I Check My Supermarket Circular Every Week. Here's Why You Should, Too

Feeding my family of five is hardly an inexpensive endeavor these days. As of March, food costs were up 8.4% compared to a year prior, as per that month's Consumer Price Index. And that means my credit card bills have been a lot bigger this year, even though I make a point to try to spend carefully.

Food is one of those things I pretty much refuse to skimp on. I'd rather cut back on things like entertainment than stop buying the fruits and vegetables I really want my family to be eating.

But there's one step I take weekly to help cut down my food-related spending. And it's a step I suggest you take, too.

A little research can go a long way

I do the bulk of my food shopping at two stores -- my local Costco, and a nearby ShopRite supermarket. Now, Costco does run sales, but usually, they release deals on a monthly basis. ShopRite, like many traditional grocery stores, puts out a weekly circular with sale items. And I make a point to review that circular at the start of the week to get a sense of what's on sale and what bargains I can capitalize on.

Now to be clear, one thing I don't do is buy sale items just because they're discounted. Rather, what I do is look out for the items my family specifically needs or uses, and scoop them up when they're marked down.

My kids eat a lot of pasta, for example (go figure). These days, I generally pay $1.29 a box (sometimes more). So when ShopRite has pasta on sale for $0.99, I try to load up on eight or more boxes (I'd buy even more if it weren't for the limited storage space in my pantry). In doing so, I may only be saving myself $2.40 or so. But that's just one item I'm saving on. And besides, that's $2.40 I don't have to remove from my bank account, so I'll take it.

Additionally, what I'll sometimes do is plan my meals for the week based on what my supermarket has on sale. Salmon, for example, is often $11.99 or $12.99 a pound. Even though my family likes it, that's a pretty steep price. But when ShopRite has salmon on sale for $8.99 a pound, I'll buy it and use it as the main course for a couple of dinners.

It pays to put in the time

All told, reviewing my supermarket circular every week and updating my grocery list accordingly takes around five minutes. But often, it will result in $5, $10, or even $20 of savings.

If you don't get a circular from your local supermarket in the mail, you can almost always access that information online. In fact, some supermarkets might only publish that information online. Kroger, for example, recently announced that it will no longer include weekly circulars in newspapers, so if you want to see what it has on sale, you may need to go online to do so.

It's also a good idea to maintain a loyalty card with your local supermarket, as some of the weekly deals you'll see will only be available to loyalty program members who swipe their store cards at checkout. Some supermarkets, like Trader Joe's, don't have a loyalty program -- they simply offer every customer the same great low prices. But if your local supermarket works differently, then it pays to sign up for and use your loyalty card to benefit from deals as they become available.