Shopping smart increases your bottom line

Toronto ON -- Statistics Canada recently released its inflation numbers for the 12 months to March 2011. The Consumer Price Index rose 3.3 percent the largest year-over-year increase since September 2008. If inflation continues to trend high and interest rates start to rise it will become even harder for people to make ends meet. Last fall the Bank of Canada advised Canadians to take control of their spending and start saving now.

"Canadians need to take an aggressive approach to reducing their spending even at the grocery store," says Jeffrey Schwartz, executive director, Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada, Inc. "Putting together a money-saving strategy for grocery shopping will have a positive impact on your finances and allow your savings to increase at a faster rate,"

Focus on your household budget as if you owned a business and the bottom line is your savings. "Every spending decision you make affects your household''s bottom line," continues Schwartz.

Consolidated Credit offers these strategies to save money at the grocery store:

Menu planning

• Save money by planning a weekly menu
• Keep track of the staples in your larder; be careful not to over buy
• Create a grocery list

Weekly Flyers

• Review the flyers from the stores in your area
• Match sale items to your grocery list
• Look for key words – ''save'', ''2 for 1'', ''price dropped'', ''price match''
• Use coupons on sale items to save even more money
• Buy fruits and vegetables in season

Do it yourself

• Bake your next birthday cake; a cake mix and tin of icing can save at least $10 over a store-bought cake-turn it into a family activity
• Avoid unnecessary vegetable spoilage by:
• Washing lettuce and peeling carrots as you need them – the prewashed, bagged vegetables spoil quicker once the bag is open
• When ground beef is on sale make your own hamburger patties and freeze them for future use

Be a Price Conscience Shopper

• Prices vary between grocery stores; make sure you are buying the sale item at the lowest price
• Buy store brands instead of national brands especially if they are the same
• Check the non-traditional stores, such as drug stores, for price comparisons
• Buy in bulk when it makes sense
• Don''t use your credit card to pay if it means going further into debt
• Don''t invest so much - it leaves you short for other purchases
• Purchase non-perishable items, ie paper products

For more everyday money-saving strategies, check out Consolidated Credit''s FREE Smart Spending PDF booklet.

About Consolidated Credit Counseling of Canada, Inc.:

Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of Canada is a national non-profit credit counselling organization that teaches consumers about personal finance. Consolidated Credit's unbiased debt-counselling service offers alternatives to help people get their debts under control. Alongside assisting with consolidating payments, Consolidated Credit experts focus on education and understanding. Strategies include teaching basic but vital concepts such as how to budget, understanding credit and how to manage money.

Consolidated Credit also offers a free web-based budget and debt analysis tool and a plethora of website resources for people interested in learning more about debt and credit on their own, including tips on smart spending, buying a car, taking out a student loan and a survival guide for holiday spending. Its online learning centre offers free personal finance education booklets, financial calculators, resources, tips and suggestions. Also offered is a free iPhone and iPod budgeting application, which can be used to manage expenses on-the-go.

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Shopping smart increases your bottom line

Shopping smart increases your bottom line Here are some everyday money-saving strategies