SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Times are tough for some American consumers with the cost of living on the rise, so finding ways to save on much-needed items is essential.

Here are some options and tools to make prices work for you.

Groceries

When shopping at the grocery store, it is best to buy in bulk. If you efficiently use the goods bought, you can save 25% on average. This goes for gas as well, with fewer trips during the month.

What products to buy in bulk:

  • Bread, cereal, butter, eggs, cooking oil, broth, proteins, fish, canned goods and plant-based dairy.

Aldi:

  • This is a great option for anything grocery-related and also includes home goods. This German chain does not carry name-brand products, they focus on their own Aldi brand products. This keeps their prices lower than other chains.
  • For example, the price of eight bananas at Publix is around $2.40 versus $1.68 at Aldi. Also, where a one-pound bag of white rice may be $1.43 at Aldi, it is $2.65 for three pounds.
  • Visit here to find a store near you.

Clothes

Shop at the end-of-season:

  • Out-of-season shopping is a great strategy when stocking up on clothes for any season, especially on the classics like suits, jackets and pants.
  • Fall clothes tend to hit the shelves in July, so try buying spring and summer clothes around that time you can find good sales. In winter, buy your spring clothes and in summer, buy your winter clothes.

Fight temptation:

  • It’s tough to go out and see clothes you feel compelled to buy, but practicing challenges like a 30-day no-spending on clothes challenge can also help with budgeting.
  • Thrifting is also a great way to buy clothes for a low price.

Medications

Get prescriptions from an online pharmacy:

  • One out of five prescriptions was seen to be more cost-effective on online pharmacies like Amazon Pharmacy and GoodRx. They also have delivery options which save on gas as well.
  • Prescription assistance organizations like the nonprofit NeedyMeds can help you find discounts and additional resources to aid in paying for prescriptions.

Technology

Buy the previous model:

  • Tech companies love to roll out new and improved devices each year. If you fight the urge to buy the latest edition, consider opting for previous versions that fulfill your needs.

Trade-in old devices:

  • Trading in electronics that work and don’t work through cash-back websites like GreenBuyback can be a helpful option to get money in your pocket or for a new device.
  • On other sites like decluttr and sellcell, you can get money back on electronics in good and poor condition.

Look at all of your options before buying:

  • Going with the first deal you come across can be easy and convenient, but shopping around and comparing prices can help you save.
  • There are tools now where you are able to compare prices across the whole internet, like Honey, Google Shopping and ShopSavvy.

Coupons

Before shopping find coupons:

  • On websites like Coupons.com, you can find and print out coupons normally found in the newspaper from many popular stores.
  • Rakuten is useful as well, where you can search for online discounts and get cash back. Rakuten receives a commission from the stores they carry when you buy a product through the website and shares a percentage of that commission with the buyer.
  • Make sure to read reviews before any purchase to avoid scams and consider using fraud detection tools.