10 Ways To Save Money On Groceries
Are you looking to cut costs this year? As someone who is always looking for ways to be the best steward of our money, I am always looking for ways to save money; especially when it comes to groceries! I feel like groceries are something we have a relative amount of control over. With our gas and electric bills, we can only do so much. But I feel with our grocery bill, it’s my choices that make up the final bill.
When we lived in another state, you couldn’t just “run” to the grocery store a minute because it wasn’t that close. Though where we live now, there are several options close by, which makes it WAY too easy to just quick grab something or fulfill a craving. If I look in our cupboards, we have more than enough food and yet I am still getting groceries every week, filling them up even more. Do you find yourself doing the same? That’s when I find myself in the food cycle of trying to eat what we have, yet filling them up with what sounds good. You too?
Even though I always try to get the best prices on food, there is ALWAYS room for improvement, so that’s why I want to share with you 10 ways to save money on groceries.
Meal plan with what you have in stock
One of the easiest ways to not buy what you don’t need or fill your cupboards with multiples of way too many items is to meal plan with what is in your cupboards already. This way your cupboards won’t be bursting at the seams, you won’t have 5 cans of green beans stored away when in reality, you only need 2 at a time, etc. Meal planning makes meal time purposeful and intentional, preventing food from spoiling and also using up what you have.
Make a grocery list
After going through your cupboards and meal planning accordingly, now you know what you need. This is where making a list is key. If it’s not on the list, DO NOT BUY IT. How many items end up in your cart purely because they looked good at the time? Or because you think you “might” use it someday? With a list, you know what you will be spending – nothing more and nothing less.
Personally, I keep a running grocery list on our refrigerator. That way when it comes to making my list for the week, I don’t have to try and remember all the items I had stored away in my brain. Rarely do I forget to get something, thanks to this simple tip.
Go once a week
How many trips do you make to the grocery store in a week? When we lived in Minnesota, the nearest grocery store was about 20 minutes away. Not THAT far, but far enough that I had to ask myself if it was worth the trip. Especially in a Minnesota winter! That’s when I learned that it was most cost effective if I went to the grocery store once a week. It forced me to think ahead and make a list, with leaving little time to grab what we didn’t need. Anytime you step foot into a store, the temptation to buy something is that much greater. So when you only go once a week, you are saving that much more money in the end, by not buying what you don’t need.
Buy produce that is on sale
Whether you take time to look through fliers or not every week, what is evident in each store is what’s on sale. Can I just say signage? If you’ve done enough shopping for produce, you know whether something is expensive or not, based on whether you’ve bought it “in season”. Depending where you live, some produce may never be labeled as “in season”, but one thing I do know, most things eventually go on sale. Even in the winter months of Michigan, we had blueberries and raspberries on a steal of a deal the other day at our local Meijer! Now of course they aren’t from Michigan, but they sure tasted good! I mean I couldn’t even pick them for that cheap. Produce is often put on a sale rotation to some degree, so keep an eye out and buy accordingly, allowing you to save even more.
Eat leftovers.
This is one of the biggest money savers for us. Now granted, there are only 3 of us, so take what I’m saying with that in mind. But with that said, no matter the size of your family, you can always make more than what the recipe calls for. For instance, some of my recipes only make a 9×9 of something, but often I will double it up and make 2 – 9x9s, or put it all in a 9×13, that will hopefully give you some leftovers, even if it’s just for lunch. It’s one less meal you have to make! I’m sure there are some who are not willing to eat leftovers, and you know what? Tell them tough luck and if they don’t want the leftovers, they can make their own pb&j.
Don’t impulse buy.
How many times do you buy more than what is on your list? Or see something on sale that you can’t pass up? Or buy something because it looks good? I did that with caramel dip in the fall. I saw it next to the apples and thought wow, that looks good! And you know what? It’s been sitting in our fridge for WAY too long. It wasn’t on the list and I didn’t need to buy it. Even if something is on sale, if you don’t need it, it’s an impulse buy, and you really aren’t saving money. In fact, you are only spending more than you expected to. Stick to the list!
Check unit prices.
When you buy a product, do you ever check the unit price? Typically on a price sticker on the grocery shelf, there is the item, price, some other long numbers, and a unit price. Have you ever spent time looking at these? If you are someone who likes to buy food in bulk or one at a time, be mindful of what the unit price is. You might be surprised at what you find. For instance, I have found that with mozzarella cheese, it is much more cost effective for me to buy large bags of it (as long as I can fit them in my freezer), than to buy the little 1 1/2 or 2-cup bag. It just takes one more glance at the price to compare unit prices and you may be surprised how much more bang for a your buck you get!
Shop at second-hand stores.
Of course I’m not talking about buying food that has been opened and resealed, my friends! I’m talking about stores that may offer day old or close-to-expiring foods. And some foods, even though it may be “close” to expiring, are still good for awhile after, let’s be honest. We have a few second-hand stores around us that offer toiletry items, boxed foods, cleaning supplies, you name it! In the end, you may be spending half of what you normally would be on certain items. Now, remember though, don’t buy it just because it’s a good deal – make sure that you need it!
Choose generic.
I know that the name brand may “look” better just by looking at the bottle’s advertising, but is there really a difference in taste? Or even ingredients? Now don’t get me wrong, for some things, name brand may taste better. But canned mushrooms? Try the generic. Milk? Give the generic a whirl. This is where I am a big proponent of Aldi. I am a huge Aldi shopper because it is really hard to beat their prices and you often won’t find name brand items there. Wal-Mart can compete on some things, but for what we buy, Aldi is my go-to. And in the end, we are generic almost all the way across the board!
Download these 2 simple saving apps.
A rebate app, such as Ibotta or Fetch Rewards, lets you earn cash back on groceries and other everyday essentials, such as soap or household cleaners. I use both of these apps on a regular basis and have earned amazing rewards through them, such as gift cards, to use on future purchases. Simple download the apps, create an account for both. For Ibotta, tap on a store names you use most frequently and it’ll take you to a list of the rebates available. Some are for brand-name products, and others are “any item” rebates, meaning you get a small amount of cash for buying a particular product, like yogurt, no matter what the brand is. For Fetch Rewards, after downloading the app, take a picture of your receipt, and it’ll calculate any earnings you receive. On the app it will show you what has the highest earning potential, but just by simply scanning your receipt, you will save $.25 AT LEAST, and often more. Surprisingly, it adds up and you’ll be on your way to a gift card in no time!
These are just a few simple ways to save money on your grocery bill. And I keep working on these principles in my life as well, especially since we live MUCH closer to grocery stores than we used to. In fact, I’ve been known to go to the grocery store more than a couple of times a week. It usually has to do with poor planning on my part. The problem is, even when I went to the store to get “just one thing,” I’d usually leave with several, spending more than I’d planned.
Ironically, when COVID-19 came along, suddenly going to the store several times a week wasn’t an option. So then I made it a point to try to limit my shopping trips to just one or two per month.
Doing these 10 things has significantly cut my grocery spending and has opened my eyes to others ways to save money as well. The less time you spend in the store, the fewer opportunities you have to make impulse purchases. Shopping less has also helped me use up what I have before I go to a store again, which has helped me cut down on food waste while reducing food costs. Each decision you make, effects another, right? So choose wisely.
