The following article was written by Travis from ChristianMoneyMountain.com.
I haven’t been to the grocery store in 3 weeks, which means I’ve been living off peanut butter and frozen pizzas the past week. We generally buy groceries every 2 weeks, but we were really busy last weekend and didn’t make it to the store. Grocery shopping isn’t on our list of favorite things to do either. I can think of a lot better ways to spend an hour. But unfortunately it’s necessary, and today is the day. Here are 10 ways to save money on groceries that can actually keep more money in your pocket!
1. Don’t shop when you’re hungry
Everyone has heard this by now. My wife and I have a horrible time sticking to this. It seems we always go in the mornings when we haven’t had breakfast. Then we wonder when we get home why we have so many pop tarts and boxes of cereal.
2. Check the Ads
Most stores will offer big sales in order to get you into their store. Identify the sale items you need, and take advantage. Just don’t get tricked into buying something you don’t need.
3. Make a List
Taking 10 minutes to write out a list before you go to a store can save you tons of money. How many times have you bought items that you already had at home? Or how many times have you been enticed by an item that you really didn’t need? Making a list ensures you buy only what you need, and nothing more. This also saves you from making multiple trips to the store to pick up things your forgot.
4. Take a Calculator
You should have only so much money budgeted for groceries per month. For my wife and I, it’s around $350 a month. This means you need to keep a close watch on what you spend. It’s very easy to spend more than you planned once you walk into the store. So keep up with all your costs on a calculator.
5. Make a Menu for the week
Decide what you want to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner before you go. For us, its usually spaghetti, chicken quesidillas, tacos, cheeseburgers, and a meat and three one night. We pretty much have a routine and just switch up one or two meals a week.
6. Stretch your Menu
Plan your meals so you have leftovers. This always happens when you’re only feeding two. This means dinner one night, is usually lunch the next day.
7. Don’t waste food
This goes along with eating leftovers. Don’t waste food. We’re really bad about this. We throw away a lot. One study said the average family wastes 14% of the food it buys. That’s a lot of money over the course of a year.
8. Make use of coupons
This is another area we don’t do very good at. I’m sensing a theme. I read about lots of people that save lots of money by using coupons. The opportunity is there, you just have to be willing to put in the work. For more strategies, check out these tips to start saving money with coupons.
9. Shop Alone
I know alot of you moms are thinking, I wish. If you do your shopping alone you don’t have to worry about your kids or spouse leading you astray and convincing you to buy random items you don’t need.
10. Buy Local Produce
During the spring and summer take advantage of your local farmers. They often will have fresher produce, at cheaper prices. Or you could consider doing it yourself. Grow your own garden, and sell or give away what you’re not able to keep.
11. Compare Stores
Look at prices between stores. We usually find ourselves shopping at Walmart, and I believe them to be generally cheaper on most things. But there’s other stores that you can buy items cheaper at such as Aldi or SaveALot.
12. Look Down
When doing your shopping, pay attention to the items closer to the floor. The cheaper items are usually lower, while the pricier items are at eye level.
13. Buy in Bulk
If there’s non-perishable items on your list that you’re buying every week, consider buying that item in bulk. By buying in bulk you’ll save money that would otherwise be spent on packaging and advertising. Some of the items to consider buying in bulk might be peanut butter, canned goods, and ketchup.
I’m sure there’s lot of ways to save on groceries that I’ve failed to mention – got any other tips?
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Many items, such as canned foods and beverages, come in different sizes and weights. For instance, a can of tomato sauce may come in both 14 and 28 ounce cans. The 14 ounce can may cost 75 cents, and the 28 ounce can may cost $1.40.
A good way to make sure you’re paying the lowest price is to check the cost per ounce, which is usually in smaller print on the price tag. So even though the 28 ounce can costs more overall, it’s still cheaper by the ounce. If the cost per ounce is not available, you can always carry a small calculator and do the basic math yourself.
Great article! This has been my ongoing mission since marrying 6 months ago. We live in Hawaii where food generally costs 20% more. We don’t have an eating out allowance although we take it out of our ‘fun money’ or go to parties to eat about 4X a month. So it’s all groceries.
First, the biggest thing that helped me was to SWITCH GROCERY STORES. (If the alternative seems far, go to one next to your work, relative’s house or other place you go home. ) More of the things I like to buy are usually on sale more frequently at one store but I didn’t know until I tried. Here’s a hint. Are there lots of old people there during the day? My grandma said, stick with her, she knows where the deals are. Anyway, it cut my bill about 25%.
Second, I shop alone because me and my husband spend more when we are together and I can’t get into my ‘shopping analysis’ mode when he’s talking to me (more like I’m talking to him) or tempting me to put unhealthy things in the cart (I’m only allowed to do that!) and we can go back and forth buying things we don’t need if one person starts to do it. Plus you have to explain yourself for every decision.
Our budget is the same as the author. My husband and I spend $300 on monthly food and $100 every other month at Costco buying staples, especially meat.
At the store, I go up and down every aisle to look for sales and make something out of the sale. You generally buy the same kinds of foods and you learn the aisles. I actually made a grocery list according to aisles of what WE like to eat (and are healthy for us) and then I print out, circle and add to as needed (re: treats). Happy shopping!!
Just an observation: I have found that I rarely shop at Walmart anymore. Many of their store brands are more expensive than other stores like Kroger. Also, Kroger doubles coupons up to $.50, so I usually get a much better deal there.
We have a grocery budget, make a list and buy groceries once a week. It helps. We still need to find other ways to save money on grocery though. Its not my favorite thing to do by a long shot!
Shop at Asian Markets!
We’ve found that some of our staple vegetables, grains, noodles/pastas, spices, coconut milks, etc. are much cheeper and sometimes of better quality when purchased at a Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean market.
Here’s how I managed to “shop alone” even as a divorced / single parent of a toddler.
I did my grocery shopping and errands as much as possible either during my lunch break, or immediately after work. I had the babysitter hired for an hour after my scheduled work time – if I left on time, I could run errands; if work was running late, I was not in a panic to rush across town to pick up my daughter.
I we were closer to an Aldi’s I’d go there. We don’t have any ethnic markets nearby but my mom did and she used to get the greatest fish and spices for great prices.
Besides what you suggested we do these kinds of things.
We have a bump and dent grocery near us. (They buy overruns and bankrupcy items at auction and resell them in a retail setting) Even so, check that items actually are cheaper than those in the regular store on sale. I used to keep a price book, which I’ve slacked off on recently. That does help though. If you don’t have anyplace like that near you try places like Big Lots.
You may notice a cycle at your normal grocery stores. Peanut butter goes on sale every so often, so stock up for the between times.
Put in a small garden. Even if it’s just herbs. Pesto is a favorite at our house.
Then there are day old bakery outlets. And orchards. In the past I’ve canned peaches and made apple sauce from what are called “drops”. Check out prices there too, as some orchards are horribly expensive and some are reasonable.
Dollar stores may have certain oddball things. Jars of roasted red peppers comes to mind. You can’t beat the price.
In a regular store stock up on loss leaders. They are the items the store actually loses on, usually printed in huge letters on the store flyer. They price them to get you in the door. Beat them at their own game. Check out the discount bins. Perhaps the box was slit or the can slightly dented. Our regular grocers let you use coupons on these so you get a double whammy savings.
Our food budget for 4 is $85 a week. And we have 22 and 14 year old guys in sports. Some people who do vegan have even lower costs.
This is a great article and as a single mother myself, I am always looking for ways to reduce my grocery bill. I especially like the tip of not going to the grocery store when you are hungry – this is a mistake I always make and always end up buying things that I don’t really need.
Thanks again.
I LOVE to cook and make everything homemade. I also love to bake. I create many of my own recipes and believe it only takes a little creativity to stretch your budget. Tonight’s main course lleftovers can appear as the main course tomorrow as a totally different meal. Chicken can become stirfry or fajitas, roast can become a soup or casserole, baked potatoes can become potato soup or fried potatoes. Yes, if it is something my family really loves it can just be lleftovers, like the homemade chicken and noodles I made tonight. My family would rather eat at home than eat out, which makes us all happy. Experiment!
4. Take a Calculator
Don’t forget your cell phone probably has a built-in calculator.
Most people never look at price per ounce or unit. I see people buying 18 eggs when you can buy 2 dozen for less.
Don’t shop alone, teach the next generation of shoppers how to be frugal and learn the value of a dollar. Children need to know how much of the family’s budget can be spent on food. And, think of the math skills, planning tactics, and quality time can be spent with your children if you help make them a part of the family decision making process. Yes, I am a teacher see the results of children who have no clue of what it is like to work with money and experience real world applications of what we teach them in the classroom.
Here’s to the next generation of frugal shoppers and socially responsible adults.
Hope
You are so right!!! It might take time to get rid of the “gimmies” but in the end you will have a savvy shopper who might be able to show you a thing or too, I know my son has helped me see the difference in prices on different items many times!! He is better at math.
I now take my granddaughter to teach her, but I don’t take all my kids/grandkids at the same time.
I love to shop at Aldi, yes it is not naame brand but it cheaper then going to Wal-mart to get the basics. Kroger usually has a good 10 for 10 sale and can stock up on the most common used things in the house. Plus there is a good farmers market and can get the weeks produce for a good price. We only eat meat a few times a week and the rest of the week eat a veg to semi veg diet. Not only are we healthier but we save lots of money as well. I normally spend $100 for a family of 6 (myself, 2 kids ages 6 and 9 and my parents.)