I think everyone is looking to save money on groceries these days. Inflation is causing prices to skyrocket, and my once manageable grocery budget is busted (I use this PLANNER (#ad) that has a budget sheet for each month).
Less than 18 months ago, I could go to the store and buy 88 items for approximately $150 (my weekly grocery budget for our family of 6). Now, I’m paying $220+ for around 50 items! And I have receipts to prove it.
It is unbelievable how fast and how much grocery prices have increased in this length of time. Blame who or what you want, regardless of fault, we are all paying the price each time we shop.
My type A personality can’t stand this lack of control over this portion of my budget. Even by meal planning, I can’t save what I was previously and still feed my family the healthy meals we are accustomed to.
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With so many struggling, I have put together a long list of ways to save money on groceries each month to try to salvage our grocery budgets. Depending on the area that you live in, some of these may not be available to you. So, I apologize in advance if this is the case for you.
Buy Generic
I know we all like name brand items and it’s easy to overlook store brand but in this economy, don’t. When I cook with generic foods, my family has no idea it’s not the higher priced brand-name foods. There are certain name brand items that I do buy because one or more of my family members insists upon it (my four-year-old is a cracker snob), but normally you’ll find generic in my cart.
Use Rebates & Coupons
These are normally for brand name items so this is an exception to my rule above IF you can get the item cheaper with rebates and coupons. Don’t be tempted to buy an item just because you have a coupon. It is a sales trick and could end up costing you more. Make your grocery list THEN select the coupons and rebates that apply to your list.
I love when I can stack store sales and rebates! Cha-ching!
Ibotta is my most used rebate app. If you haven’t tried Ibotta before, now is the perfect time. This will be the third consecutive year they will be providing rebates for Thanksgiving meal necessities! Which means you can get a turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc. for almost free!
If you don’t need these items, I encourage you to donate to a family in need!
Download the Ibotta app on your smart phone and use my referral code nalfdsx and you’ll receive a cash bonus after you submit your first receipt. Each referral will earn you $10 (after they submit their first receipt). Can’t beat that!
You can also submit any and all of your receipts to Fetch Rewards. You get points for each receipt you submit and extra for promoted brands. One thousand points equals $1. Not a lot of return but it is so easy that I try to upload every receipt. Use my referral code ND4RE to get 2,000 points with your first receipt! Surely, I’m not the only mother with a stack of receipts in my wallet.
Coupons.com and Checkout 51 are two other apps I use, just less frequently.
Meal Plan
Easy money saver here. By planning your meals and buying what you need for those meals, you’ll avoid wasting perishable items and your hard-earned money. I find I get overwhelmed if I try to do more than 2 weeks in advance, so I created a Bi-weekly Meal Plan YEARS ago and have used it ever since.
Shop Sales
This one is important. Before you shop for the week, look at the store’s Weekly Ads (or sales paper if you’re in eastern Kentucky) and MEAL PLAN based on what is on sale that week. Look specifically at meat and other proteins, then plan side dishes around those.
If you find a really great deal on an item that you use, STOCK UP! I stack sales and rebates all the time for awesome savings! I was so excited to find Townhouse crackers (my cracker snob’s go-to snack) on sale recently at Kroger. With the sale and an Ibotta rebate I got two boxes for a total of $0.98!
Shop Your Pantry First
Why buy rice if you have rice? By shopping your pantry first, you’ll avoid overbuying pantry staples that may expire before you need them again…or you’ll just have to come up with a lot of recipes that use those ingredients (guilty).
Also, by keeping your pantry organized, you’ll know when you are running low on an item so you can start shopping sales to restock! Pantry organizers (#ad) like these work wonders! I have four of these Can Rack Organizers in my pantry currently, and I would have more if I had the space!
Eat Leftovers
When my husband and I first married, he told me he didn’t like to eat leftovers. If I remember correctly, I laughed.
11 years and four kids later, he has learned to LOVE the ease of leftovers! With a large family, I don’t know how to cook small anymore, so we always have leftovers to eat. I hate waste, so if I can save even a small portion of something, I’m going to save it, and someone will eat it.
Knowing that there is food in the fridge cooked and ready to eat, also reduces the chance of picking up fast food (which has also skyrocketed in price) when we are in a hurry. These are my favorite food storage containers (#ad)!
Avoid Pre-Packaged and Processed Foods
No surprise here. Prepackaged and processed foods and snacks cost more! And, if we are being honest, aren’t as healthy as scratch made foods.
As a mother of four, I understand time constraints and the need for a quick, processed meal on occasion or maybe more often than not. But it will cost you money, and possibly your health in the long run. I try to avoid when I can, but I’m guilty of buying these for what my husband refers to as “the hard times.”
“The hard times” = when mom isn’t home to cook.
Stick to Your Shopping List
This is why I prefer to do Grocery Pickup! It is so much easier to avoid impulse buying. It is also why I prefer NOT to take my husband grocery shopping with me when I actually do shop in stores. Impulse buying busts a budget fast!
Word to the wise, DO NOT go into the grocery store hungry! That’s a budget buster as well!
Shop the Farmer’s Market
By shopping the Farmer’s Market, you are supporting local farmers and saving money, as in-season produce is usually cheaper.
In our county, the Farmer’s Market hosts two days each summer for kids to participate in learning activities and receive “Farmer’s Market Bucks” in return. I had three kids that participated last summer (my two-year-old wasn’t quite old enough), so they received $30 each day they participated to spend on produce. We had corn, potatoes, and tomatoes for days and it was basically free!
Grow a Garden
This is only cheaper if you already have needed equipment to prepare a garden, such as a tractor, tiller, hoe, rake, etc. If you have to buy equipment, you’ll have to add up cost versus return. Both my family and my husband’s family own a farm, so we are fortunate to have equipment to grow a large family garden. We enjoy seasonal foods throughout the summer and can/freeze some for the winter and spring.
This past summer we ventured into pumpkin growing, which was new for us. Our kids helped us plant pumpkin seeds in the late spring and by fall we were selling pumpkins. The money we made went to our kids’ savings accounts for college, and we didn’t have to purchase pumpkins for fall décor!
Shop at Costco/Sam’s Club
Costco and Sam’s sell items in bulk, so price is usually around 10% lower than other retailers. I have a family of six, so buying in bulk really works well for us. I can see how it may not be as beneficial for those with smaller families.
Many I’ve spoken to are usually a member of one or the other, but some do utilize both stores’ deals. Personally, I’m a Costco shopper but I’ve been looking at memberships to Sam’s (sometimes you can get a rebate for a free membership for a year).
One of my FAVORITE items at Costco is the Kirkland Chocolate Covered Almonds! Seriously, can’t stop eating them! If you don’t have a Costco Membership, you can purchase them from Amazon HERE (#ad). You won’t regret it! I don’t even normally like almonds, but I eat these.
Look at Stores Other Than Walmart
If you’ve been shopping, you’ve probably noticed Walmart is no longer the store with the best prices! They also don’t offer a FREE rewards/loyalty program. Normally, I shop at Kroger. I shop sales, signed up to receive “Best Customer Coupons” in the mail, and get fuel points to save money on gas. And it’s free.
I already pay for Amazon Prime, which I can’t give up (free delivery, Prime Video, Prime music, Photo storage) so Walmart+ isn’t beneficial to me right now.
Also, I cannot mention saving money on groceries if I don’t mention ALDI. If you are a name-brand shopper you may not be a fan, but you can’t beat their prices. Produce is SO MUCH CHEAPER here than the other chain stores! If you have one near, shop ALDI!
Another thing worth mentioning, by packing lunches for work, road trips, zoos/amusement parks, you will save SO much money! I know this doesn’t qualify as groceries, but it will still save money on food.
We are avoiding eating fast food because of the increase in price! Normally, we don’t eat out a lot anyway but lately, we’ve almost cut it out completely.
Each year we visit the zoo, this year we’ve been twice, and we ALWAYS pack our lunch. I cannot pay $12 for a hamburger, especially for 4 kids that’ll take a bite or two then be done. Six burgers would be $72 and that doesn’t include drinks! Six PB&Js and bottles of water packed from home equals out to be $6 total.
A little extra effort makes a big difference for us!
I hope these suggestions are helpful as you grocery shop in the weeks to come! I dread grocery shopping but by using my own suggestions, I can breathe a little easier at the checkout counter.
Am I leaving anything out? Let me know with a comment or email!