Food can be an expensive part of a budget if you don’t do the proper planning and shop in the right places. Cut your grocery bill with these tips on how to spend less on food, including how to shop, when to shop, and more, to keep more of your money in the bank.
What You Need to Know
| It is possible to spend less on food if you follow the tips diligently and plan your menu each week. (Get your free menu and meal planner here.) Specific ways to spend less on food: > Pre-plan your meals before you go to the grocery store > Consider a delivery service – it might cost a small amount a month but will likely save you hundreds to keep you out of the store > Buy generic > Cook extra when you prepare a meal and have it for lunch or dinner a few more times that week, or freeze it for a couple of weeks down the road > Grocery shop with cash > Create a budget and follow it |
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If you’re constantly looking for ways to spend less on food, this article will give you multiple ways to cut the grocery bill so you spend less money.
As crazy as it may sound, saving money in one area of your life can help you save money in another.
For example, eating healthy instead of junk food is a way to save money at the grocery store and prevent overspending.
The following tips will put extra money in your pocket by helping you save money on food at the grocery store, as well as a few tips outside of shopping.
How do you spend less on food?
You can cut your grocery bill quickly with the following tips:
- Buy only what you know you will eat.
- Shop with a friend or loved one and split the cost.
- Buy frozen or canned fruits and vegetables when fresh produce is out of season.
- Before spending money on food, think about how much you’re spending an hour at work.
- If you make $10/hr and you buy lunch for $5 every day, that’s $250 per month! Use this tip to help spend less on groceries.
The following tips will also help you stay on budget with your grocery bill and keep you on track to keep growing your savings!
1. Shop at the farmer’s market
Not only are you supporting local businesses, but you’ll also be able to find fresh organic produce a lot cheaper than what’s offered by regular grocery stores that taste great.
If you aren’t sure what days the farmer’s market is open in your area, check with the local chamber of commerce or hop onto Facebook and see if the town or city has a page where they post events.
2. Make a meal plan each week
Meal planning before shopping will let you know exactly what dishes you will make when you cook dinner for the next 1-2 weeks. If you need ingredients that can get rotten, stay in the 1-week time frame.
Another option is to buy frozen if the ingredient is fresh vegetables or fruit since it won’t go bad.
3. Subscribe to a store’s email updates to cut your grocery bill
If you know the coupons and sales before shopping, you will save money on your groceries.
It also gives you the opportunity to comparison shop other store sale flyers.
When you compare prices be sure to compare unit prices to get an accurate comparison.
This also helps avoid impulse buying items that aren’t on sale so you stick to your budget.
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4. Buy brands that are popular in local stores
Each store has its own name brand, which will save you money over purchasing trendy brands since they tend to be more expensive.
However, don’t just assume the generic brand is cheaper because that is not always the case.
Check the prices and compare them before you make your final purchase.
5. Don’t shop hungry
This may seem like a silly money-saver, but it holds true time after time!
Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach because being hungry will only lead you to buy more items than you need which creates the chain reaction of spending money you didn’t plan on spending.
It’s amazing what looks good when we’re hungry, that we might not crave any other time.
6. Use free samples at your local grocery store
Many stores offer free food samples from time to time, so check to see if your local store has this option of free groceries when you do your shopping.
You can often even get a little bit of meat for dinner or some cookies for the road.
This will also give you an idea about whether or not that brand is worth purchasing later on when you need it for meal prep.
7. Avoid paying fees with credit cards
If you pay with cash you can avoid the ridiculous percentage rates charged by credit card companies when paying off purchases, including groceries.
Taking cash out of the bank each week will prevent overspending and help you save up money faster.
Consider the Dave Ramsey envelope system if you struggle with impulse purchases.
8. Take advantage of price adjustments at the register
Most stores will offer a price adjustment if there is something wrong with your product or if it gets put on sale after check out.
If you see something wrong with the packaging that may cause people not to purchase the item, ask the clerk at the register if they will take off a percentage or dollar amount so you don’t have to pay the regular price.
Also, if something isn’t right return it for a refund so you get your money back.
This also works for perishable items that might have gotten thrown in the wrong bag by accident (just make sure to bring your receipt.)
9. Plan meals around weekly deals instead of daily deals to spend less on groceries
Saving money on groceries means you need to avoid impulse buying and stick to a budget each week.
This isn’t that difficult when you use the sales flyers when doing your meal planning.
Use the weekly sales flyers to plan your menu for the whole week instead of coming up with different meals every day.
Curious if how much money you make is comparable to others in a similar job? Find out how you stack up in the post What is Considered a Good Hourly Wage Today
10. Don’t buy stuff on sale just because it is cheap
If you find something on sale that isn’t on your grocery list, that you don’t use regularly or don’t have an immediate need for, don’t buy it just because it is on sale or because you have a coupon for the product.
If you don’t need it you aren’t saving money just because it is cheap.
Also, make sure not to purchase more than what you will actually eat so it doesn’t go bad before you have a chance to consume it all.
You’d be surprised how many people do this, thinking they will freeze perishable products like meat or bread but end up throwing them in the trash when they forget about them!
11. Shop at stores close to home during inclement weather
This is more of a safety issue than anything else.
If the roads are bad and/or you live in an area that gets snowed in during the winter months, make sure to get all your grocery shopping done before the snow hits so there’s no danger involved.
This also works the other way around if it’s hot outside and you feel like it isn’t safe to go outside.
Meal prep for a couple of weeks in advance when you see the weather is going to be a problem.
Pick dishes that don’t require perishable items and you can stay on track with your budget plus stay safe indoors at home.
12. Buy frozen vegetables instead of fresh
Frozen vegetables are just as good (if not sometimes even better!) than fresh ones, plus they’re often cheaper since they’re preserved at peak season.
They can also be used to stretch meals when finances are tight or to help make up for food waste if lunchtime isn’t worth staying away from work for.
It is also easy to stretch a bag of frozen vegetables into several meals because you can take out exactly the amount you need without worrying the rest is going to get rotten.
13. Stock up on food during good sales
Taking advantage of sale prices is a great way to spend less on food.
Stock up during the big annual sales when items are often given away free with purchase or boxes of cereal can be purchased at a discount.
Remember to check the expiration date on items that may stay in your pantry for a bit of time to make sure what you buy won’t go bad before it’s eaten.
14. Shop at your local food cooperative
If you live near a large city, contact your regional co-op and find out if they participate in Community Supported Agriculture so you can eat seasonal foods that cost less than regular produce year-round.
Most grocery stores stock fruits and vegetables year-round anyway, but it’s always best to buy things from shops with an established relationship with local farmers instead of relying on items shipped from across the ocean or picked before they’re ripe just to be more convenient.
A food co-op is essentially a grocery store that’s owned by the people who shop there.
Members get to decide what foods and products are stocked on the shelves, where those items are purchased, and what quality standards both products and vendors have to meet.
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15. Eat leftovers for lunch when you can’t brown bag it
Not everyone has time to prepare a packed lunch every morning because they are working two jobs or have other obligations.
If this is your situation, look for ways to cut costs by eating food you already have around the house or using up some of your leftovers from your Friday night dinner.
Eating your own food will also help you save money on takeout or fast food since your lunches won’t cost as much!
16. Use coupons for items that expire soon
Watch your coupons in advance so you know when they will be expiring and if they are, check if you can combine coupons to use them before the expiration date hits.
If you find a coupon that’s expiring within the next few days, don’t waste your time chasing it down and just throw it away instead.
You’ll be better off finding another deal where you can save more in the long run.
The same goes for expired coupons since we’re talking about saving as much as possible here.