It’s no secret that prices are at an all time high. Gas is nearly $6 a gallon and a pack of gum is almost $5. A lot of us are trying to save money by cutting back on things like clothing shopping, driving or going out for drinks. We are making money saving choices every day to try and live more frugally. But, there is one thing that we can’t completely cut back on. Food! We all need to eat, don’t we?!
It’s impossible to completely extinguish your grocery bill but it is possible to cut that bill in half!
Here are 21 ways to save money on groceries that no one talks about!
1. Plan Your Meals
Planning your meals is the most important thing you can do to save money on groceries!
Going to the grocery store can be quite an overwhelming experience. Dodging grocery carts, weaving in and out of the aisles and having to choose between all of the many product options available! Taking the time to plan out exactly what you want to cook will help make the experience much less stressful. This will ensure that you are only getting what you need and not just buying a bunch of random items so you can get out of there as quickly as possible.
2. Plan Meals Around What Is in Your Pantry and Fridge
Reducing food waste will save you so much money on groceries! Before you hit the store, take a look at what is already in your kitchen pantry and plan your meals around that. Choose recipes that include the perishable ingredients you already have in your fridge!
Taking inventory of what you already have at home will ensure that you aren’t rebuying stuff that you already have or letting your perishables go bad! Before you leave to get groceries, check to make sure that you’re really out of potatoes, that milk really went bad, etc.
3. Go in With a List
Planning your meals is great, but trying to remember what ingredients you need for those meals while you’re at the grocery store can be stressful. Instead, after you’ve decided what meals you want to cook, break down every meal into a list of ingredients. Take that list into the grocery store with you and only buy the things on that list!
4. Shop Seasonally
Shopping seasonally will save you a lot of money! The price of fresh items vary throughout the year based off of whether they are in season or not. Shopping with the seasons will ensure that you aren’t buying things when they’re priced at an all time high.
Avoid buying citrus and tropical fruit during the winter and opt for root vegetables. This guide will give you more information about what fruits and vegetables are currently in season!
5. Buy Generic Over Name Brand
Switching from name brand to generic products will save you so much money. The best part is that you will usually be getting the same quality product when you buy the generic version!
I was a sales rep for a large distribution company and learned that generic products are usually just name brand products packed up in the generic company’s packaging. This is usually the case for grocery and pharmacy brand items. Don’t spend extra for a label if you can get the same thing for less!
6. Change Where You Shop
Different grocery stores price their products differently. Make sure and compare prices at different stores before choosing the one you want to shop at. Although grocery shopping at a quant local co-op might be more aesthetic than going to Wal-Mart, you are paying for that experience.
Avoid shopping at stores that might temp you to buy things other than groceries. For instance, avoid going to Target for your grocery shopping. If you’re anything like me, you’ll go to Target to buy one thing and leave the store with a cart full of items you were never intending on buying. This is because Target strategically encourages impulse buying among its customers. Avoid ‘Target Syndrome‘ by buying your groceries at a store that only sells groceries!
7. Order Groceries Through Pickup/Drive Up
Ordering groceries through pickup/drive up is a great way to save money! Unlike grocery shopping in a store, by ordering online you are able to see exactly how much you’re going to spend on your grocery bill before you check out. If the bill will be higher than you intended, you can easily take things out of your cart before submitting your order. When shopping at a grocery store, you don’t have that opportunity. You will know how much your bill is after you’ve rang in all of your items.
By avoiding going into the store, you will also be less tempted to pick up random things that you weren’t intending on buying. An added perk is that ordering your groceries will save you so much time too!
8. Opt for Frozen Foods
Opt for frozen fruits and vegetables over frozen. Buying frozen is a lot cheaper than buying fresh and surprisingly, better quality too!
When companies freeze their fruits and vegetables they are freezing them at peak freshness, where as, when you are buying fresh veggies and fruits at the store they are being harvested before they are ripe and ripening at the store. This means you can easily end up with produce that will go bad as soon as you take it home or not ripen properly.
The same goes for meat and fish. Buying frozen meat and fish is way more cost effective. The likelihood of it going bad is if you don’t have time to cook with it immediately is nonexistent. Plus, buying frozen fish and meat is actually fresher than buying it ‘fresh’. When meat and fish is frozen, it is able to retain its flavor, nutrition and texture for longer.
9. Cook a Vegetarian Meal
Meat is expensive! It’s okay not to have it with every dinner. Try making a veggie stir fry or pasta one night instead. Cutting out meat for just one meal a week will save you a ton of money. It’s also kinder to the planet!
10. Don’t Shop Hungry
Don’t go to the grocery store if you are hungry! You’ll be so much more tempted to buy things that you weren’t planning on getting. Instead, avoid shopping impulsively by eating a meal before you head to the store.
If you don’t have time for a meal, try chewing a piece of gum or snacking on a granola bar. This will put off your hunger just long enough to get through your grocery shop without buying expensive, prepackaged treats you otherwise wouldn’t.
11. Make More Frequent Shopping Trips
Instead of doing a big grocery haul every few weeks, try shopping more frequently. Go to the grocery store once a week or even a couple times a week if you have the time. This will ensure that the food you buy won’t go bad between trips. The less food you waste, the less money you waste.
12. Utilize Coupons, Weekly Deals and Grocery Store Apps
Most grocery stores have an app that you can download to save tons of money on your grocery shopping! Through the app you’ll get access to exclusive deals or have the opportunity to collect points off of your purchases that can be redeemed for cash back. Every store does things a little differently. This blog post does a great job at diving into some of the most popular grocery stores and what you can expect from their app.
You can also go the conventional route and check out the grocery store’s newsletter for available coupons and weekly deals. Just make sure that you are only buying things on sale that you were planning on getting regardless!
13. Buy in Bulk
Buying in bulk is a great money saving tip for families or anyone who buys a large quantity of one item. Buying in bulk will usually be way cheaper per unit than buying a smaller quantity of that same item. Buy any item you know you’ll need in bulk when available. Think toilet paper, paper towels, frozen meat and fish, etc. Costco is a great option for all of your bulk buying needs! They sell most of their food for wholesale prices and make all of their money off of their memberships. This means that you aren’t paying a markup price like other grocery stores.
14. Don’t Buy Ready Meals
Ready made meals are super convenient but definitely not easy on the wallet. A ready meal containing salmon and asparagus can cost over $9 at the grocery store. Making this exact meal at home will cost over 3x less!
Instead of buying ready meals, meal prep for the week so that you always have leftovers in the fridge you can quickly reheat.
15. Cook With Versatile Ingredients
Buy pantry “staples” like onions, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, salad mix, etc. These staples can be added to so many meals depending on what you like to eat. Figure out which foods are ‘staples’ in your diet and build your meals around those. The versatility of these foods will ensure that they never go bad because they’ll get used up so quickly!
16. Make Simple Recipes
Have you ever bought a bunch of ingredients for a single recipe just to never make that recipe again? Same! I have so many random spices and pastes in my pantry that I have no use for in my day to day cooking. To keep from accumulating ingredients that you won’t use regularly, keep your meals simple! Simplifying your meals will save you so much money and pantry space!
17. Pay Attention to the Price Per Unit
The price per unit tells you how much you’re paying per basic unit of whatever it is you’re buying. So for paper towels, it’s the price per square foot. For toilet paper, it might be the price per sheet. For canned goods, it might be the price per ounce.
When deciding which product to purchase, always pay attention to the price per unit.
18. Don’t Buy PrePackaged Foods
Prepackaged foods are typically much more expensive than fresh item. Avoid the snack aisle and try making those same snacks at home! For example, instead of buying prepackaged hummus, make it at home. Same goes for things like salsa or guacamole. A $3 tub of hummus at the store will cost you $0.05 if you make it yourself. It usually tastes a thousand times better too!
19. Shop on Wednesdays and Thursdays
Did you know that you can find the best deals at grocery stores on Thursdays and Wednesdays?! I just learned about this and it has saved me so much money already. If possible, avoid shopping on weekends and choose either of these days instead. Your coin will go so much further!
20. Make More Than One Stop While Grocery Shopping
Being open to making more than one stop while grocery shopping will save you so much money. Different stores are best for different things. For instance, Costco is a great option for buying bulk items but if you are looking for fresh fruits and vegetables, it isn’t the best option. Trader Joe’s carries affordable produce but if you are on the hunt for a very specific ingredient for a recipe, you probably won’t find it there. Going to a few different stores will ensure that you are finding the best deals without compromising on what you need.
21. Keep Your Kitchen Pantry and Cabinets Organized
Saving money on groceries starts at home. Keeping your kitchen pantry and fridge organized will ensure that you know exactly what you already have. There’s nothing worse than buying something at the store, just to find out that you already have that item hiding in the back of your fridge. Taking inventory before you head to the store will keep that from happening.
To Wrap It Up
No matter how frugal you are, you can’t completely cut out your grocery bill. I mean, we all need to eat, don’t we?! With that being said, there are plenty of ways to save money on the things that you just can’t live without. Utilizing these 21 money saving tips will make your dollar go further so you can get more groceries for less!
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