Costly mistakes you’re making while grocery shopping

If you want to save money on your food expenses, you're probably better off preparing meals at home rather than dining out. But even if you're buying most of your food at the grocery store, there's a good chance you're still spending more than necessary.

That's because you're probably making mistakes while shopping at the supermarket.

Click through to find out which errors you're making and how to save more money on groceries.

Shopping on the Wrong Day

Cut grocery costs by simply shopping on the right day of the week. "We all get into a routine and often hit up our stores around the same time weekly," said Tracie Fobes of Penny Pinchin' Mom. "Make sure that you are shopping at the time when you can be certain to get every deal the store offers."

For example, she said her local supermarket runs a weekly ad from Wednesday to Tuesday. "Those items are all on sale for seven days," said Fobes. "They also always offer a shorter sale period during that same time. It almost always encompasses a Friday and Saturday. By shopping on Friday, I am sure to not only have the opportunity to get the current weekly sale prices, but also those short-lived sale prices at the same time."

Check out the surprising — and not so surprising — answers GOBankingRates received about how Americans budget for groceries.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Costly Mistakes You’re Making While Grocery Shopping