If you live in California, you know things aren’t cheap. But if you can find affordable groceries, that can make a huge difference in your monthly budget.
Vons is a local chain in the southern part of the state and in southern Nevada. Consider how expensive the shop is before you head out to get groceries.
Does Vons Cost a Lot?
Vons isn’t too expensive, but it’s not the cheapest grocery store around. Milk costs about $5 per gallon, and bread costs anywhere from $4 to $8 per loaf. Members can save on various items, from produce to meat, and some of the deals are pretty good.
If you live near a Vons location, it can be a great place to shop. But you may want to hunt for some sales to lower your grocery bill.
Vons Locations
Vons has 186 stores in California and another nine in Nevada. Most of the stores in California are in the southern part of the state in and around San Diego and Los Angeles. In Nevada, you’ll find Vons in Las Vegas and Henderson.
Whether you live in these areas or are traveling there, Vons can be a good place to shop. But like many shops on the west coast, groceries can be expensive.
Before you shop at Vons, you should consider if the store carries what you need. You can choose from around 11,000 products, and the store has only faced six recalls.
Save Money at Vons
While Vons may cost more than other stores, you can still shop there. You just need to figure out a few ways to lower your bill at checkout.
Here are some things you can do if you want to save money but still shop at Vons.
Become a Member
Every Wednesday, Vons puts out a new weekly ad. The ad may vary from store to store, so you’ll want to consult the ad for your nearest store.
However, the ad usually includes details on sales for the week. Most of the sale prices in the weekly ad are for Vons members.
You’ll also get a free gift on your birthday and a free exclusive gift each month. There’s an app to use to track your progress and see how close you are to a reward. Of course, you can also get lower prices on new items each week in the general ad.
Bring Coupons
Whether you’re a member or not, you should look for coupons. The Vons ad has exclusive coupons for members, and you can even access them in the mobile app.
If you don’t join as a member, you can still bring coupons for certain items. Maybe you have a manufacturer’s coupon or some other general discount. Vons should be able to process the coupon for you.
Make sure to review all of your available coupons before you head to the store. Then, you can maximize your discounts to lower your grocery costs.
Plan Your Shopping Around Sales
If you’re willing to be flexible, plan your shopping trips around sales. When there’s a sale on cereal, for example, stock up for the next few weeks.
Now, this won’t work for perishable items since you need to use those up fast. However, you can use the sales of produce or meat to help plan out your meals. If chicken’s on sale this week, make some chicken dishes and save beef for next time.
Of course, you may not be able to do this if you have allergies or other dietary restrictions. But you should buy stuff on sale when you can. Even a small discount can add up if you’re able to buy one sale item each time you go to Vons.
Buy Store Brand
Maybe you need something that’s not on sale. Before you grab the name-brand version, see if Vons has a house-brand version of the same thing. Then, you can buy that since it will usually be cheaper.
This applies to everything from foods to over-the-counter medications. Each item may only cost a dollar less. But consider if you buy 20 items in one shopping trip. You could save $20, and if you did that every week, you’d save over $1,000 a year.
Price Per Ounce or Unit
Instead of just looking for the lowest overall price, bring your calculator. Your phone should have one, and you can divide the total price by the number of ounces or the number of items you get.
For example, you may find an 8-ounce box of cereal costs $5. There’s a 12-ounce box that costs $7. That may seem more expensive, but the smaller box would cost about $0.62 per ounce, and the larger one would cost $0.58 per ounce, so it would be cheaper per serving.
Compare Other Stores
You might also want to do some price comparisons before going to Vons. Look at the prices of your basic necessities at stores like Albertson’s or Trader Joe’s.
Vons may have better deals on some things. However, it doesn’t hurt to look at the competition and to buy different things from the stores with the lowest prices.
Wrapping Up
Vons doesn’t charge too much, but it can be more expensive than some grocery stores. Be sure to look at sales and to become a member. Also, calculate the price per ounce to see if a larger package may be cheaper per use. You can then shop at other stores so that you can save on each individual item you need.