Put Items Back – Frugal Tip

A close friend of mine shared a great frugal shopping strategy with me. Anytime you go to the store, do your shopping and right before you head to the cash register, find at least one or two items you don’t absolutely need and put them back. This works particularly well when you don’t shop with a list, but works even when head to the store to buy only what you need.

I almost always shop with a list, but despite my best intentions, some items that weren’t on my list find their way into the shopping cart. Most of the time it’s pretty easy to put something back.

Today was a challenge though. I ran to the Dollar General to get ingredients for my dump cake. On my list I had:

• Cherry Pie Filling
• Crushed Pinapple
• Yellow Cake Mix
• Chopped Nuts

I didn’t need anything else, and was able to grab everything I needed in one aisle. I ended up putting the chopped nuts back and saving almost $4. The cake tasted just as good without.

Give it a try the next time you go grocery shopping, stop for some snacks at the convenience store or even go cloth shopping. You won’t even miss the items you put back and save a little bit each time you shop.