groceries

The first step to saving on groceries is to be more conscious of your spending and the ways you can save. Extreme couponing may overwhelm you, but there are plenty of other strategies you can take that will cut your grocery bill. Here is a list of every way you can possibly save in a grocery store:

1. Buy in-season fruits and vegetables. Buying fruits and vegetables can get expensive, so to cut down on costs, it's important to buy ones that are in season because if they aren't, they can cost twice as much.
2. Play with overage. According to one extreme couponer, some stores like Walmart give overage, which means that if "you have a coupon for $3 and your item is only $2, that extra dollar goes towards your other items." You can apply overage toward items that rarely have coupons, like meat and milk.
3. Access online coupons. Be sure to check out online coupon sites like Coupons.com, RedPlum.com, SmartSource.com, and CouponNetwork.com, which are apparently the best sites to print from. Further, "like" your favorite brands on Facebook to get access to some of the coupons they give out over the social media network.
4. Make lists. Before you step out the door, it's always advisable to be more organized with your grocery shopping. Create a meal plan for the month, and based on that, start making a list of groceries you need to buy. If you follow the list, you won't be buying more than you need or buying unnecessary items. There are even free printable grocery lists online that let you check off which groceries you need. A good one to check out is the very detailed Ultimatest grocery list (they even have a vegetarian version).
5. Use apps. Experiment with grocery shopping apps and consider keeping a running list of groceries on an app like Ziplist, which lets you sync up with lists of other people on your phone for convenience. You can even use discount-seeking apps like Grocery Pal, which shows you what items are on sale, and coupon locator apps like Coupon Sherpa or Yowza!!. The coupon apps will display bar codes, which the cashier can scan to give you the discount.
6. Don't go hungry. Going to the grocery store with an empty stomach is never a good idea. You'll end up buying more than you need with hunger pangs clouding your judgment.

Read on for more.

If you're grumbling about your grocery bill, you might want to check out this Buzzfeed video that shows how far $5 goes in different countries. You'll quickly realize that there isn't that much of a difference in food prices between first-world countries.

It's interesting to see the huge disparity in food prices between developing nations and countries with a higher cost of living. For example, $5 gets you only eight pounds of potatoes in the US while scoring you 31 pounds of potatoes in Ethiopia.

• 5 grocery savings secrets your mom didn't teach you — All You
• Surefire strategies for winning people over — Real Simple
• Don't despair: Princeton even rejected Tina Fey — The Jane Dough
• 7 industries that prey on our delusion — LearnVest
• 17 things car salesmen don't want you to know — Wise Bread
• Inspiring tales of women who wanted it all and got it — The Grindstone
• Another reason Ellen DeGeneres kicks butt — HuffPost Women
• Things we'd happily give up for free hotel Internet — The Billfold
• Frugal but sweet Easter treats — SavingsMania
• Could your emergency fund be making it worse? — MyBankTracker

Being disorganized can be a waste of money, especially with groceries. If you're not keeping track of what you have, you might end up buying something that's already in your fridge at the supermarket. For advice on how to stop wasting groceries, we turned to organization expert Peter Walsh, who is heading a campaign where communities who hold yard sales to raise money for a cause can apply for his help and receive a feature in O magazine. Walsh says,

"It all starts with a plan. Before you decide what meals you’re planning to make this week, take a look in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Ask yourself what items are in there that need to be used now and what dishes can you prepare from them? From there, fill in the rest of the week’s menu and write a grocery list of only those things you need. I guarantee you’ll stop overbuying things you already have and you’ll also not throw away perfectly good food just because it’s gone past its expiration date. Additionally, when an item is on sale or you have a coupon that is too good to pass up, make sure that you store those newly purchased goods behind the ones you already have. You’ll be certain to get the most out of the groceries you buy!"

If you think you've got it hard, then try to stretch $14,000 among four people like this woman, featured in the Business Insider, is doing with her family.

In the years since the recession, the median household income in the US has dropped to just over $50,000, while fixed costs like health care, higher education, and housing have only soared. 

Now imagine trying to support a family of four on a fraction of that income. 

Related: 13 Things You're Better Off Buying Used

It's a reality that stay-at-home wife and mother of two Danielle Wagasky has lived for the last four years. 

 Wagasky, 28, lives with her her husband, Jason, 31, and their two young children in a three-bedroom family home in Las Vegas, NV. While Jason, a member of the US Army, completes his undergraduate studies, the family's only source of income is the $14,000 annual cost of living allowance he receives under the G.I. Bill. 

Despite all odds, the family has barely any credit debt, no car payment, and no mortgage speak of. 

She was kind enough to chat with BI and tell us how she makes it work.

Wagasky finds inspiration everywhere from the library to tips from readers on her blog.

The couple had a single savings goal in mind — scraping together $30,000 for a down payment on their home in their native Henderson, NV. 

The mindless spending was out, and Wagasky came up with a budget she could make work. 

"I changed the way I was grocery shopping and started working my way up," she said.

Read on for more.

If groceries are a common expense for you, why not take advantage of it by choosing the credit card that will give you optimal rewards for supermarket spending. After all, if travel is not your thing, it wouldn't make any sense for you to sign up for a credit card that's best for flights and hotels. Here are the cards that'll get you the best rewards if grocery shopping is one of your biggest expenditures:

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

• Rewards: Get six percent cash back when spending in US stand-alone supermarkets. The first $6,000 spent in supermarkets will qualify for the six percent cash back. After that, you will receive one percent cash back. Get three percent cash back on gas at at stand-alone gas stations and select department stores. Get one percent cash back on all other purchases.
• Sign-up bonus: Earn $150 reward dollars for spending $1,000 within three months.
• Annual fee: $75.
• APR:The APR rate is zero for the first year, then 12.99 percent to 21.99 percent.
• Pros: The points are easy to redeem and you can start earning cash back as soon as you get the card. You also get the typical benefits as an American Express card holder which includes roadside assistance, car rental damage and loss insurance, extended warranty for up to one year, and more. Further, you get access to the Blue Savings program, that offers members discounts on things like Hertz rentals (up to 25 percent off) and more.
• Cons: Fees are pretty high and don't get waived in the first year. You need a high credit score to get approved. There is a 2.7 percent foreign transaction fee and American Express isn't accepted everywhere.

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The last thing you want to be confused about is the food you're eating, but with all the grocery buzzwords out there, it can feel like you're staring at some insider jargon. To break it down, we've put together meanings behind common terms that you'll find all along your supermarket aisles. Hopefully this will make it easy to remember why the labels are there in the first place — to help you make better decisions about what you're consuming and what's worth your money.

• Free-range: This is a bit of a tricky one because, according to the FDA, free-range simply means that the birds have access to the outside; that doesn't necessarily mean that they actually spend large amounts of time outside. In contrast, cage-free typically describes birds raised outside of a cage, but it doesn't imply much else.
• Grass-fed: Instead of being fed grains, these cows have only eaten grass throughout their lives. Advocates of grass feeding say it's a win-win for the cow, the consumer, and the planet because it requires less energy, there's less fat, and it's more humane.
• MSG: In scientific speak, MSG stands for monosodium glutamate. In regular speak, it's a salt that's added to food to taste better. It's extremely hard to find items without MSG — it's in everything from frozen foods to restaurant meals — and there are different opinions on its effects. Some say it doesn't hurt, while others claim it's harmful to the body.
• Whole grain: This means that the entire grain is used in the product, including the parts of the kernel with the most nutrients. Rye and brown rice are common examples of whole grain. It shouldn't be confused with multigrain, which simply means that more than one grain is used in the product.
• GMOs: Also known as genetically modified organisms, this term refers to organisms that have been altered to grow faster, have a longer shelf life, be disease-resistant, change color, and so on. Certain GMO-products don't require labeling for different reasons, so it's important to research before buying.
• Natural: It's hard to believe, but just about anyone can slap a "natural" sticker on their product; that's because there's no set definition of the term from the FDA or USDA, so it can mean many different things. For example, even sodas have been labeled natural.
• Organic: To be labeled "organic," a product must go through rigorous federal regulations. Essentially, you can rest assured that something organic has gone through strict farming or production practices and is made without pesticides, other toxins, GMOs, or artificial growth hormones. Many people say the quality of the product is worth its higher price tag.
• Gluten-free: We should first understand what gluten is. The protein, commonly found in wheat and barley, gives dough its elasticity and allows it to keep its shape. Gluten-free diets have become increasingly popular these days, and they're essential for people who suffer from digestive diseases, because it can damage their intestines. It typically doesn't affect others that strongly, but many are boycotting gluten because it's an unnatural additive.

Groceries are a regular expense that can seriously eat up your budget if you're not careful. Here are some of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to stock their fridge and pantry:

• Not making lists and a meal plan. Before you step out the door, it's always advisable to be more organized with your grocery shopping. Create a meal plan for the month, and based on that, start making a list of groceries you need to buy. If you follow the list, you won't be buying more than you need or buying unnecessary items.
• Not returning groceries. You can return most groceries if you haven't used them and if they are in the same condition you bought them in. Just remember to call your store and check its return policy. I usually do this when I buy too much food for a party.
• Going hungry. Going to the grocery store with an empty stomach is never a good idea. You'll end up buying more than you need with hunger pangs clouding your judgement.
• Buying name-brand goods. Most of the time, generic tastes just as good as name-brand. Pay a little less for a less well-known but equally great product.
• Being unaware of shelf life. Start educating yourself on the shelf life of products, which will help you decide whether to buy the items in bulk. You'll also be able to make better choices. For example, did you know that organic milk lasts longer than regular milk? And that white rice lasts longer than brown rice?
• Not researching supermarkets. Sure, your neighboring supermarket may be convenient, but is it really the cheapest option? Do the math and figure out if it's worth the convenience. Ethnic supermarkets tend to be cheaper, so be sure to check them out as well. If the affordable grocery store is a little further away, consider buying more items and taking fewer trips.
• Avoid overpriced items. Grocery stores tend to mark up a lot of products, so make sure you avoid these eight items. One example is precut produce and meats, which are usually marked up and expire more quickly.