Food is expensive. It’s as simple as that. Now consider that you have to feed every member of your family three meals a day plus snacks and drinks; I know you already see why it’s important to save money shopping for groceries!
As a family of three, we budget $350 per month for groceries and work hard to eat well while sticking to a tight budget. However, I know many families of four or five who spend upwards of $1,000 per month on groceries! With spending like that, I know we would never afford to live on one income.
There are simple things you can do to save money each month on your grocery bill, while maintaining a healthy diet and a satisfied stomach.
With that said, you can save even MORE money by adopting some of the tips that require only a little effort on your part. It might take some time for you to design your weekly meal plan, but it will save you time and sanity each night – plus it will save your wallet BIG.
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1. Create a Meal Plan
Before you head to the grocery store, make a list of what you want to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner over the next week. Then make a list of the ingredients needed for each meal, and identify which ones you don’t already have at home.
Sticking to a meal plan and the ingredients on your list will stop you from making impulse purchases. This way you won’t break the bank!
2. Join the Store Loyalty Program
I love to look at the bottom of my receipt each week to see how much money I saved by having a loyalty card at my grocery store.
In addition to offering coupons and discounts, some stores (like mine!), even offer more money-saving opportunities. Based on how much I spend each month, I receive a certain dollar per gallon discount on my gas. That adds up!
Most grocery stores offer this free program in hopes of enticing you to shop at their store more often.
3. Grab from the Back
Have you ever looked at your gallon of milk when you return home only to realize you’ll never be able to drink that much milk before the expiration date?
Or the bag of pre-washed lettuce expires in just two days?
Check the expiration dates at the store BEFORE putting the item in your cart. This will cause you to throw away less expired food at the end of the week, meaning more money saved!
4. Shop Generic
Did you know there are manufacturing plants that send the same food down two different conveyor belts – one to be packaged in a name brand container and the other as a store brand.
That’s right! It is often the exact same food! This is one of the many reasons I stand by shopping generic (unless the name brand is on sale cheaper).
Saving 50 cents, a dollar, or even more on each store brand item compared to its name brand counterpart can really add up when you go to check out!
5. Buy a Rotisserie Chicken
Not only are rotisserie chickens super simple to prepare, they are also easy on your wallet!
Costco sells a pack of two whole chickens for $0.99 per pound, and I’ve seen them even cheaper than that on “clearance” at my local grocery store.
On a week when I prepare a rotisserie chicken, our other dinners also have a chicken theme in order to use up the leftovers. My favorites are Mini Chicken Pot Pies in a muffin pan and classic quesadillas!
6. Make a List and Stick To It
Before you head to the store, make sure you write a list, based on your weekly meal plan and the sales listed in the store’s circular.
Here comes the hard part – you have to stick to the list! I always spend more money when I shop without a list. Five minutes dedicated to writing a list before you leave the house will save you $$$!
7. Do Not Buy Bottled Water
Buy yourself a reusable water bottle (maybe even two if you are forgetful and leave them places, like me).
Then refill that water bottle from home each day instead of packing a plastic bottle of water. The best part of this plan is that it is majorly cost-effective AND it’s better for the earth too!
8. Plan Meals Based On Your Pantry
There are weeks when I have looked in my pantry where I find a few ingredients that have been in there for ages – unused.
Or I dig through my freezer and find meat that I froze months ago – but forgot about.
Before buying more food, sort through your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to see what you already have in stock. Then make your meal plan based on these ingredients.
You save money and use ingredients that may otherwise expire before you ever use them!
9. Use Leftovers for Lunch
Please tell me I am not the only one guilty of throwing away unused leftovers at the end of the week!
If I don’t intentionally eat dinner leftovers, it is so easy for them to get forgotten in the back of the fridge. I hate the idea of wasting food, which of course is wasted money too.
Be intentional – pack your dinner leftovers for lunch; you save money on a lunch meal and don’t lose money on wasted food.
Tip: if your lunch setup does not allow you to heat food in the microwave, get one of these mini crockpots. Just plug it in and you’re all set!
10. Try Meatless Mondays
The meat in your meal is typically the most expensive ingredient. Try dedicating one day per week to discluding meat from your menu to save the added cost.
Meatless Mondays has a nice ring to it, but the idea is that you simply choose one day per week to go without meat. It does not have to be Monday.
I personally make spaghetti on Sunday nights, which tends to be my meatless day of the week. The whole point is just to save money shopping for groceries!
11. Add It Up While You Shop
Grab a calculator, or pull up the calculator on your phone, or calculate mentally if you’re a math whiz. As you physically add each item to your shopping cart, add it to your running total on the calculator.
To save even more money, round up each item to the nearest dollar so you can be sure you check out under budget. For example, $1.01 through $1.99 round up to $2. I know it goes against what you learned in grade-school math class, but in this case it will help you save extra money!
12. Buy in Bulk
Buying in bulk can save you so much money, as long as you use what you buy! Compare the price per unit to determine how much cheaper something in bulk is compared to purchasing it non-bulk.
For example, if chicken breast is $4.38 for a two-pound package ($2.19 per pound) and $11.94 for a six-pound package ($1.99 per pound), get the six-pound package and freeze what you won’t use this week!
Here’s the most important part – you have to use what you buy! If you won’t eat 6 pounds of chicken breast before it’s not as great from the freezer (about 9 months), you’ll end up losing more in the long run.
Therefore, remember – “Bulk is best, as long as I’ll use it.”
13. Freeze Meals
Not only is this a money-saver, but it’s a time-saver and sanity-saver too! There are many nights I am short on time and/or energy to cook dinner.
Rather than eating out or baking prepared dinners ($$$), pull out one of your own freezer meals.
Some of my favorite freezer meals are: Homemade Chicken Pot Pies, Taco Casserole, and Meat Loaf.
14. Look Past Your Eye Level
Stand on your tippy-toes and work on your squats, because the lesser expensive items tend to be toward the top and bottom shelves.
Stores are smart – they put their most expensive items at eye level because most people look there first. But you are smarter than the stores! Save money shopping for groceries by checking out the higher and lower shelves first.
15. Try Different Grocery Stores
I have always done most of our grocery shopping at our local Giant Food Stores, and I still do. But before I had a baby and had actual free time, I discovered some other local food stores that had some significantly cheaper items.
For example, if we are having friends over and prepare appetizers, I always go to Aldi. Their cheeses, deli meats, hummus, etc are enough cheaper than our typical grocery store to make it worth the extra trip.
If we are stocking up on snack foods, I know Walmart tends to have the cheapest items. Time to refill our cereal bins or toiletries? I got to Costco. Fruits and veggies? Produce Junction is by far the most affordable!
It may take some time up front to explore a variety of your local food stores, but it could save you a lot of money in the long run!
16. Shop On A Full Stomach
I’ve made this mistake more than once! I ALWAYS buy more food and things I don’t need if I shop when hungry.
Do your wallet a favor and shop on a full stomach. You’ll have a clearer head!
17. Start a Vegetable or Herb Garden
In the first few years of owning our vegetable garden, we simply planted the easiest vegetables to grow and harvest.
After a few years, we got smarter. Now we plant the fruits and vegetables that are the most expensive to buy at the store: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, asparagus, corn, etc.
An herb garden won’t necessarily save you money if you are used to buying dried herbs. However, if you purchase fresh herbs (so much better!), growing your own can save you lots of money – plus you can grow them indoors too.
18. Shop Online and Pick Up In-Store
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I started using Walmart Grocery Pick-Up to avoid shopping in the stores. I discovered Walmart’s amazing prices, and it was SO easy to order on their app and do curbside pick-up.
Another bonus is that you will be less tempted by aisles of delicious options; an app allows you to directly search for exactly what you need and no extras!
If you want to save money shopping for groceries by trying Walmart, use my referral link for $10 off your first order!
19. Actually Use All The Food You Buy
I am so incredibly guilty of this! I have to make a concerted effort to use all my food before it goes bad.
This is the money-saver I struggle the most with – yet it can be one of the biggest ways to save your dollars!
Use your leftovers before they go bad, prepare your veggies, and drink your milk! It can be especially helpful to prepare your vegetables on the day you buy them rather than letting them get lost in your vegetable drawer.
20. Skip Pre-Packaged Foods
It may save you some time to buy a salad kit or pre-sliced apples, but you will seriously pay for it!
Save money shopping for groceries and buy the ingredients for a salad and slice the apples yourself! A little bit of your time is worth the savings!
21. Use a Smaller Cart or Basket
If your cart is only so big, you physically can only put in a certain amount of food. This tactic helps prevent you from over-buying.
Unless I have my baby with me, I always use a small cart, even if I know it may be packed full by the end. It still helps me avoid the temptation of filling up the big cart and buying things I don’t need!
22. Buy In-Season
Did you know foods cost more when you buy them out-of-season? It makes sense. They are more in demand, and the grocery stores have to pay more money to get them in stock from locations further away.
I can’t wait for the summer when I can buy watermelon, cantaloupe, fresh corn on the cob, and all my other favorite summertime foods! In the wintertime, I know I should stick with bananas, apples, carrots, celery, etc.
23. Limit Your Shopping Trips
This is one of the money-saving tips I personally struggle with the most! It’s simple math – the more times you visit the grocery store, the more food you are likely to buy.
I am frequently tempted to visit the grocery store a second time during the week to pick up things I forgot or didn’t get enough of. I always run out of bananas before the end of the week, or they turn brown before we can eat them. Never a happy medium!
Do yourself a favor and commit to ONE visit per week. Your family will survive two days without bananas or a day without bread.
24. Consider a Wholesale Club Membership
Before purchasing a wholesale club membership, you need to carefully consider if you have the willpower to resist impulse buys at a place like Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s.
There are many times I have walked out of Costco with things I did not go there for. Things I didn’t need but looked too good not to have!
Wholesale club memberships have the ability to save you a lot of money, as long as you are disciplined in what you buy. Also consider if you will be able to use what you buy in bulk before it will expire.
A family of two who often eats out will likely not make good use of this type of membership. On the other hand, a family of four with kids who have endless pits for stomachs will certainly save money!
25. Pay Attention to Prices
You can’t effectively save money shopping for groceries if you don’t know what a good deal is!
If you pay $3.99/lb for ground beef, is that too much? Or a good deal? You won’t know unless you pay attention to the prices and how they change over time.
Even better if you pay attention to prices across different stores. This will take time and effort on your part, but I promise it will pay off in the long run and save you tons of money!
Which of these tips are you going to start using first? I’m so happy for you to save money shopping for groceries!
About the Author
I LOVE these ideas! Super actionable and smart + easy! I know I spend too much each month just for my husband and me. I’m way older than you and past by baby raising days, but can always use help with the budget.