The cost per serving of cereal is absolutely outrageous right now. It can cost you $4 or even $5 for a box of cereal that may last you a single day. And the boxes are shrinking as the price goes up. Ouch. Here are some ways to save on cereal.
Buy generic. While once in a while I do find an off-brand or generic cereal that I can’t stand, for the most part generic cereal is just as good as the name brand expensive stuff. In fact, in a couple of cases, I have found the taste to be even better. Factories that produce cereal for the name brands often produce the exact same cereal for the generic companies. The difference in price is related to the marketing of the cereal brand.
Make your own cereal. You can create both cold and hot cereals from scratch. Granola is so easy to make, and you can buy the ingredients in bulk for even more savings. Hot cereal, such as oatmeal is also easy to make. Use your own flavorings, such as brown sugar and cinnamon, bits of fresh apple, bits of strawberry, etc. The only difference between “instant” oatmeal and regular oatmeal is that the instant has been ground down a bit so it requires less cooking. Use your food processor on whole oats to achieve the same results, minus all of the sugar and artificial flavors.
Provide lots of alternatives. Okay, this isn’t so much saving on cereal as it is saving on breakfast. Muffins, pancakes and even baked oatmeal can be made quickly and ahead of time to reduce that cereal budget.
Check out the clearance aisle or salvage section of the grocery stores. I find cereal here so very often. most of the time it is because the box has been opened or torn (with the plastic bag inside still intact.) Expect anywhere from $1.25 to $1.75 for a box.
Combine those coupons, sales and rebates. Pick a price that you can aim for and don’t pay more. My price used to be $1.00 a large box, but I have upped that to $1.50 based on price increases. Still, free cereal can sometimes be had.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don’t miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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