We are 6 months into 2022 and when I did our budget for the year – the two biggest areas I have seen changes are in gas and groceries. I don’t know about you but I cringe every time I go to the store. The prices are insane – and keep going up. I do everything in my power to save money where I can, but it’s definitely challenging.
With planning and a little extra effort, I have been able to keep my grocery budget in check despite the rising costs of food. Check out the different ways I have been able to continue to save on our grocery bill. Incorporating small changes like these can save you up to 30% on groceries!
BEFORE YOU HIT THE STORE
1. MAKE A GROCERY BUDGET
How much do you have to spend? I have read recommendations of $100 per person, per month. For some people, that is not possible. Figure out a budget that works for you and stick to it. Using cash & having a cash envelope for groceries can help over-spending. We spend about $600/month on groceries (about $150 a week), and I do a big haul at Sam’s Club about 3-4 times a year to stock up on pantry essentials, meats, snacks and drinks.
2. MEAL PLAN
The biggest mistake you can make is heading to the grocery store without a set plan in mind. Well, that and going when you are hungry. Either way, you will find it much harder to stay on budget. I try to plan my meals based on what’s seasonal or on sale and then use as many common ingredients as I can to cut down on what I have to buy. I look at the various ads from my local grocery stores and make a meal plan based on what’s on sale & what I have in my pantry. You can check out an example of my meal plan, here.
3. FOLLOW THE SALES CYCLES
Store sales will generally follow a pattern for when things go on sale. The goal is to make your purchases at their lowest price point and & utilize coupons to stock up until the next sale cycle. Ever wonder why hot dogs & buns are so cheap around Memorial Day & Fourth of July? It’s the sales cycle for grilling items. I follow Inspiring Savings blog for tips on this. She has a huge list of what items go on sale when. You can check it out here!
4. ORGANIZE & CLEAN YOUR FRIDGE BEFORE YOU SHOP
Having everything organized makes it easier for you to find and use things. Not to mention, to ensure that you use up the perishable items!
SAVE WHILE AT THE STORE
5. EAT LESS MEAT TO SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES
There are many ways to do this. An extreme way would be to go totally vegetarian, or have 1 or 2 meatless meals per week. You can use meat as a small part of the meal instead of the main course. We do at least 1 meatless meal a week including spaghetti, pasta alfredo, breakfast for dinner (eggs, waffles, french toast or pancakes), or we will have salads and fill them with beans (garbanzo and kidney beans) and a little protein (chicken or steak).
6. DON’T BUY TOILETRIES AT THE GROCERY STORE
Over the counter medication, feminine hygiene products and deodorant are usually significantly more expensive at the grocery store. For these items, I use coupons and shop at Walgreens, CVS, Dollar General and Family Dollar where I can get them very cheap or even free.
7. MAKE USE OF DISCOUNT GROCERY STORES IN YOUR AREA
We have a lot of discount grocery stores near me including Aldi, Deemer’s and Save A Lot. I can score cheap but delicious lunch meat from Deemer’s as well as normally high priced items like Nutella for very good prices. I love getting my produce and fruit from Aldi – you can’t beat their prices. I go there once a week when I am in that area to get my produce.
8. BUY SEASONAL
Buying in-season produce is a great way to vary your diet and save money! I use this website to see what produce is in season.
9. BUY FROZEN
You can often find frozen meat (hamburger patties, seafood, etc.) cheaper than buying fresh. Same for out of season fruits! Frozen fruit makes great smoothies – and this is an excellent & cheaper way of getting in those fruits & veggies in the winter months when they are not in season.
10. SHOP ALONE
Shop when the kids are with their dad or any other time they are not with you. The more people in your shopping party the more likely you are to impulse buy snack food or other nonessentials.
11. SHOP GENERIC
In many cases brand name products and generic products are made right alongside each other. If cheaper – shop the generic, more than likely you won’t be able to tell. I do this for pasta, canned veggies, and ice cream. There are some things I will not buy generic, like ketchup (I’m a Heinz girl all the way).
12. SHOP HIGH AND LOW
Did you know that the most expensive items are typically shelved at eye level? The cheaper options are usually on the top and bottom shelf. Next time you are at the store, check it out! It blew my mind when I started noticing.
13. KEEP IT QUICK
Give yourself a time limit to be in and out of the store. I don’t know about you, but the longer I am in a store, the more items I find that I absolutely “need”. If you have your list, stick to it, cross off your items and you are in and out in no time.
14. SKIP THE PRE-PACKAGED FOODS
Pre-packaged foods are super expensive when compared to what you could do yourself because you pay for the convenience. Invest in good Tupperware – and prep the food yourself – so much more cost effective!
15. ONLY BUY WHAT YOU NEED
Those buy 2, get one free sales really getcha! Do you really need 3 bagged salads? Or a huge bag of apples? Are you going to be able to eat that much before it goes bad? It’s not a good deal if you end up throwing it away in the end.
16. KEEP TRACK
Make sure and keep track of what you spend. You can use the calculator on your phone or do as I do and round up in my head and keep track on the side of my grocery list.
17. PAY ATTENTION AT CHECKOUT
Items can sometimes register at a different price than what’s listed or deals don’t go through. Check up on it!
18. USE YOUR REWARDS CARD & STORE APP IF APPLICABLE
After I have made my list and know which store I am going to, I go to the store app if applicable and clip any coupons that apply to my purchases. When I use my rewards card for different grocery stores I earn rewards that turn into cash back or rewards for my purchases. This means free turkeys at Christmas and Thanksgiving time and $5 off rewards that definitely help you stay within budget.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE BACK HOME
19. USE REBATE APPS
Apps likes Fetch, IBotta, or shopkick all have reward programs for uploading receipts on the things you buy. I earn gift cards with Fetch and purchase items from Bath & Body Works as well as gifts for Christmas with the rewards I earn. You can sign up with Fetch using my referral code 1TCXK – you can get 2,000 points for free.
20. DO THE PREP WORK
Nothing is worse than wasting the food that you spent your hard-earned money on because it wasn’t ready to eat. When you get home from the grocery store, fill up your sink with 1 cup of vinegar and water and wash & prep your food so that it’s ready to go and cuts down on food waste. It also helps your produce last longer. When you’re hungry and in a hurry, you’ll thank yourself later.
21. KEEP A PRICE LIST
I keep an excel list on my computer of items I regularly buy, where I get them & the price I typically pay. This helps me stay on budget when I am making my list – I add the price from price list and adjust in the store. I know pretty accurately what I will be spending at each store I go to.
22. GROW YOUR OWN VEGGIES & FRUIT
There is nothing better than homegrown veggies and/or fruit from your own garden. Every year we grow veggies and this year we are growing tomatoes, peppers, onions, basil, thyme, and strawberries. We even saved money by using seeds from veggies we had to grow our own rather than buying starter plants at the store.
23. EAT AT HOME
One of my family’s biggest guilty pleasures is take out or eating out at a restaurant. Since the cost of food, and well everything, continues to rise, we have cut way back on how often we go out to eat. The extra money we save from not eating out goes into the grocery budget as well as our gas budget.
What is your takeaway tip for cutting your grocery bill? Even if you only save $10 a week by the end of the year you have saved $520! Imagine what you can do with an extra $500. What money saving tips would you add? I love finding new ways to save money.
