Tired of watching your hard-earned cash disappear into the grocery store abyss?
It’s time to take control of your grocery budget and unlock significant savings.
This comprehensive guide reveals nine proven strategies to slash your grocery expenses without sacrificing quality or convenience.
We’ll dive into:
- the power of shopping lists
- the art of meal planning
- the magic of coupons
- the surprising benefits of store-brand swaps
Rediscover the simple art of bulk buying, harness the power of cash, and avoid the pitfalls of pre-prepared foods. We’ll even explore the often-overlooked connection between time management and grocery savings.
The average American only goes to the grocery store once or twice a week. However, in this critical time characterized by high food prices, it is crucial to optimize your grocery budget.
Here are some grocery shopping suggestions to help you save money!
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9 Ways to Help You Keep Your Grocery Budget Low
1. Use a list.
If you have a shopping list with you (and stick to it), you will save a lot of money on your monthly grocery budget.
It’s critical to stick to the list and ensure that you have purchased everything on it. This will keep you from making impulse purchases and will save you from having to return to the store because you forgot something.
A trip to the store to get something you forgot generally results in the purchase of other products you don’t actually need.
A list can save you a lot of money and time. Go classic with paper and pen, or use checklist apps like Trello, that are expressly designed for grocery shopping lists.
Regardless, have your list ready and handy when you need it!
2. Plan your menus.
You can take advantage of promotions and bulk buying opportunities if you plan your dinners a week or even a month in advance.
It will also keep you from going out to eat. You might find that you can prepare food and freeze the rest for later. On days when you don’t feel like cooking, this will come in handy.
You can also organize your menus around your store’s weekly offers, which will allow you to maximize the sale pricing.
You can buy menu plans online if you don’t want to plan your own. Many of the programs are only $5.00 per month, but they will save you a lot of money at the grocery store.
Looking for some sweet budget recipes? Check out our collection of Budget-Friendly Recipes
3. Use coupons.
Coupons can help you save a significant amount of money on your grocery budget. According to Jeanette-Rose Morris on Business Insider, she saves about 30% on her monthly bill by paying attention to coupons.
The simplest method to do this is to match the coupons to the things that are on sale. If you’re diligent and only buy what you’ll need and use, you can save a lot of money at the grocery store.
8 Easy Steps to Using Coupons to Save Money on Your Shopping
4. Switch brands.
Switching to store-brand items or purchasing the brand that is on sale might save you a lot of money.
According to an article on CNET, their comparison of 20 staple items (Peanut butter, spaghetti, bread, yogurt) in name brand to store brand in both Wegman’s and Stop & Shop netted an average of 40% savings. Granted, this was in 2023, but it still paints an interesting picture.
Let’s be real – there are definitely some things you aren’t going to switch to store-brand on (I never budge when it comes to garbage bags, Oreos and mayonnaise.).
However, you might be shocked by the quality of store-brand merchandise.
Many of the items are manufactured and packaged in the same facilities and plants as major brands. Because the stores don’t have huge advertising costs, they can pass the savings on to you.
5. Do bulk purchases.
Stores are delighted to offer a discount to anyone purchasing in bulk.
It makes sense to buy in bulk if the savings are true as you utilize the product in your home, storing it so it doesn’t go bad.
Otherwise, stay away from bulk purchases made solely for the sake of getting a good bargain. If you don’t eat a lot of cereal, bulk purchasing will result in you spending money on something that will likely remain on your shelf until it goes bad or expires.
Most packaged and bagged things should be stored in cold, dark settings at home to extend the product’s life.
Freeze items like brown bananas (for baking), bread, butter, cookies, flour, grapes (they make a great snack), herbs, spices, nuts, and onions.
6. Pay with cash.
Carrying a certain amount of cash and just using it to buy groceries is the greatest approach to limit your spending.
You won’t be able to spend more than your allotted grocery budget with this strategy.
Many people are surprised to learn that whether they use a credit card, debit card, or prepaid card, they will overspend equally.
When you buy something using plastic, you usually wind up overspending by 10% to 50%.
When you pay with cash, you have to prioritize the foods you need, rather than impulsively purchasing sweets, snacks, and other non-essential items.
This way, you come home with the stuff you intended to buy, rather than the items you couldn’t resist, which are normally available at the checkout or snack counter.
7. Avoid pre-prepped fruits and vegetables.
Stores would love to do all the hard work for you like cleaning up salad leaves, chopping the veggies, peeling the fruits, and prepping it up for you.
Be aware, though, that there is a considerable cost behind it. The preparation of meals in delis, bakeries, and meat departments is where most grocery shops make their money.
Buying whole fruits and vegetables and preparing them at home when you need them may take a little longer, but it can help you save a lot of money on your monthly grocery bill. Skip the grocery store’s pre-prepared areas.
8. Keep track of not only your expenses but also your time.
When you go grocery shopping, you are depleting a valuable and finite resource.
Aside from money, you must correctly spend your time. Make a plan to spend a certain amount of time in the store and figure out how much you’ll be charged for the items in your cart.
Unsurprisingly, the longer you stay at the grocery store, the more money you’ll spend at the register. While you don’t have to sprint through the aisles, don’t expect to stroll or, worse, aimlessly across the aisles.
You might even set an alarm on your phone or watch to remind you to stay on track.
You’ll become more sensitive to your spending and time management if you keep track of your expenses and time.
9. Keep the kids at home if you can.
When you take your kids to the grocery store, you’ll immediately notice that your cart or basket is filled with items that they picked up in the aisles.
While you may want to indulge and get your children everything they desire, this will rapidly exceed your grocery budget.
Think about hiring a babysitter for an hour or two. The money you save on groceries usually more than covers the expense of the babysitter, plus you enjoy some peace while browsing the aisles.
Budget Meal Planning: 7 Days of Diverse & Delicious Meals for About $50 | Budget-Friendly Recipes
Keeping Your Grocery Budget Low
Even these tiny grocery budget saving techniques can add up to significant savings in the long term.
Your savings may not seem significant, but when taken together, they can make a huge difference in your grocery budget.
Make it a habit to organize your grocery shopping, your budget, and your time. It will assist you in being a more conscious shopper the next time you head to the store.
Updated from Jun 15, 2022
