These tips will help you reduce your grocery bill by 50% – 65%. I have used most of these tips myself and as a result, I have decreased my grocery bill to $50 a week, which is saving me thousands of dollars a year!
- Know average prices of foods
- Use coupons
- Browse weekly ads
- Use cash back and rebate apps for groceries like Checkout 51, Ibotta or Walmart’s Savings Catcher
- Develop budget for groceries
- Make a meal plan
- Build your meal plan off weekly sales on meats
- Stretch meat further by adding it to pastas or rice and serving it with veggies, beans, bread, salad or starches
- Use a shopping list
- Grocery shop at ALDI. Prices are 50% less than other grocery stores.
- Use cloth bags instead of buying new ones (e.g. at ALDI)
- Buy in bulk (especially for dry goods like oats, pasta and rice)
- Cook in bulk and freeze the rest for later
- Shop at Dollar Tree for things like spices and flour tortillas
- Cook from scratch. Make your own bread, croutons, granola bars, mixes, pasta sauce, salad dressing, and pie crust
- Buy generic foods
- Don’t buy convenience and pre-made grocery items. Make your own convenience foods instead.
- Buy produce that’s in season
- Only grocery shop once a week or once a month
- Buy frozen meat
- Make your own spice blends (e.g. taco and chili seasoning)
- Have a Meatless Monday
- Pack your lunch for work and school
- Don’t waste food or let it go bad
- Have a leftover night
- Don’t buy individual portioned foods like cheese sticks, yogurt or small bags of chips
- Don’t shop hungry
- Check out your local salvage grocery store
- Shop the clearance aisles in the grocery store
- Sign up for loyalty programs
- Skip the deli
- Eat breakfast so you won’t overeat at lunch
- Use your freezer more
- Divide your meat into portions when you buy in bulk. Portion it a little less than you normally would (3/4 lb. instead of a whole pound) and it will stretch your meat further.
- Grow your own herbs
- Don’t buy fresh herbs at the grocery store
- Grate your own cheese
- Choose items with less packaging. They will cost less.
- Have a no grocery week or weekend and just cook what’s in your pantry
- Use lemon juice to preserve fruits and vegetables (e.g. apples, pears)
- Make your own yogurt
- Buy bagged potatoes instead of individual potatoes
- Know what days to shop to get the manager specials
- Watch the cashier to reduce pricing errors
- Buy healthy food instead of junk food. Processed food can be expensive
- Have breakfast food for dinner. Breakfast food is cheaper.
- Don’t buy soda or any flavored drinks
- Buy frozen or canned vegetables when it’s cheaper
- Substitute inexpensive vegetarian foods such as beans, eggs, tofu, and legumes for more expensive meat
- Buy a whole chicken instead of just the breasts and use the extra meat to make more meals (ex: chicken salad sandwiches, chicken pot pie)
- Grow your own fruits and vegetables
- Use less milk in your cereal, coffee and recipes. Use water as a substitute when you can.
- Use powdered milk instead of regular milk
- Make meals from food you already have in your pantry. For example, if you have a lot of canned beans, then think of meals with beans (e.g. chili, bean soup, beans and rice)
- Pay for groceries with cash. It will make you stick to your budget.
- Eat produce that will go bad first (like bananas, lettuce and strawberries)
- Buy frozen fruits for pies and smoothies
- Buy cheap cuts of meat and make crock pot meals out of them
- Learn how to can your own fruits and vegetables
- Cook dried beans instead of canned
- Use your slow cooker. See my previous post 75 Cheap & Easy Slow Cooker Recipes for some recipe ideas.
- Shop at specialized stores (e.g. Asian markets, ethnic grocery stores). Items are cheaper there than regular grocery stores.
- Regrow vegetables (e.g. celery, green onions, romaine lettuce)
- Stock up on sale items
- Buy local
- Avoid impulse buys when shopping
- Buy produce at farmer’s markets
- Get a credit card with cash back rewards on groceries. It only helps you save money if you pay it off in full every month
- Reuse coffee grounds
- Make your own baby food
- Make a list of cheap recipes to build your meal plans with
- Make your coffee at home and take it with you
- Give up coffee all together, if you can
- Get a rain check if sale items are sold out
- Buy bread at bread outlets
- Use food scraps (bread crust for croutons, apple peels for apple cider vinegar)
- Buy canned meat and fish
- Substitute cheap ingredients for expensive ones
- Time your grocery store trip wisely. Know when the best days and times to go to get special deals.
- Check unit prices when buying in bulk
- Do batch freezer cooking
- Buy a cast iron skillet. It will last you a lifetime.
- Cook with frugal foods (e.g. beans, lentils, soups, oats)
- Don’t automatically throw out food that is past its best buy date. It doesn’t necessarily mean its bad.
- Save bacon grease to use for cooking oil
- Store food properly to make it last longer
- Freeze foods to keep them from getting stale or going bad
- Keep snacks in the car to avoid buying snacks while you are out
- Drink water
- Make your own flavored water
- Don’t buy bottled water
- Buy a whole ham and get it sliced for cheaper lunch meat
- Get a reusable bottle for water when you are on the go
- Install a sink filter
- Know when to skip organic
- Join a warehouse club
- Pay attention to expiration dates
- Join a co-op
- Pick your own fruits from an orchard
- Consider buying a deep freezer to store bulk items for an extended period
- Don’t eat out or eat out less often
- Keep an inventory of your pantry so you know what you have and what you need
- If you buy cereal, buy it bagged instead of in a box. Bagged cereal cost a lot less.
LynnB says
Great tips! If you have a Keurig or similar coffee maker, you can buy reusable pods. That way, you can just get a can of coffee, put a spoonful in the pod, and brew your cup of coffee for much less than using a throwaway pod.
Another tip that I don’t recall seeing: opt for store brands. They’re usually just as good as the name brand products, often produced or manufactured in the same factories. Buying a store brand is usually cheaper than using a coupon for the corresponding name brand item. If you don’t like the store brand, they usually have money back guarantees so you can return it to the store for a refund
As for the bags, some stores will give you a free canvas bag on Earth Day or during similar promotions; you can then use it at Aldi or Target (5 cent discount for bringing your own bag), although our local Target store is too high on its grocery items. But the bag discount applies to whatever you buy at Target. My friend bought the plastic sacks at Aldi — one time –and reuses them each week. Their plastic bags are pretty sturdy. I’ve also gone to job fairs where different employers hand out free canvas bags that are good for grocery shopping.