20 Practical Ways To Save On Groceries

If you’re like most people, you’re always looking for ways to save on groceries. We all know that the grocery bill can be one of the highest expenses that a family can have, right next to the mortgage, but, it doesn’t have to be that way.  With a little bit of planning and preparation, you can easily find a ton of ways to save on groceries.  I know this because I have done it.

Several years ago, when my three children were much younger, I was a stay at home mom and my husband usually had two jobs.  His main job was a firefighter and if any of you know a firefighter, you know that the majority of them have to work double duty.  The pay isn’t any where near where it should be.  Hence, the second job.  Anyway, I digress.  As the CEO of the family finances, I had to figure out where the money we did have was going, as there always seemed to be a shortage.  Can you relate?

Here’s my a-ha moment

Well, I decided that the first place I was going to look was the monthly grocery bill.  If I needed to start cutting, the grocery budget would be the most logical place…and the easiest.  I can remember, like it was yesterday.  

I had been keeping track of the grocery receipts for one month and decided to wait until the end of the month to add them up, just so I could have an accurate picture of what I had been spending.

Well, let me tell you!  That was an AHA moment, if there ever was one.  I sat down that day to add up receipts and was totally astounded that I had spent over $800 for groceries for one month!  Impossible!!!  I added again, just to make sure I hadn’t made a mistake!  Nope!!  It was right!  And, to make matters worse…We didn’t have hardly any food in the house!  No wonder we were broke!!

Right then and there, I began my quest to bring that monster..er grocery bill..DOWN!…Way down!  When I began to really dig in and assess our spending, I noticed several things that were contributing to my what seemed to be out of control spending, where groceries were concerned.  

To this day, even though the kids are no longer a big factor, the habits that I began, long ago, still play a huge part in the way I grocery shop and spend money, today.  I’m going to share what I have learned over the years and just maybe you can see where and how you can save money in this area of your finances.

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20 Easy & practical ways to save Money on groceries

Set a Budget and Use Cash

I put this one first, because this is the main reason I spent so much back in the day.  I had no grocery budget.  Every time we ran out of something, I ran to the store.  Like most people, when you go in for one item, you NEVER come out with just one item.  Going in for a gallon of milk would always cost me at least $50-60 dollars.  I would also pay with check.  Just like with credit, writing a check wasn’t quite as painful as paying with cash.  When you have only cash, you make wiser decisions and you can’t buy on impulse.

Take Inventory

Go through your pantry, refrigerator and freezer and see what you already have on hand.  Try and use those items in your meal planning process.  If you’re household is like most, we could probably eat on what we have on hand for at least a week, if not longer.

Plan Your Meals

I wrote a post on this very subject called Meal Planning on a Budget.  Take a look, if you need a little guidance on this subject.  For me, meal planning made all the difference.  When I knew what I was having each week, I made sure I had the ingredients and it saved many unnecessary and expensive trips to the store.  That brings me to my next tip.

Stay Away From the Store

Have a set day, if possible, to go grocery shopping.  The rest of the week, just don’t go.  That way, you can guarantee that you won’t spend money.  If you run out of something, try to make the best of it and either do without or substitute for something else.  If you absolutely can get around going, see tip #1.  Take in only the amount of cash you need to purchase what you need.

Never Go On An Empty Stomach

It’s just a fact.  If you go to the store hungry, you’ll spend more, make poorer choices, which in turn, makes you spend more.  Researchers have studied this (see article here ) and have found that it isn’t just the case with food.  If you’re hungry, you have a tendency to spend more on everything.

Make a List

Always, always, always go grocery shopping with a list…and stick to it!  Grocery stores are notorious for getting you to make impulse purchases.  Have you seen the end caps??  Know before you walk in, what you need to buy.  Try to avoid at all costs, the clever marketing tricks that assail you as soon as you walk through the door.

Shop Sales Flyers

My grocery ad comes out on Wednesday. It’s delivered to my mailbox and also is available on the store grocery app that I use.  I start here when I begin to make my grocery list.  First, I look at what is on sale in the meat department.  This is when I begin to make my meal plan.  Then I check out what fresh veggies are on sale, etc.  Try to remember, most grocery stores put items on sale every 6-8 weeks.  This is a good rule of thumb to remember when your deciding if you need to stockpile. Which leads me to the next tip.

Stockpile

If you see something that you use on sale, go ahead and buy extra.  Having a stockpile can significantly reduce spending because it can save you extra trips to the store for those in between shopping days (or weeks).  If you don’t have a lot to spend, start small, make sure you have a place to store it and make sure it’s something that you know your going to consume.  Having things on hand reduces the tendency of needing to eat out.

Buy Store Brand

Being brand loyal can be expensive.  Most of the time, the store brands (generic) are the very same items that are name brand.  If you want to know the truth, many are made in the same factories as the name brands and are actually the same product.  This is a case where you need to do your own comparison, read the labels and compare ingredients and at least try the store brands.  Then you can decide.

Stay Away From Convenience/Cook From Scratch

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that you can pay dearly for convenience.  To many, it’s worth spending the extra bucks to be able to pop something in the microwave and have it ready in minutes.  But if you’re really trying to save money, you need to buy ingredients, not meals.  Most of the time, you can buy the ingredients for half of what an already prepared meal cost.  Yes, it may take you a little more time, but you can put that savings in your pocket and use it for something else.  

Convenience foods aren’t near as healthy as making it yourself, either.  I don’t know about you, but when I have a hard time pronouncing the ingredients that are in something, it makes me pause and wonder if I should be putting that in my body.  Just food for thought.

Use Coupons

Now, when I say use coupons, what I mean is use coupons for what you would normally buy anyway.  A coupon is not a bargain if you don’t really use or like the product.  The same goes with buying multiples of a given item.  Many times, the coupons say “Buy 3 to save $1.00”.  Unless I absolutely am crazy about or really need that product, I don’t use these types of coupons.  If a box of cereal is $3.00, and I have to buy three, spending $9.00 to get $1.00 off, that’s .33 cents off of one box…no thanks.  Just be aware of that.  Sometimes coupons will cause you to spend more.

You can also save more money with coupons if you can match one to a sale.  That’s when they really can pay off.

Be Aware of Unit Prices

Unit pricing is usually always on the price sticker that’s on the shelf, under the product.  Unit pricing can be broken down by weight, so you can compare the per ounce or per pound prices instead of trying to do multiplication and division in your head.  This may seem trivial, but these small savings can really add up.

Buy What’s in Season

Fruits and vegetables are always less expensive when they are in season.  Here’s a list  from TheBalance.com, showing which fruits/vegetables are in season in each month.

When corn on the cob was on sale last month, 5 ears for $1.00, I bought 10 and came home, shucked and froze them.  Also, be sure to check out your local farmers market for cheaper produce.  You can really get some great deals.

Some produce, like bananas, are always in season.  If you notice, the price of this nutritional powerhouse rarely fluctuates.

Grow Your Own Garden

If you’re lucky enough to have the space, this can save you a bundle.  My hubby has a garden, almost every year.  The problem we usually have is having too much.  This is when freezing and canning come in handy.  Here’s a link to my post about making homemade salsa and Icebox pickles when you have an abundance of tomatoes and cucumbers.  I hate to waste anything!

Eat Less Meat

Most of us tend to have meat as the star of the show, every single night.  If you could go with less or go without meat a couple of nights a week, you really could save here.

Some ideas for meatless meals were some of my favorites, as a kid.  Mom would make breakfast for dinner.  It might be homemade pancakes or egg omelettes.  I looked forward to those nights!  Think outside the box.  If we could maybe make meat the side dish instead of the main attraction, think about the possibilities…and the savings!

Use a Slow Cooker

I love my slow cooker/crockpot!  This is my most favorite appliance in the kitchen!  Slow cookers can save you money in so many ways.  They take less energy to use and it beats firing up the oven, especially during the hot Summer.  

You can take the toughest and cheapest cut of meat and turn it into the most tender, culinary delight!  Is that descriptive enough?  You get my point.  It’s probably the most under utilized appliance in the kitchen.  It has my vote when you can just dump all the ingredients in, frozen or not, put the lid on, turn it on and walk away.  It doesn’t get any better than that!

Don’t Waste Leftovers

Have I told you that leftovers are my favorite meal?  It means I don’t have to cook!  It also means that I was able to stretch that meal into two or three meals!  I know there are some of you that don’t like them, but again, if you’re trying to stretch your grocery dollar, NEVER let them go to waste.  If you don’t think you will want to eat them right away, you can always freeze them. Better yet, put them into single portions and freeze for lunches or a quick easy dinner for future meals.

Grocery Pickup

I love this option! This is awesome when you have littles and don’t want to go into the store for the shopping experience.  It’s also been a life saver when we’ve been having to social distance.

What I love most about grocery pickup is it keeps a running total for you so you can see exactly what you’re spending!  Is this wonderful or what!!  Even Walmart has gotten in on it!  If you haven’t tried it yet, you should.  I can’t say enough great things about it!

Use Grocery Apps

There are three apps that I’m familiar with.  One is Ibotta, which is like selecting your coupons before you go shopping.  When you come home from the store, you take a picture of your receipt and scan the UPC code on the item and submit.  It’s very easy.  It then saves the money for you until you want to cash it in via Pay Pal or through receiving gift cards.  I’ve accumulated about $30 dollars so far.

The other app is Walmart Savings Catcher.  You scan your receipt and it looks for similar items at other stores.  If it finds the item cheaper, it will reimburse you the difference.  The app does all the work!

Last but not least…my absolute favorite is the Fetch app.  You don’t have to select or buy anything, like you do with Ibotta.  All you have to do with Fetch is to scan your receipt and it will give you points immediately.  It takes only seconds to do and you can scan grocery receipts, home improvement stores, like Lowes, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc.  I plan on letting mine accumulate and then cashing in around the holidays.

Use my referral code, 2H6A6, during signup and you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points ($2.00 in points!) just for starting. Download Fetch Rewards free here: https://fetchrewards.onelink.me/vvv3/referralemail…

I know there are several more, but these are the two that I’m most familiar with.

Don’t Take the Kids

I know that sometimes, this can’t be avoided, but if there’s any way possible, don’t take the kids (or the husband).  Children and husbands will often want to buy food items that you don’t need, so if you have the opportunity to go by yourself, take it.

If you can start out doing even a few of these suggestions, you will see a decrease in your overall grocery spending.  Do you have any other ways to save on groceries or any tips to add to these money saving ideas?  I’d love to hear. Drop me a comment, below.

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