10 Ways to Save Money on Your Groceries

Looking to cut costs on groceries, but not sure how? Here are 10 ways you can save money on groceries this month…

 

 

Feeding seven mouths can be expensive. I miss the baby years when they were happy with half of a mashed-up banana for breakfast. Now it’s a dozen muffins and a carton of eggs. My teen and pre-teens eat more than I do at meals!

It’s because of these voracious appetites that come with growing kids that I have spent a lot of time working out how to save money on groceries and stretch my dollars as far as they can go. It requires a little more time, a little more creativity, and a fair amount of cooking, but it’s worth it when I can get our monthly groceries and make them last 30 days while still staying in budget.

Are you looking to cut your grocery bill down? Whether you’re looking to make big changes or just some small tweaks to keep under budget, this post will have some great ideas to consider. Here are my 10 tips…

 

 

10 Ways to Save Money on Your Groceries

 

Take stock of your pantry and freezer

Before you buy any groceries, you should check to see what you have. In fact, I challenge you to only buy things like milk, eggs, and produce until you’ve made a sizeable dent in your pantry and freezer by preparing food out of them. We did this for 2 months before we saw the bottom of our deep freezer. We found many treasures and made some creative meals, but it saved us hundreds in groceries because we had things on hand that we could make work.

Check out this post: How to Meal Plan Out of Your Own Pantry

 

Check grocery sales

Go through your grocery store circulars, check the apps, or try the app Flipp, which has all the store sales in one place. Find out what you need or check your grocery list, and see what’s on sale. Sales usually cycle, so if you miss one on, say, cheese, it will be back in a couple of weeks. I only buy cheese on sale at either Albertsons or Smiths, depending on who has the sale that week. Sales are usually cheaper than stores like Walmart, so see what you can get cheaply and plan your meals around those sales.

Check out this post: When is the Best Time to go Grocery Shopping

 

Make a meal plan

As I said, meal plan around your sales. Also, see what you have at home that you can use. The less groceries you have to buy, the more money you will save. If you’re making chili and only have pinto and black beans, but no kidney, make it with what you have. If pork chops are on sale, plan a dinner or two using those. See cheap cheese? Then plan for quesadillas for lunch and omelets for breakfast. Make a meal plan that uses your on-hand ingredients and sale items, rather than making a meal plan and then buying groceries to fit it.

Check out this post: 6 Meal Planning Strategies for the Non-Cook

 

 

Make what you can for less

I love natural, two-ingredient peanut butter, and so do my kids. So I figured out how to make it myself for a fraction of the cost with peanuts and sea salt. We also make our own gluten-free bread since it’s about $6 a loaf by us. Most of our baked goods are made at home. We grate our own cheese if the price is better than shredded. We also make homemade maple syrup and pick cherries when they’re in season. Do what you can with raw ingredients because it’s always cheaper than when someone else makes it. We pay for convenience. If you can put in the time, you will save money.

 

Use different stores for different groceries

Does the dollar store have cheaper spices? Does the grocery store have better prices on fresh ingredients? Can you get your cereals and non-perishables cheaper at Walmart or Costco? See which stores carry the best regular prices for certain groceries you buy all the time. Create your own price list showing the store, the item, and the unit price so you can easily compare. This also helps when you are checking to see if a sale is really a deal. Going to different stores does use gas (and we all know how expensive that is!), so stop by when you are in the area rather than making a special trip and using more gas and time.

 

Prepare homemade even when you’re going out

Even when you are going out for a night, try to avoid spending your food money on convenience foods. Instead, bring a packed lunch or dinner when you can to save money and also eat healthier. We have packed our own hot dogs for local baseball games, brought hot water in a thermos with paper cups and powdered hot cocoa, and packed lunches for an afternoon service project. If you have a lunch bag and some ice packs, doing this is not hard at all and will save you tons of money.

 

Check for reduced groceries

We always check for bread and donuts at Walmart and Albertsons, and produce at Smith’s. These stores will usually place them either in the section they correlate to (fruit near the produce section) or in the far back (Walmart puts theirs in the last aisle). You might see some that aren’t priced too well or others that are way past their peak ripeness, but there are also some gems. I love getting produce for a dollar that would cost me twice as much and it only needs to be eaten soon. In my family, that’s no problem!

 

 

Use freezer meals

If you’ve stocked up on ingredients that are perishable at a good price, then make use of your freezer. Freeze overripe bananas for smoothies or make loaves of banana bread to freeze for future breakfasts. Make a vat of pasta sauce that can be frozen for another night down the road. Prepare casseroles and freeze them for later. Just make sure to date and add instructions for reheating to everything where applicable.

Check out this post: 5 Freezable Breakfasts That Will De-stress Your Mornings

 

Stock up on grocery sales

If you have the extra money, then I suggest making good use of stock up sales. Our Smith’s often has case sales, where canned goods are sold by the case. This is great for frequent fliers in our house, like Spam, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Make sure to check the unit cost to make sure it’s the best deal you can get before committing to a case.

 

Check out a food pantry

If you find that even with these tips you’re struggling to get enough groceries, then check out a local food pantry. There is no shame in getting a little help until the next paycheck. These services are in place for every person, no matter what walk of life, who needs a hand in a trying time. If it makes you feel better, donate back to food pantries when things pick up for you. But in the meantime, you can get some produce, proteins, and non-perishables that will feed your family when the grocery money has run dry.

 

I hope these tips for ways to save money on groceries help you stretch your budget even farther. Whether it’s been a tough month or you just want to put that extra money toward another area of your finances, saving money on groceries can be easy and satisfying. Good luck!

 

Looking for more on saving money and frugal living? Check out these posts:

How to Save Money with Online Grocery Shopping

Frugal Meal Planning: Instant Pot Turkey Taco Bowl

10 Resources that Will Save Your Homeschool Money

How to Eat Healthy on a Budget