How to Save Money at the Grocery Store
I’ve really made an effort over the past couple of months to cut down on my grocery budget. Everyone has a different idea of what’s reasonable to spend, but let’s just say I was spending way too much money on groceries, especially when you consider how often I receive free products to review. It was time to get things in order.
So I made a few of the usual changes, planning meals, packing lunches, but I did find a few things more helpful than others. I mean, we all know what we need to do… but it’s not that easy, now is it.
This is a sample of groceries for the week:
Stop trying to be perfect
You’re not going to pack your lunch every single day. You’re not always going to use all of your produce before it goes bad. Sometimes you’ll have to take an unplanned trip to the grocery store (oops, impulse buys!) it happens. But it’s not that big of a deal. Just like healthy eating, it’s about balance. If you forget to pack your lunch on Monday, don’t throw everything out the window for the rest of the week. Just pack it Tuesday.
If you don’t know what to do with it, don’t buy it
Eggplants are on sale? Awesome. But if you have no idea what to do with it, or you don’t really like it… don’t buy it. It’s like buying clothing because it’s on sale. You’ll always avoid it, you’ll let it sit in the fridge, and then eventually you’ll have to throw it out. This is where planning comes in handy. Think about what you could do with leftover ingredients. Think about new ways to revamp leftovers.
Be realistic with what you buy
Yes, dried beans are cheaper than canned, but are you really going to soak them overnight? Don’t get too ambitious, otherwise, you’ll just end up ordering take out. Keep in mind things like pre-cut vegetables (you know, the ones wrapped in plastic wrap) are way more expensive than veggies you’ll have to chop yourself. But sometimes things like pre-packaged/washed lettuce will make dinner come together much easier. Decide what you have time for, and plan accordingly. I personally love kale that is pre-cut and washed, but I don’t mind dicing my own peppers and onions. (They also keep a lot longer that way!)
Know what things cost
I’m not saying you need to go to every grocery store in town for the best price, but decide what is worth your money. I love certain things from the farmers market, so it’s worth it to me to pay a little bit more. Check out some of your staple grocery items and see if there is a store brand that costs a little less.
That said, in college, I lived of Kroger Carbmaster yogurt. It’s like $0.40 a cup. And it’s full of a bunch of random preservatives, chemicals, and flavorings. It’s worth it to me, to pay a little bit more for Greek yogurt that doesn’t contain things I can’t pronounce. Know what things cost and why you’re paying more or less.
What does all this mean? Well for me, I’ve basically cut my grocery spending in half this month, saving me about $150 bucks. That’s $150! That’s a lot of money, my friends. But I’ve still been able to cook dinner for friends, try out new recipes, and pick up my favorite local groceries at the farmer’s market.
Great post, Liz. It’s so important to be sensible about the things that you buy, not buy just because it’s on sale. I love your approach!
Thanks for the reminder that we’re not going to be perfect with each meal, and that not to be too ambitious! I have to remember to look in my fridge before I go grocery shopping and cross off the items that are already in there.
That’s great that you’ve been saving so much money! Getting ambitious about meals tends to be a habit of mine :\
Some tips…
*My husband has taught me to compare the unit prices of things to REALLY see what the cost difference is
*I check our store’s website (Shop Rite) before heading out to see if there are any online coupons to add to our shopper card. They’re not advertised in the store, so there’s some savings we wouldn’t otherwise have known about
*Go through the week’s flier and plan meals around what’s on sale.
*It’s nice that the cashier will tell us how much we’ve saved on each grocery shopping trip- it’s fun to make a game of it and see if we can beat last week’s number.
*We’ve started going to Aldi, the small off-brand food store, for some things that are waaay cheaper. About half of their produce is wrapped in plastic, though, and I like to avoid that.
Fun reading everyone else’s comments!
these are great tips! I save money by buying certain things in bulk from Costco (e.g., frozen chicken breasts and tilapia) and always packing lunch. just discovered your blog, by the way — loving it! looking forward to following along 🙂
Aw thank you! Glad you found it!!
I make a list from all of the circulars of all products I buy on a weekly basis and go to a few stores to get the best price. It is effort at times but so worth it when I save money! I coupon where I can (not easy these days when one wants to buy organic or healthier foods) and I print out coupons from various websites.
Great tips! I tend to shop at 2-3 different stores (farmers market, ‘regular grocery store’, Whole Foods or Costco) which sometimes feels a bit laborious. But it’s worth it in the long run (and worth it on my budget).
I always look at the ‘cost per serving’ when debating between brands. Sometimes when something is on sale, it’s still not less expensive than, for example, the store brand.
great tips girl, and all so very true!!! my grocery budget would be totally under control if it wasn’t for wine and chocolate lol, gets me everyyyy time 😉
Great post Liz! I plan around the weekly circulars for Sprouts which is my go to grocery store lately. I also print out their coupons and coupons from Whole Foods. I typically do a Costco trip every two weeks to buy some bulk items which I saves us in the long run 🙂
Great, great tips! I’ve recently really been hanging on to the “you get what you pay for” bit. I’m a poor college student, but even then, I never skimp on healthy groceries just because I like to know what’s going into my body and how it’s going to affect me. That’s a lot of money saved – way to go! 🙂
Cool post – you made a massive saving! It can be so easy to overspend at the supermarket. I don’t really have any great money saving tips but I do tend to make meal plans and shopping lists which can help prevent impulse purchases. I also love stocking up on frozen fruits and veggies as they are generally a lot cheaper but last longer than conventional and I try to only buy things that I know I like and will use. I think you can also save quite a bit by buying the generic store brands.