As college students we’re always looking for ways to save money, even if it’s just a dollar; a dollar means quite a lot to college students (especially to juniors and seniors). For those of us who have moved off-campus, saving money can be a whole new struggle. Between paying rent, putting gas in the car, purchasing textbooks, making sure the electric bill isn’t crazy, and searching for the cheapest cable plan, things can get a little hectic and saving money in any area of life can really become a life saver.

The grocery store, the place where the bill can quickly get out of hand. The debacle that can be the grocery store happens to all of us; we enter the establishment with just a few, specific items in mind and we — somehow — leave with a cart or basket filled with items we hadn't planned to purchase and didn't even know we ever “needed.” As students often move off-campus and eat at the campus dining halls less and less, the grocery store becomes a necessary evil; there are, however, ways to avoid overbuying and escape the grocery store debacle (or at least lessen its impact).

Don’t Shop Hungry

Shopping while hungry can be the root cause of all evil at the grocery store. If you're hungry and exploring the aisles of the store, more things are likely to appeal to you and more things will end up in your cart. If you’re hungry you’re more likely to make impulse purchases and the items in your cart will quickly turn into a Mount Everest sized pile.

Avoid the Inner Aisles

It cannot always be helped, but the less time you spend in the inner aisles of the grocery store, the better; stores often place dairy and produce at opposite sides of the store, which causes shoppers to pass through a larger number of aisles and raises the possibility of them picking up something they don’t need. So, to avoid excess shopping, avoid the excess aisles.

Try Generic Items

Even though everyone likes to buy name brand items, generic items are typically the same product in a cheaper package; generic items such as cereal, granola bars, bread, pasta, milk, jam, and so many more are exactly the same as their name brand counterpart. Switching just a few of your less important products to generic can save quite a bit of money and keeps you from having to cut products from your life all together.

Join the Member Program

Many stores offer their own, unique member program that gives their shoppers a significant amount of bargains, discounts, and/or benefits. I personally have the member programs to Giant and Shoprite. Both of which have been fantastic decisions and, especially at Giant, I have saved so much and benefited from a huge amount of benefits and discounts. A large benefit to joining Giant’s program is the benefit of cheaper gas, which is a bonus I enjoy each month after shopping at their store. Member programs are worth the three minute hassle it’ll take to sign up.

Eat With the Seasons

While grocery stores always have food that is imported from other locations, not all of it is in season where you live. If you shop with your seasons and buy what is grown more locally, you can shop cheaper and more sustainably.

Always, Always, Always Look for (Good) Sales

Always watch the sales promoted throughout the store as you're shopping (and pay attention to coupons as well), they can really be a life saver. BUT, don’t lose common sense over a “sale.” Every so often a store will promote a “bargain,” but if you read the signs, it might turn out that it isn’t actually cheaper to “buy 2/$7.”

Since we’re all trying to get our favorite items for cheaper, hopefully some of these suggestions will help you save money next time you're browsing around your local grocery store. If none of these ideas help, you can always try switching from a shopping cart to a shopping basket; if you physically cannot fit extra items into the basket, it might help you decide against purchasing them.