Grocery shopping for a family is one of the biggest budgets that most households have. Whether you are feeding two or seven people, it can get difficult to stay within a budget while making sure your family will eat enough and eat the right kind of foods. There are different ways you can cut down on food costs, from couponing to buying store brand items, but there a few more ways you can save money that you might not know about. Here are 10 secret tips to save more on groceries.
10 Secret Tips to Save Money on Groceries
Try Meal Planning.
Planning out your meals before you go to the grocery store is the number one way to save money on groceries. Not only do you not waste time foraging through the grocery store, but you save money knowing exactly what you are going to buy.
Use Store Coupons.
Many grocery stores have their own coupons for items on sale. You can usually find a catalog or wall when you walk in with the stores coupons, or you can ask at the customer service counter for a circular as well. Sometimes stores even let you use both a store coupon and a manufacturer’s coupon.
Chose the Best Time of Day.
Depending on where you live, timing helps save you money. At the end of the day, you are likely to find sales on meat or other products that you can freeze and still eat. It is also a good idea to find out what days things get marked down. Make friends with the butcher at your favorite store, and they are likely to tell you when they do their mark-downs. Here are more tips for saving money with manager markdowns.
Eat Less Meat.
Meat tends to be one of the more expensive items we buy at the grocery store. Try adding more vegetarian meals to your plan like pasta and veggies, salads, and more. Even if you do this just once a week, you will save money. Here are some meatless meal ideas.
Get The Most Out of Items by Purchasing in Bulk.
By purchasing a large bulk sized package of chicken breasts, you can make 2 to 3 meals out of one purchase. Pay attention to the pricing of larger items that you can use in several meals and save money. You can also buy seasonings, baking ingredients, rice, and more in some bulk sections of stores. Here are some tips for buying in bulk.
Pay Attention to Serving Size.
Some people tend to overcook for their family. By paying attention to serving size, you can buy the right amount of food to make sure none goes to waste. If you have leftovers, try to freeze them for another night right away or use them the next day. Have a plan for leftovers. Here are some recipes using leftovers to inspire you.
Use More Beans in your Diet.
Beans are a healthy choice and provide plenty of nutrition. Beans are also cost effective and a great substitute for meat in most dishes. You can also use them to stretch meat by supplementing your meat dishes with beans. Here are delicious recipe ideas using beans and lentils.
Store Brands can be Great.
Don’t discount store brands. Store brands are typically just as good as the premium brand name, and some are even made in the same factory!
Buy Re-Usable Products.
Instead of items like zipper-style bags or napkins, try to buy containers you can use and wash again and hand towels for household messes and spills. You’ll save more money in the long run.
Stay Away from Pre-Cut or Pre-Packaged
You will save more money if you buy a large piece of meat and cut it yourself rather than buying the package of pre cut meat. The same thing applies to snacks that are individually wrapped, go for the large item and package yourself.
More tips for saving Money on Groceries:
10 Ways to Save on Groceries Without Using Coupons
Stepfanie Cuevas has been a writer and blogger for the past 7 years. With working in social media, she has enjoyed the fact that you can connect with anyone from across the world. You can find Stepfanie at Stepfanie’s Desk.
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Cheryl (Dallasemmitt) says
Your ideas are amazing and the topics you cover are usually things all families can benefit from. Sometimes, we just need to get in the practice of doing things differently, but you only need to tackle one idea / concept at a time. I suggest trying only one change at a time so we don’t get frustrated, mixed up,or give up. Just keep thinking about the ‘money saved, which can be used for a different area of your life. One topic I was wondering if you could focus on, at some point, is trying to be frugal when it is just for one person (This is a suggestion, NOT a complaint.)
***Just a side note: Even though we are discussing ways to save money when it comes to food, I would like to say that this entire site is great in many aspects, with numerous methods provided, which are attainable by most everyone! “Thank You”.
Sincerely, Dallasemmitt
Alea Milham says
Cheryl,
We are planning on sharing ideas for saving money for smaller households (single adults, couples without kids, widows, and retirees with an empty nest). We realize that most of our money saving tips work best for families or 4 or more and we want to share money saving tips suited for a greater number of lifestyles. My oldest daughter is a grad student and is coming over today so I can photograph some of her low-cost and easy breakfast ideas for one that she has developed.
Larry K says
Great advice. I agree that store brands are often as good as name brands — this is especially true with pharmacy items like ibuprofen. The biggest difference I see is packaging — store brands are usually in cheaper packaging, which is sometimes a nuisance (ie: box tops don’t open as well, zip sealers break, etc).