too.
• Here's a big bonus: when you shop the perimeter, you'll never be tempted by chips, candy and the store's saltiest and sweetest items.

Before going in store, don't forget to create your grocery list and save more with our new YP Grocery app!