Eight ways to save more at the grocery store

Dollars don't stretch as far as they used to at grocery stores. Many products have either had prices go up or the size of the package has shrunk - both strain our grocery budgets.

Mommy blogger Andrea Deckard has three kids, so she looks for every way to save on groceries. She's sharing eight secrets for lower grocery bills on her blog, savingslifestyle.com.

1. Find out when your store marks down beef, bread, and other items

Find out from your local meat and produce managers, where you are shopping at, when they are reducing the prices on products they need to get out, because it's coming close to expiration.

2. Shop midweek, not Friday or Saturday

You'll find more sale items in stock.

3. Buy "in-season" fruits and veggies

They are cheaper and fresher than out-of-season veggies.

4. Switch to digital coupons

At Kroger, you can use certain e-coupons up to five times in a single transaction. Andrea suggests trying new apps like Favado: it lists all the current sales on your favorite items, like laundry soap. It allows you to have the sales literally on your phone. Andrea also likes "Coupon Sherpa," a great app to help you find the different Coupon that are available.

5. Print free coupons from redplum.com and smartsource.com before you go to the store 6. Leave the endcaps alone

Those are for impulse buyers and are usually not the best deals.

7. Stock up on canned goods when they are 50 cents a can

They can last years.

8. Stick with store brands when you can't tell the difference

...Like with flour or canned corn. For produce and meat, less processed items are cheaper. The more cutting and packaging a product goes through, the more expensive it's going to be.

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