Parents! Save Big Money With This Easy Goldfish Hack

Let's call it what it is, parents. The cost of raising our kids is skyrocketing and has us wondering how our parents did it. They let us go outside and play for hours without a cell phone or a care in the world. We turned out alright. Why are today's kids bankrupting us? Well... what if I told you there's money to be saved. Where? Goldfish.

Yes, Goldfish crackers are a staple food of practically every American child. The cute snack that smiles back has been around in the states since 1962 and immediately became a favorite of kids and parents alike.

That said, those little fishes have been hunting us like a shark hunts its prey. Secretly, quietly, it has been pilfering hundreds of dollars from wallets and pocket books and today is the day we fight back.

By now, you're wondering why you clicked this. What a stupid article, right? How much does Netflix cost? $15.49 a month on average? What if I told you this hack could save you enough money to make Netflix free for a year? You interested?

There is something to be said for "grab and go" convenience. It's just easy to get a sealed 1 ounce bag of Goldfish and toss it at your kid in the backseat of the minivan. But the cost of that convenience is massive.

Those foil bags can cost anywhere from $0.65 to $1.00 each! So, for the sake of this argument, we'll assume the average cost of a bag is $0.82. This is based off of actual prices from Smith's and Albertson's. If your kid eats an average of 1 bag per day (very likely), that is $299.30 over 365 days. Nearly $300 a year! That's a lot of Goldfish.

Chances are if you're a parent, you've got a Costco card. Use it.

Buying these little suckers in bulk saves a ton. A 66 ounce box of Goldfish, with three equally filled bags inside, goes for $11.99 at Costco. That's about $0.18 an ounce, which is nearly one-fifth the price of the average pre-sealed bag! Over the course of a year, at an ounce a day, you're looking at $66.28. That's a savings of around $234 a year! Over $19 a month! Nothing to sneeze at! If you have more than one kid, you're saving that much more! It adds up quick!

Sure, there's a price to convenience, but there are two ways to dole out the crackers. Obviously the tiny Ziploc bags are one way, but those are a hard cost that'll ruin the savings. Thankfully Costco has a great deal on Whiskware stackable containers right now. Three of these for just $15.99. That gives you six "larger" containers to put those crackers in. So for the cost of the cups and the Goldfish at Costco, you're still spending around half the cost of the pre-filled bags, and your savings only increases from there.

Don't let lifestyle creep steal all your money!

Let's be honest, folks. Times are tough. Inflation is horrible. And my money seems to be disappearing left and right.

The worst part... pretty much everything has went up in price. Everything. Prices are even higher now than they were even just six to eight months ago. My wallet is feeling the pain. And unless you are literally rollin' in the dough, your wallet is likely feeling it as well.

Luckily, there are ways to combat these high prices and save some money, especially when it comes to grocery shopping! You don't have to become an extreme couponer either. I mean, if extreme couponing interests you, by all means! It works true magic, and I love watching the videos of the checkouts breaking down over the amount of money being knocked off. I find it... soothing. I'm weird.

However, the reality of today's society is that most of us just don't have the time to hunt down and snip out mass loads of coupons. I know I don't. That's why I'm sharing this list of 10 tips to save at the grocery store from a new report by Finance Buzz. For those that feel they're already exhausting all options, check out this list. I definitely take advantage of several of these already, but I'm so excited to try the handful that I haven't already adopted as part of my shopping habits. And trust me. The ones that I already practice... they WORK.

So give these a try the next time you turn to Walmart or Smith's for your weekly grocery haul. Most of these can be utilized at literally any store, and if you take advantage of them correctly, you'll see the savings just like I do.

Check out these 10 fabulous tips to save at the grocery store:

This is honestly the only way I grocery shop now because I can SEE the difference in my grocery budget and my bank account. By ordering your groceries online or through a store's mobile app and choosing in-store or curbside pick-up, you're avoiding setting sights on a bunch of random junk you truly don't need. You know what you need, friend. Order those goodies ahead of time, and let employees do the shopping!

Remember that random gift card you got for your birthday that's collecting dust in the back of your wallet? USE IT. That's why you have it! Free money!

BUDGET. I cannot stress this enough. Keep yourself on track, and don't spend more than what you've allotted for. You'll thank me later when you're rollin' in the DOUGH.

Buying in bulk rather than buying small quantities at a time is SO important in the money-saving game. Items you know you'll need and use for a long time down the road... Buy in bulk and SAVE.

Don't rush to complete a purchase... It's okay to sit on it for a bit and further ponder the items in your cart! When I do this, I typically find myself removing an item or two in the end, thus ultimately lowering my total. I save a nice chunk of money, and I have yet to regret removing any of those items from my cart.

The "subscribe and save" feature is clutch! Just by subscribing to receive necessities every few weeks or months, you can receive discounts on essentials you know you're going to have to buy anyway.

I'm so passionate about loyalty programs! They're usually FREE, and they can snag you some sweet deals.

When you're able to, stack those offers! It can shed dollars off your total in a flash.

Read the fine print. Know which stores offer price-matching. It could pay off big time!

This is KEY for finding out about those killer deals. Some stores even offer exclusive coupons for those signed up to receive their newsletter!

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