1. Skip the bread aisle.

Go to a bread outlet, where you can get loaves at half the price. To find a location near you, visit bakeryoutlets.com
YOU SAVE: $2

2. Make sure your veggies are dry before you put them on the scale.

If they’ve just been sprayed with water, they’ll weigh (and cost) more, notes Michelle Jones, founder of grocerysavingtips.com.
YOU SAVE: $1

3. Leave the little ones at home.

It’s hard for kids to resist pricey sweets. If you must bring children with you to the grocery store, make sure they’re not hungry and have a coloring book or a Gameboy on hand to keep them distracted.
YOU SAVE: $4

4. Be wary of fancy end-of-aisle displays.

These items may be “on sale,” but you’ll be able to find other brands down the aisle that are even cheaper.
YOU SAVE: $4

5. Befriend the butcher.

Once you get to know him or her, they’ll be more willing to package smaller (and cheaper) cuts at your request. They may even tell you the time of day they do their meat markdowns!
YOU SAVE: $3

6. Look down.

In most grocery store layouts, the best bargains are closer to the floor, writes Paco Underhill, in Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping. And, you guessed it, the pricier items are at eye level.
YOU SAVE: $3

7. Avoid specialty items grouped together.

Items for special occasions (for example, chips, dips and sodas) are often grouped together to increase impulse buying, notes Phil Lempert of supermarketguru.com. Don’t be fooled.
YOU SAVE: $3

8. Shop on a FULL stomach.

If you’re running on ""E,"" you’re bound to buy more to make up for the rumbling.
YOU SAVE: $4

9. Shop like you read — left to right.

As you scan an item, say salad dressing, the cheaper options will be to the right of the section. Keep scanning!
YOU SAVE: $2

10. Leave sugary cereals on the shelf.

Not only are frosting-coated cereals filled with an unhealthy amount of sugar, they cost more than whole-grain cereals, says Ruby Cox, a professor of food and nutrition at Virginia Tech University. P.S. Many kids’ cereals are placed at their eye level — another reason to leave them home!
YOU SAVE: $2

11. Stock the medicine cabinet from the drugstore, not the grocery.

It might be more convenient, but you’ll pay more to buy painkillers, contact solution, etc. at a grocery store than at a drugstore or pharmacy.
YOU SAVE: $1

12. Go for skim or low-fat milk instead of whole milk.

Lower fat milk is just as nutritious as whole milk, but a lot more forgiving on the waist and the wallet.
YOU SAVE: $1