15 Easy Ways to Save Money on Groceries
Here are 15 easy ways to save money on groceries!
Do you feel like you already know every grocery savings tip out there and try your best, but the grocery bill is still too tight? Start using these fifteen tips right away to be more intentional with your grocery shopping and save money!
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15 Ways to Save Money on Groceries
I am a stay-at-home mom of four, so I have learned how to be extremely frugal and careful with our grocery budget. Here are my BEST tips on how to save money on groceries!
1. Do one grocery trip every pay period.
Limit yourself to ONE grocery trip each pay period. Multiple trips to the grocery store can really rack up quickly. Be intentional with your one grocery trip, so you don’t have to go back to the store until next pay period.
My husband is paid semi monthly, so I get groceries twice a month. I try to buy groceries on pay day or the day after because it’s easier to budget at the beginning of the pay period.
If you don’t like your pay schedule, choose a time frame that makes sense for you. Choose weekly, biweekly, or twice a month, and then, stick with it!
2. Take inventory of your kitchen.
Before you buy new groceries, first look at what you already have! This is key to maximizing your groceries and saving money on food.
In my free Google Sheets meal planner, you can enter your entire kitchen inventory (divided into eight different areas) and the quantity available. Then, when you are planning out your groceries, enter the quantity needed, and it will automatically tell you how much you need to buy of each ingredient!
You can also keep track of your kitchen inventory with paper and pencil.
3. Make a detailed meal plan.
Another grocery savings tip is to meal plan. Meal planning helps you save money on food because you avoid buying more food than you need.
I used to HATE meal planning, but now, I make it a priority because I see it as a valuable task for running my household and sticking to our budget! I usually only do this once per pay period. 10 minutes of planning, and that’s it!
Again, you can use my Google Sheets meal planning template to plan meals weekly AND monthly!
4. Make a detailed grocery list.
Don’t be vague — make a DETAILED shopping list! Once you have a meal plan, this is so easy. Just write down the items you need for your meal plan that you don’t already have at home.
I also suggest keeping a running grocery list for when you think of things to add. For example, when we run out of shampoo or ketchup, I’ll just add it to my list right away, so I don’t forget it. By time it’s a new pay day and time to order groceries again, there is nothing missing from my list.
5. Set a grocery budget.
Before you go grocery shopping, decide on how much you want to spend. If you don’t ever pay attention to what you typically spend on groceries, this may be difficult to nail down right away. Start by looking at what you have spent on groceries/food over the past month. If you aren’t paying attention, the amount you’ve been spending is probably higher than you thought.
If you have no idea what your grocery budget should be, you can use Dave Ramsey’s recommended budget percentages to find the approximate amount you should spend on groceries based on your income. Dave recommends that you spend around 10% of your income on food. That means if your household income is $6,000 per month, you should try to spend only $600 per month on groceries (For our income and family size, that is nearly impossible. We spend closer to 25% of our income on food!).
6. Track how much you spend on groceries.
Tracking how much you spend on groceries is SO important! Get in the habit of logging how much you spend on groceries every month. I do this automatically because I track every single expense on my Google Sheets budget template. Since I track how much we spend on groceries every month, I can budget the same amount each pay period and be very spot on.
I used to just show up at the store and cringe as the cashier scanned each item from my heaping cart, hoping the total wouldn’t make us go negative, but never really knowing what that number was! I will never go back to being like that because it was so stressful and uncomfortable.
Once you have tracked your grocery expenses for 2-3 months, you will be able to accurately budget your groceries like me. You can save money on groceries by knowing this amount and trying to stick to it!
7. Aim to spend $25 under your grocery budget.
If your grocery budget is $500, try to spend $475. That way you have a little money leftover in the budget in case you end up needing 1-2 items before your next grocery trip!
8. Place online grocery orders.
Avoid going inside the store! Stores are designed to try to get you to buy things as you walk by them. If you can place an order online for grocery pickup or grocery delivery, you will avoid spending so much money on items you weren’t planning to buy. Online grocery shopping makes it easier to STICK TO THE LIST!
9. Keep track of the total.
If you do want to go inside the store, keep a close eye on the total you are racking up as you add things to your cart. Some grocery stores (like Walmart) have apps that allow you to scan items as you shop. If not, you can add it up on the calculator on your phone (just make sure to leave room for taxes).
I have added up items on my phone calculator many, many times while shopping. It’s so easy to spend an extra $20, $50, or even $100 if you’re not paying attention to the total.
10. Shop at multiple stores.
Shopping at multiple stores can help you save money on groceries. I used to make a trip to Aldi and Walmart every pay period. I would buy most of our food from Aldi because they price their food lower. Then, I would go to Walmart for diapers, wipes, and a few other items because Walmart’s prices for those items beat Aldi.
These days, I just do one big trip at Walmart. It’s convenient, but I know it costs me a little extra.
11. Pay attention to the unit prices.
Check the unit prices when you are trying to choose between different brands. The same type of item can come in varying amounts, so the unit price will tell you which item actually costs the lowest based on a specific amount (usually per ounce).
This helps when you are comparing brands, but it also helps when buying in bulk. Buying in bulk sometimes helps you save money, but sometimes, it doesn’t. Keep an eye on the unit price to make sure you are actually making the most budget-friendly choice.
Practice checking the unit prices, and soon it will become a habit!
12. Avoid prepackaged and processed foods.
Prepackaged foods cost more! When it makes sense for you, just buy whole foods and make your meals and snacks from scratch. For example, buy potatoes instead of frozen hash or fries. Buy oatmeal instead of cereal. Keep flour, sugar, and other baking ingredients on hand, so you can make muffins and other baked goods from scratch. Make homemade pizzas (OK, this is one prepackaged food I do buy to avoid eating out!).
You don’t have to become a professional chef and make complicated meals, keep a sourdough starter, etc. There are so many simple and cheap meals to make.
13. Freeze ingredients before they go bad.
Freeze foods that are about to expire, so you can cut back on food waste and save money on food. I started doing this more recently, and I love it. Once you get the hang of it, it isn’t much more work. It can actually save you money AND time because you can prepare food that is getting old for a future meal.
You can cook up ground beef, vegetables, etc. and place it in the freezer until you are ready to use it. Then, all you have to do is pop out of the freezer and use it in a meal.
14. Keep meals simple.
Meals don’t need to be complicated. Keep it to 3-5 ingredients per meal plus your go-to seasonings. If you like to try new recipes, try only one or two new recipes at a time, so you don’t spend a lot of money on ingredients that you might only use once.
15. Use Rakuten.
Earn cash back at stores with Rakuten!
I use Rakuten because it is so easy and almost no work to earn a little money back from my shopping. I usually place an online grocery order through Walmart, so I have the Rakuten browser extension installed on my laptop. All I have to do is activate it before I place my order, and I automatically earn any cash back available. No scanning receipts!! You can also download their app to shop online or in store.
Rakuten pays you actual money that you receive through a check or PayPal every three months! Join Rakuten here!
Final Thoughts
Use these frugal grocery shopping tips to save money on food! These 15 easy ways to save money on groceries are sure to help you cut back on food waste and be more intentional with the groceries you buy. I use these tips myself, and they have helped me keep our grocery bill as low as I possibly can for our family of six!
Do you have any tips to add? Share in the comments below!
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