Wondering how you can save money on groceries? Consider these ten simple steps you can take to lower your grocery bill and still eat well.
There come seasons when you need to cut back on expenses. Maybe you’re expanding your family and need to build a nest egg. Perhaps you’re changing careers and anticipate a loss of income. Or maybe you just want to save more for a rainy day.
But ya still gotta eat.
How can you allot for added/changed expenses and still eat well? The solution is found in your grocery cart.
10 Simple Ways to Save Money on Groceries Right Now
One of our most fluid expenses each month is what we spend on food. I mean, food can defined as lobster or lentils. There’s a wide gap there in price and therefore a lot of wiggle room when it comes to spending your grocery dollar.
How you choose to spend your grocery dollar can free up funds for other expenses. Here are ten simple ways that you can save money on groceries.
1. Take an inventory of what you have.
This is the number one rule of saving money on anything: shop your house first! Many of us have on hand things that we can use but that we have forgotten about. Whether it’s an extra bottle of shampoo or two bags of flour in the back of the cupboard, it pays to know what you have.
Take an inventory of what you have before you go shopping so that you don’t buy more than you need. If you’ve got a full cupboard already, do a pantry challenge to use up what you have before it goes bad.
2. Choose your store wisely.
It’s all well and good to buy fresh, whole ingredients and to cook your food at home. However, sourcing can make a huge difference in your bottom line. Higher end grocery stores, while they do have good sales, will charge you a lot more on their main offerings.
Choose a store or stores where you know you will get best pricing for the things you normally buy.
In my neck of the woods, this is ALDI, Costco, and Ralphs. I know this because I did a price comparison of the top 20 items I was buying most frequently and compared prices across these stores as well as Trader Joe’s and Walmart. Your mileage may differ, but my Walmart’s pricing was not at all competitive.
Crunch some numbers and see if you might not save a chunk of change by shopping more strategically.
3. Shop the sales.
While it’s fun to buy what you want when you want it, it’s not always conducive to saving money on groceries. Instead, buy what’s on sale!
I used to spend a pretty penny when I let my tummy be my guide. Now, I scan the grocery sales ads and plan meals to match the sales. I buy a few extras to stash in the freezer, stocking up for a future date, thereby allowing myself to have what I want when I want it, sometimes.
4. Check the clearance rack.
Shopping the clearance rack or specially marked manager’s specials is a great way to cut your grocery bill. It will surprise you what the store wants to unload.
Often it’s not going bad anytime soon. Instead it’s got holiday packaging, or the store just has too much. Recently, we got Talenti gelato in Pumpkin Pie flavor (in March!) for a quarter and Siggi’s expensive yogurt for $0.19. These items were perfectly fresh; the store just wanted to move them quickly.
You can definitely stretch your grocery dollar by buying what the store want to get rid of quickly. Just be sure to check “best by” dates and to use the item up in the recommended time frame for best taste and texture.
Buying meat that has been marked down is a great way to save money on proteins. Check the “best by” dates and be sure to use the meat or freeze it before then.
5. Plan your meals around what you have and what’s on sale.
By planning your meals around what you have and what’s on sale, you make sure that you put your resources to good use. Use it or lose, ya know?
Create a grocery list of needed items and keep your shopping bill low.
6. Audit yourself and you’ll save money on groceries.
If you forget something, you’ll be tempted to go back to the store, and likely buy more than you need while you’re at it. Be sure to scan your list before you check out so you make sure you leave with all the things you need.
That said, give the cart another scan. Do you really need that bag of chips or that extra carton of ice cream? You can put unneeded items back and save some money.
How to Make Brown Sugar
7. Make do/go without.
About to make a recipe and find out you are missing one ingredient? You could go to the store and buy it, but then you’ll spend more time and money — and risk buying other things you might not need while you’re there.
Chances are you can find a substitution for a needed ingredient with what you already have at home. There are all kinds of baking substitutions and pantry staples you can make yourself; you can even make your own brown sugar!
8. Focus on inexpensive ingredients.
While it’s nice to enjoy a nice steak dinner and a glass of wine, these aren’t necessities to life. No, really.
In order to really save money on groceries, make peace with economical meals — they’re just as tasty! Food doesn’t have to be expensive to taste great. With a little creativity, you can make the most humble meals taste and feel elegant.
Check out these naturally economical meals:
- Pinto Beans & Rice
- Black Bean and Bell Pepper Wraps
- Chicken Chili with White Beans
- Simple Bean Tostadas
- Creamy Noodles with Ham and Tomatoes
9. Make it yourself.
You can save money if you make things yourself. You can make homemade convenience foods for a lot less than you would pay at the store.
Likewise, consider something as simple as sliced bread. A decent loaf of bread costs $3 to 6. You can bake your own bread for about $1/loaf!
Even a fancy meal like Shrimp Pasta with Garlic Cream Sauce is less than half the price of eating out!
Making your favorite foods yourself can save you a lot of money.
10. Use up leftovers to save money on groceries.
This list starts with using what you have and ends with using what you have.
If you don’t already, learn to like leftovers. By avoiding food waste, you save money on groceries as well as the effort you spent to buy it and prepare it.
You can enjoy leftovers reheated or discover that there are plenty of great meals that start with leftovers and become something new.
What do you do to save money on groceries?
Do tell! See you in the comments.
This post was originally published on April 15, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Stephanie M. says
One thing I’ve been doing forever is to buy as many “store brand” items as possible. Someone once told me that supermarkets pay companies to make items for them and then put the store label on it. I believe this. How many times do you see on the label, “compare ours to” . . . I have come across a few items that just aren’t as good as the “real thing” but mostly, I buy store brands on just about everything. For example, I buy store brand crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and paste, ketchup, mustard, mayo, butter, jams/preserves, canned beans, French fried onions, sugar, flour, baking powder, cornstarch, baking soda, some boxed side dishes, pancake mix (if you don’t make your own), sour cream, heavy and lite cream, almond milk, oatmeal, frozen potatoes like French fries, and even some OTC medicines, like cold and cough, antacid, etc. I was a little skeptical at first on the meds but they are simply generic. Most of the time when you fill a prescription anyway, the pharmacist usually tries to find something generic to save you money. And there are so many more store items that I buy. But as far as paper towels are concerned, I will only use Bounty and that’s that. 🙂 I had a coupon yesterday for 75 cents off two half gallons of almond milk. They were originally $3.99 each. Then I looked at the price of the store brand almond milk and without that being on sale, it was $2.99 each. So it was cheaper for me to buy the store brand and the best part it, it doesn’t taste any different. You have to watch though, once in a while when a non-store brand item is on sale, it can be lower in price than the store brand. My advice to people who are skeptical, try a few items at a time; you may be pleasantly surprised to see that your are not sacrificing taste and you’re saving money and you’ll see how much at the bottom of the receipt.
LeslieT says
i agree with you on buying store brands, except for Bounty! I got turned on to Bounty paper towels after it was proven at our school science fair that they are the best.
Stephanie M. says
None better as far as I’m concerned. 🙂
Martha says
Always remember you can use other things besides paper towels if you want to save money too! =) Old clothing can be cut into rags, socks with holes used to wipe down toilets and thrown away.
Karen says
You are absolutely right about generics. DH used to work for a potato processing plant. When they did french fries, they packaged them for a couple well known fast food chains, name brands and a store brand. Once one order was filled, they just changed the packaging and carried on.
Stephanie M. says
Long before I was married to my husband, he used to work for Keebler and he said they did the same thing with cookies and crackers.
Connie says
I agree, often the store brand/generic is just as good. Some products we actually prefer it to the national brand. But, like you mentioned, some products you do end up buying the name brand because it is superior in quality. What good is buying the less expensive one but you need to use 2-3 times more?
Stephanie M. says
I know about that. I don’t care for store brand dish detergent. But trying things is how you find out.
Stephanie M. says
I forgot one thing; Another way that I save money is I switched to cloth napkins. I haven’t bought paper napkins for two years now. I can’t see throwing away napkins everyday. I have a really nice basket that I keep in the kitchen and it’s loaded with cloth napkins. I find them on the clearance racks or on sale. I even have some red bandanas that I purchased at the dollar store. They get softer after each wash. It doesn’t even matter if you can’t get a matching set for everyone in the family. Eclectic is okay too. Everyone can have their own color or pattern; it’s just for “everyday” use. When you realize how many napkins you go through in just one day, imagine what you go through in one week or one year. Cloth napkins take the place of those and they last a long time. Back in the day, cloth napkins were on everyone’s table every day; just watch an old show like I love Lucy or Andy Griffith. They did not use paper napkins. Everything adds up. Plus, there’s something really pretty about a cloth napkin next to your plate.
LeslieT says
I also use cloth napkins, and cloth panty liners, to save money and be “greener”.
Stephanie M. says
Every little bit counts and that’s why I use the reusable shopping bags everywhere I go.
Karen says
Cloth napkins are the best. I find them all the time at thrift stores. A friend of mine bought the jumbo pack of bathroom washcloths at Costco–36 matching napkins.
Stephanie M. says
I’ve heard about people using washcloths. They do the trick!
Carole M says
Don’t go shopping at the grocery store with children. You will spend more just trying to keep them quiet. And never shop around lunch time, because tempers are more likely to flare with crowds, and everyone rushing around trying to get back home or back to work on time, and hungry, crying kids. I fully endorse buying the store brand. I mean, green beans are green beans, right?
Stephanie M. says
That’s right because . . . “You’re not you when you’re hungry!” 🙂
Connie says
Cooking at home and eating in has really saved us money. We are actively trying to reduce our expenses nowadays in favor of paying off debt and saving for the future. A friend who has successfully paid her debt off and cut up the cards told me how she shops for groceries and I’m trying the same. (She plans out the meals she’s going to cook and only buy what she needs to make them in terms of fresh ingredients. She sees what pantry/freezer items that are available and tries to use them in the plan.) Overbuying and wasting food was one of the main ways we were wasting money. Cooking and eating down the pantry and freezer helps, too. It is good to always have something on hand but hoarding a lot didn’t help us save money–because we forget about it, gets freezer burn or expires. I’ve used all of your suggestions mentioned above in one way or another in the last few months and it definitely has made a difference–including the usage household goods.
karen J says
Clearance prices rock! I was at Bartell’s yesterday picking up prescriptions. A group of woman were congregated in one aisle. I stopped to see what was going on. The Easter candy had just been REALLY reduced. I bought Godiva and Lindt bunnies for a quarter each and other Easter candy (bags of jelly beans, Dove chocolate eggs, Twix, Starburst, Reese’s peanut butter cups) for a dime each. Score! At checkout my five dollar purchase saved me over 53 dollars. Now I would never, ever spend that much on candy, but at those prices-yes. I will use the chocolate chopped up for cookies, some for grandkid treats, and yes, I admit it, I will just plain eat some of it.
Brenda says
Those are all great tips. Learning to make do when I don’t have an ingredient, is really hard for me, but I’m working on it. I also love to use coupons, from the newspaper and internet.
Pam Lay says
If you don’t have an ingredient do a search online, for instance Italian seasoning. Is just a mix of several other seasonings. Many times I have found I needed a certain spice or item, search for “substitution for ______” and you will be very surprised at what other items work well in a recipe. This is also good when clearing the pantry, find out I need something to make it into a recipe/dinner, but something I don’t usually use per-say. Tells me what I can use & complete the meal without buying an item I may never use again