Feel like sticking to your grocery budget is always a struggle? With all of the tricky marketing schemes grocery stores have in place, it’s little wonder. Here are several of the lesser-known grocery store money traps that could be gobbling up your shopping budget.

Sales aisle
Many grocery chains have begun to use the first aisle of the store to display weekly sales items. Admittedly, the bargains on this aisle may look irresistible, but if you want to minimize your grocery bill, it’s best to leave these "bargains" sitting on the shelf. Why? Because a sales aisle takes away your ability to comparison shop. Sure that particular brand of soup is on sale, but is it really the best buy? Unless you compare its price to the price of similar products, you won’t know.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this aisle is its ability to add items to your grocery list. It’s easy to fall for impulse buys, but it’s even easier to fall for them at the beginning of the store when your cart is empty.

To keep the sales aisle from snatching your dollars, make it a policy to never buy anything from this area. Instead, make a note of the items that you are interested in, and then compare prices when you get to their respective aisles.

Meat counter
Beware of the meat packages at the top of the pile. They may come with a higher price. If you want to find the best deals on prepackaged meat, you’re going to need to dig. Often grocery stores place the most expensive packages on top, where they know a rushed shopper is likely to reach. Dig a little, and you’ll save a lot.