Personally, I struggled with keeping my grocery budget under control. I’m one of those people that loves to snack and cook different kinds of food.
I often found myself spending $50+ on one meal that I would make for myself (lol…). Each month as I reviewed my spending, I was embarrassed by how much money I spent on groceries.
So, here are some tips that I’ve picked up to DRASTICALLY reduce my grocery budget. I hope these tips help you save money on your groceries, too!
For other tips on budgeting check out this article:
1. Check your local markets for sales
Looking for sales is a big way you can save money on groceries. Many stores send out local mailers filled with ads and coupons. Take a look at these ads and write down items that appeal to you. Look for sale items that you eat often and make those a priority on your shopping list. Also, look for food that can be frozen. If you can freeze sale items, you will definitely save money on your groceries!
Many chain stores also have grocery apps with exclusive offers. Download these apps and look for sales on the food you know you’ll eat. If you see meat on sale, consider buying extra and freezing it for later (as long as you have space in your freezer).
As you look at prices, you’ll get a really good sense of what’s a great deal and what isn’t. It takes time to identify good prices in your area, but as you scan sale prices across multiple stores, you become really comfortable with finding great deals!
2. Use local coupons
As you look through the sales, keep an eye out for coupons to help you save money on your groceries. Don’t miss opportunities like $1/lbs ground turkey! If you see something you like, take that coupon to the store! Be sure that you don’t over-purchase items. And don’t buy things you won’t use, despite the price.
3. Cash back/coupon apps
There are also coupon apps that you can take advantage of for extra savings.
Check out the following apps to save money on your groceries:
- Ibotta (currently offers $20 if you sign up now!!)
- Checkout 51 also offers cash back on gas
- SnipSnap
- Rakuten
- Coupon Sherpa
- Honey
- Shopkick
- Target App (Cartwheel is their old coupon App)
- ShopSavvy
These are just a few of the many coupon apps! Seriously, the list can go on! Let me know if you’d like a review! And let me know if you have a favorite coupon app!
4. Plan your meals ahead of time
After you’ve perused local sales, plan the meals you want to eat for the upcoming week based on sale items.
As you look for recipes, make sure you have most of the items in your pantry already. Buying many different spices that you only use once or twice will add up quickly. This was the mistake I was making when I spent $50+ on my home-cooked meals.
So, take inventory of the items you already own. You can decide which recipes work best given the ingredients you already have in your pantry.
If you don’t have many herbs and spices in your pantry, I suggest collecting several different recipes and identifying which items show up multiple times. Purchase items based on how often you think you’ll use them. If need help getting started with meal planning, check out the $5 Meal Plan.
5. Plan simple meals
This tip falls in line with the previous point, but I want to drive it home further by adding that you should select meals with simple ingredients. For example, oatmeal, eggs, chicken, and beans can all be found relatively cheaply.
Boiling eggs to eat throughout the week is a great way to have a filling and nutritious snack for a low cost. Find simple recipes that cater to cheaper, inexpensive proteins and starches to stretch your dollar further.
6. Always go to the store with a grocery list
Now that you’ve planned out your meals, create a list of items that you need! Make sure to include the quantity.
For example, if you have a recipe that calls for 1 head of lettuce, don’t buy 2 heads! Even if you think you’ll eat it, only buy what’s on your list. This will help prevent food waste and ensure that you stay within your budget. Again, only buy items on your list (I struggle with this a lot, so I emphasize this for myself, too).
Additionally, when you write your grocery list, try to group items by the aisle. This way you’re not running around the store hunting for ingredients. Try to keep your time in the store to a minimum to limit temptation.
7. Don’t buy lunch-sized processed food
Do you know those tiny, lunch-size potato chip bags? They are marked up significantly. Sometimes, as much as 40%! If you want to buy snacks, buy your snacks in bulk. Just be sure not to buy too much, as I mention in the next tip.
8. Be careful when you shop bulk items
If you buy bulk items carefully, you will easily save money on your groceries. However, don’t buy more than you need, especially if it’s a perishable item.
Think about it this way. Let’s say you find chicken breast for $1/lb at your local bulk store. You buy 20 lbs ($20 total). Then you go home and toss it all in the fridge with plans to cook all of it this weekend.
The weekend comes around and you only cook 5 lbs. The other 15 lbs go bad and you have to throw it away.
Now, if we calculate the unit price on your chicken, you actually paid $20 for only $5 that you cooked! That brings the unit price up to $4/lbs from $1/lbs!! That’s a 400% increase!!
So, just because you see something on sale, doesn’t mean you should buy more than you can use.
That being said, items like chicken may be stored in the freezer. However, be sure you have enough storage space before you purchase large quantities.
Also, always the unit price of the items you buy. You may find some bulk items are priced higher than non-bulk items.
If you find bulk deals, consider splitting it with a friend. This can be a very effective way to save money while you avoid buying too much.
9. Drink water (not soda or juice)
Ok, I know. I’m really lucky. I live in the Pacific Northwest where tap water is perfectly fine to drink.
I can save tons of money by simply drinking filtered tap water. That being said, if you live in a part of the country where tap water is not very good, I still recommend buying bottled water over soda and juice.
First, you can easily find gallon jugs for $1.
Second, water is much healthier than soda and juice. You’ll live a longer life with potentially fewer medical issues if you make healthy choices.
10. Shop at different stores
You may be lucky enough to live near multiple grocery stores. If so, be sure to check them all out! Many stores sell cheap items to draw in regular customers. Make notes of which stores have cheap produce, cheap meat, and cheap bakery items.
Then make sure to stop at those stores when you need to replenish your stock. You can also try Googling the markets in your area. You may see reviews where people mention tips like, “This store has the cheapest produce in the city!” Take advantage of customer reviews!
11. Buy affordable brands (a.k.a. generic products
You know what I’m talking about. The off-brand cereal with the funky characters that almost look like the original brand. Buy these. They are much cheaper than a brand name and are often made by the same company and sold to your grocery chain’s distributor at a discount.
Similarly, buy generic over-the-counter medications. They contain the same active ingredients at a fraction of the price. Trust me, I’m a pharmacist (really, I am!).
12. Don’t go to the grocery store hungry
I’m so guilty of this. Every time I go grocery shopping while I am hungry, I spend more money. I can’t stick to my grocery list. Make sure you eat a meal before you go grocery shopping to help you stay focused. Let your budget and your brain guide your grocery decisions. Not your stomach.
13. Buy in-season fruits and vegetables
In-season items taste so much better than out-of-season items. They are also cheaper because there is an abundance of them that need to be sold. Out-of-season items are often shipped from very far locations and may not taste as good as the in-season version. So, avoid those strawberries you see in the middle of winter. Wait until summer when they are cheap and delicious! Here is a list of in-season produce.
14. Buy less meat
Simply put, meat is expensive. It’s very costly to raise cows, sheep, chickens, etc. Consider limiting the number of meals containing meat every day. For example, limit your meat consumption to one meal per day instead of 3 meals per day. You can also use one type of protein per meal instead of 2 or 3 different proteins.
15. Use curbside pick-up to avoid splurging on unnecessary items
Curbside pickup has become very popular during the pandemic for a good reason. By choosing curbside pickup, you can save money while maintaining social distance.
When you pick up your groceries, you eliminate some of the temptations to buy items outside your grocery list. This strategy will definitely help you save money on your groceries!
16. Pantry dinners
Many of us have large pantries with lots of dried or canned foods. I often find expired items in my pantry because I am not cooking these items soon enough. Challenge yourself to eat meals from your pantry, freezer, and fridge for a whole week. This will help you save money while you clean up your pantry and reduce food waste.
17. Bring leftovers for lunch
Cook extra food at dinner time so you have lunch for the next day. Cooking food at home is a great way to save money throughout the course of the month. This eliminates the need for you to buy take out from a restaurant. Home-cooked food for lunch is also much healthier. Most home-cooked meals use significantly less fat and sugar than restaurant meals.
18. Don’t buy more than you need
I touched on this a little bit in point #8, but I’m going to present it a little differently here.
Sometimes, you will see great discounts on items, like $10 for 20 boxes of Mac & Cheese. Maybe you like Mac & Cheese and you’re confident that you’ll eat it very quickly. If that’s the case, sure you can buy all 20 boxes.
However, let’s say you haven’t eaten any Mac & Cheese in 2 years and now you’re looking at this sale price. Do you buy it?
It may be okay to buy 1 box at the regular price, but you don’t need to buy all 20 boxes. Remember, you’re not saving money if you buy sale items that you won’t use. Instead, think about spending your budget on the food you’ll actually eat.
19. Grow your own herbs
Buying small bundles of parsley or basil can add up quickly. If you use lots of fresh herbs in your cooking considering growing your own herbs either in your yard or in an indoor garden! There is a sense of pride when you grow your own food as well. You can also gift small bunches of herbs to your friends and family.
20. Don’t shop with your kids
I’ll be honest. I personally don’t have kids, so I can’t speak to this very well, but some advice from Dave Ramsey is to leave your kids at home, if possible. Kids like to ask for things that may throw off your budget. If you have trouble saying “No” or if they are very persistent, consider leaving them at home.
As you can see, there are many ways you can cut down on your grocery budget. I hope these tips help you save money on your groceries. If you feel like I’ve missed anything, or if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!