Grocery Shopping on a Budget

Groceries are one of the top 5 monthly expenses in the average American household beyond housing (rent/mortgage) and transportation (car payment/gas). This means there is so much potential for us to SAVE money with a grocery budget. Even the seemingly smallest savings can add up quickly, as many of us grocery shop every week!

I know that budgeting is not fun, but don’t think of it as work and don’t think of it as limiting yourself. Instead, think of reasons WHY you want to implement grocery savings in your life.

Some common reasons people implement budgets are…

• Get out of debt faster

• Saving for your kids’ college education

• Saving money for retirement

• Saving money for a vacation

• Saving for a down payment on a new house or car

Whatever your reason is, keep that reason in your mind each month as you plan and shop for groceries. You can even try challenging yourself by setting a goal to spend $20 less this week than you did last week on groceries and keep pushing your goal as time goes on. I always feel so accomplished when I get out of the grocery store for $40 rather than my normal $60!

So what’s the secret? Here are a few tips to help you save on groceries…

TIP #1: MEAL PLANNING

Let me say that again, THE #1 TIP TO SAVE YOU MONEY ON GROCERIES IS MEAL PLANNING. Meal planning comes in many different forms and does not need to be as complicated as some of you may be thinking that it is. The basis of meal planning is that you are planning out your week’s meals to save you time/hassle throughout the week and to help you go to the grocery store with a plan. When you go with a plan, it’s much easier to buy only what you need without spending money on a bunch of extras and things you don’t really need. Meal Planning also cuts back on food waste (more info on Avoiding Food Waste in a future post).

Other things to consider when meal planning, to save you money on your grocery bill…

• Plan meals using things you already have. Rather than buying more and more stuff, use up what you have already bought. Have some peppers you didn’t use last week? Plan a meal with peppers for this week! Have a bag of rice in the pantry? Be sure that rice is on the menu for this week.

• Plan meals around your ingredients rather than planning your ingredients around your meals. Select recipes that have overlap in ingredients, so you can get use of them several times throughout the week OR consider trying out small substitutions here and there based on what herbs and spices you already have.

• Balance out your week’s meals by only having more “pricey” items and ingredients 1-2 times/week. Do you just LOVE steak and lobster? Me too. But eating it every night is not going to be good for your wallet, or your body for that matter. Rice, veggies and chicken on the other hand is relatively inexpensive and can be made in so many different ways and flavors for much less cost.

• Plan your meals at least partially based off of weekly ads and what is on sale at your grocery store that week- or what you have coupons for!

See my earlier post “Beginner’s Guide to Meal Planning” for some additional guidance on basic, beginner’s meal planning.

TIP #2: GROCERY SHOP AFTER YOU EAT

This one is pretty self-explanatory. We all know that going to the grocery store when we are hungry results in large quantities of things we don’t really need ending up in our cart. It’s inevitable. So just take my word for it and go to the grocery store on a full tummy. You could even consider online shopping and grocery pick-up or delivery if temptations are a problem for you.

TIP #3: PAY ATTENTION TO SEASONAL FRUITS & VEGGIES

Produce costs less when it is in season. Take this into account when meal planning and grocery shopping. If it’s not in season, try frozen. Try your local farmer’s market(s) or considering growing your own produce.

Check out Traci’s “Gardening in Small Spaces” post for more info on growing your own produce!

TIP #4: PACK A LUNCH OR EAT YOUR LEFTOVERS

Save yourself tons of money by simply packing a lunch rather than spending $7-10/day on fast food or eating out for lunch. Salads and sandwiches are all super easy and inexpensive if planned out ahead of time. The biggest money saver? EAT YOUR LEFTOVERS!

TIP #5: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SALES & COUPONS (BUT DO SO WISELY)

When you find awesome coupons and/or sales, stock-up! This applies to non-perishable things of course, unless you consider asking a friend to split the cost with you if you are buying in bulk, that way you each get the good price, but aren’t buying more than you need. You can also freeze things that are ok to freeze when you may not get to use them in the current week but still want to buy while it’s on sale.

Remember though, that just because something is on sale doesn’t mean you should buy it if you don’t actually like it or aren’t going to use it all. Don’t buy it just because it’s on sale, you should definitely have a plan first.

TIP #6: AVOID CONVENIENCE FOODS

Anything pre-packaged in single servings, pre-cut, pre-sliced, etc. is going to cost you way more in the end. You don’t need to pay someone else to package food for you! I know it’s quick and convenient, but instead find an hour of time one day/week to package your food into servings yourself… and reap the financial savings!

TIP #7: HAVE A BACK-UP “GO-TO PANTRY MEAL”

Have a meal that you can whip up fast and easy with things in your pantry in case your day gets busy and you have to stray from your original plan. By having something quick on hand, you can avoid going out for dinner and can use up some of the things you already have stashed away! My go-to’s are a spinach and chicken spaghetti or rice and beans (with whatever veggies I have left in the fridge).

TIP #8: EAT LESS MEAT, OR FIND DIFFERENT SOURCES

If possible, and realistic for you, eat less meat. Meat is expensive. Personally, I cannot go without some meat in just about every meal… but I harvest most all of my meat naturally (hunting & fishing- wild game) so I do not actually have a big meat expense. Consider meat that you may get from your family and friends that hunt and fish a HUGE savings if they are nice enough to share with you. It doesn’t get more organic than that, either! I am very fortunate in this regard as I recognize that buying meat from the store can be expensive. So if you can go without as much meat in your diet (and use other protein options) or have a family member or friend that shares their harvest with you… you can save big time on your meat bill.

See Traci’s “The Price of Protein” post for more information on protein costs and other sources of protein.

TIP #9: SIMPLE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE BORING

Generally, simpler meals are less expensive than fancy or complicated meals. For example: rice, beans, chicken, and veggies are a pretty simple and inexpensive option. This does not mean it has to be a boring meal though! Make these types of “budget meals” exciting with herbs, spices, and sauces! You can turn cheap staples into gourmet delights. Try growing your own herbs!

TIP #10: DON’T BE AFRAID OF GENERIC & “OFF-BRAND” FOODS

Many of the generic brands are the same exact thing, with a lower price. For the staples, you can rarely tell a difference. I do recognize that some name brands cannot be beat by a generic and that’s ok too… just consider trying the generic before you rule it out completely.

BONUS TIP: GROCERY REBATES APPS

Apps like IBOTTA give you rebates on grocery purchases and they are super easy to use! There is tons of apps out there, check them out if you are tech savvy… a little extra cash never hurts :)

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These are just some general and broad ideas to keep in mind when you set out to grocery shop. Just being aware of grocery prices and knowing what things normally cost helps save you money. You can go as far as you want with this, as the resources that exist out there to help you are limitless! But remember, this is YOUR budget, so no one can tell you that you are doing it wrong. You do what works best for your family.

If you have any additional tips or tricks that you have discovered on grocery shopping on a budget, please share them in the comments below! The more we share, the more we can learn and help each other out…