You can save big on groceries by replacing a few items with cheaper alternatives. Check out these tips for grocery shopping on a budget.
You may or may not have heard of the book series, “Eat This, Not That”, but this is a spin-off idea for it. I wanted to compile a list of items that many people buy that have a cheaper alternative. Some of these alternatives require a bit of preparation, but nothing too time-consuming. These tips for grocery shopping on a budget will bring phenomenal savings!
“Buy This, Not That” – Tips for Grocery Shopping on a Budget
Meats:
Buy this:
- Bulk hamburger ( divide it into approximate pounds and freeze yourself.)
- Whole chickens
- Roasts
Not that:
- Boneless Chicken breasts (unless on a big sale!)
- Individual pounds of ground meat
- Steaks sold individually
Canned Goods:
Buy this:
- Tomato Sauce (plain)
- Tuna
Not that:
- Canned Fruits ( buy fresh in-season and can or freeze it yourself)
- Canned Vegetables (Can buy fresh in season and freeze)
- Canned Pasta Sauce (you will save a lot more money making your own and canning)
Packaged Foods:
Beans– Buy them dry in bulk and use them that way to make soups, refried beans of your own and so on. Buying beans in a can cost almost 5 times more than buying them and soaking them the old-fashioned way. How to cook dried beans.
Pasta– Always buy this in bulk. You will almost always pay more for it if bought in smaller quantities.
Rice– Skip the individual rice mixes and flavor your own with chicken broth (or any other flavor you want) and some seasonings. Rice, if bought in bulk, is so much cheaper. How to cook rice from scratch.
Speaking of broth, you can make your own for a lot lower than the price of it in cans or cartons. No need to buy it ever!
- How to Make Vegetable Broth
- How to Make Turkey Broth
- How to Make Chicken Broth
- How to Make Beef Broth
Buy spices from the bulk food section. One secret to seasoning your foods is to not buy them in the containers in your grocer’s baking aisle. If you have a bulk foods section of your favorite store, always buy them there. Did you know that when you buy them in containers, you are mostly paying for the label and the glass or plastic canister they come in? Instead, buy the spices in bulk and reuse old spice bottles to store them.
Speaking of spices, you can make your own spice mixes.
- How to Make Pumpkin Pie Spice
- How to Make Poultry Seasoning
- How to Make Apple Pie Spice
- How to Make Seasoned Salt
- How to Make Italian Seasoning
- How to Make Taco Seasoning Mix
- How to Make Herbs de Provence
- How to Make Chipotle Seasoning Mix
Snacks:
Buy whole vegetables, not individual servings. Did you know that “baby carrots” are actually just regular carrots cut a specific way by a machine? You can buy carrots so much cheaper and chop them yourselves. Save for a day or two this way for quick grabbing by placing them in water in the fridge,
Buy large containers of snacks such as crackers and chips. If you want to separate them for lunches or quick snacks, just place in baggies. You will save at least 40-50% by doing this. Individual packs are such a waste of money!
What is on your “buy this, not that” list?
Terrie Kremheller says
I buy “family pack” chicken thighs. Some I oven fry for a meal, the rest I simmer with added chopped onion and celery ( seed,salt,dried or fresh ) this makes an excellent broth.
Remove the meat from bone add to broth divide into batches for later use ( chicken & noodles,dumplings,potpie etc ) freeze till ready to use.
Marge Laufer says
great it bring to mind how we are trained by marketing ads that have us spending more when a few good ideas like the ones in this website can help us rethink our waste and eat better.
annemarie says
i save my cashier receipt and then i transfer the amt, with size, to a book i keep. the items are in alpha order by type (yogurt) rather than brand (dannon).
i use it to go over the weekly flyer and decide what to buy and if it is a deal. i bring the book with me to the store but the best place to bring it is costco and similar warehouse stores. i often find that CVS had a better deal on paper towels than costco.
Sandra says
Words to live by! I’ve been cooking my scraps from scratch my whole life. I’m still learning new ways to save even more money. Bulk shopping, precooking, substitutions, it all adds up.
Today I’m using an easy fudgesicle recipe to make fudgesicle desserts in a cup Shopping from my pantry, I’ll use cornstarch, powdered milk, cocoa powder, sugar, and coconut oil to blend up some goodness for a fraction of the cost of store-bought, because I’m not paying for the manufacturing process, the packaging, the transportation costs, or the retail markup. And it only takes ten minutes to whip it up and put it in the freezer. I can do that while homemade spaghetti is cooking. Then we’ll have a frozen treat for the weekend.
Linda Thompson says
Did everybody know this but me?
Terrie Kremheller says
I SHOULD have know this….gee, no more brick-hard brown sugar ?? WOW
Lisa says
Don’t buy brow sugar. Buy plain white sugar. Keep molasses on hand. Put them together however you prefer and you have brown sugar, light, medium or dark.
Linda Thompson says
Who knew?
Diane Van Minsel says
I do all of these things for the most part. Plus I have the privilege of being able to shop at the commissary ( the grocery store for the military.), so that helps my budget A LOT! !!!
Suzanne says
I agree. I am newly retired and for the first time in my life have to mind a budget. I never knew the prices of items before– just threw things into the cart. I am in shock at how much variability there is between stores on the same item. So whether you’re just starting out, or like me –just starting to monitor spending, making wise decisions about food purchases can save a good deal of money that can be put to other uses. And I find that I even prefer to cook my own tomato sauces and beans so that I can minimize the amount of additives and preservatives. Thanks for giving me yet another way to analyze my shopping!
Elyse Lyons says
I love this. I am young and I just moved out of my parents house. While trying to figure all of this out, I have spent a lot of time reading blog posts like this, but this is one of the most straight forward, simple posts that I have read!
I would add to try to by generic snacks and other brands instead of buying the namebrand unless you have a coupon that makes it cheaper than the generic.
Love this post! Thank you!