When you think about one of the easiest areas to cut back on in a budget, what comes to your mind? Groceries are always a category that can be easier to cut back on than other areas of your budget. Many bills are fixed amounts, but groceries usually aren’t. I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for ways to save money on groceries.
When people ask me what is one of the easiest ways they can save money, I always say to start with the kitchen. This is because it is the one area of our life that is definitely not a fixed expense and so we can always find ways to cut back and save money when it comes to food.
Even when we are already doing a lot to save money in the kitchen there are often still little things we can do that we may have not thought of before for even more savings.
For many of us who have growing kids it can feel like our grocery budget keeps growing and growing with no end in sight! I don’t know where kids put it all, but let’s be honest – they eat A LOT!
I think for many of us, over the years we have heard some of the popular ways to save on groceries. Use coupons, don’t shop while you are hungry, go to budget stores. However, today I want to share with you some very simple, small changes you can make in what you are actually buying that will help trim down your grocery bill. Sometimes in an effort to save big we can end up overlooking the small changes we can make.
I don’t want to diminish the role coupons can have, though. And these days it is so easy to use coupons, you often don’t even have to cut them out because there are apps for your phone that make it so simple.
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You may look at some of these suggestions and think “but by doing this I’m only saving a few dollars. It doesn’t seem worth the hassle.” While it’s true that it may not seem like much money, it is often the little things that add up.
Also, sometimes just getting into the habit of looking for cheaper options regardless of exactly how much we are saving can help us adopt a more frugal mindset, therefore spilling over into other areas of our life that need a budget makeover.
For example, I often wash out milk bags to use as freezer bags or for sandwiches for lunches. I know that this is only saving me a little bit. But I know that all these little savings add up.
I also know that when I do something such as reusing milk bags, I start to look in other areas of my life and ask myself what changes I can make to save more. You’ve heard of the snowball effect in regards to debt payment, right?
When you start making little changes to save money, it’s kind of sets off a “savings” snowball effect. You start out small, but then you see the more you do the bigger the savings get.
So, next time you are shopping, try out some of these easy ways to find the cheapest groceries to buy.
HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES
Buy blocks of cheese instead of shredded. Just shred your own. If you are like me and you HATE grating cheese (because you have a history of grating your fingers along with it) give that job to your spouse. 🙂 When your husband grates the cheese for you, that’s true love right there. Also, cheese is expensive these days, so buy it on sale. You can stock up on cheese. If you grate it first you can freeze it as well. Don’t freeze a whole block of cheese though. It turns into a crumbly mess.
Buy a whole chicken instead of pieces. Cook up your whole chicken and divide it into 2 or 3 meals, then make chicken stock with the leftover bones. If you feel intimidated at the thought of roasting a chicken, you can easily throw it in a crockpot. Top it with some spices, and turn it on and let it cook all day. Pretty easy.
Buy a whole pork loin instead of already cut pork. Divide it into roasts, pork chops, and cubed pork pieces for stew. Freeze it for just an hour or so first to make it easier to cut. For a meal that rivals a good steak, marinate your pork chops for at least 4 hours (the longer, the better). Then cook them on the BBQ grill. This is coming from a self-processed pork chop hater who now craves marinated pork chops on the BBQ.
Buy spices in bags, not containers. I made my own spice jars out of old salsa jars. I liked bigger jars that could hold a whole bag of spices, but you really could use any recycled jar for spices.
Buy whole carrots instead of baby carrots. Peel them, chop them up, and then put them in container with water and you have a quick, healthy snack waiting in the fridge for the kids when they get hungry.
Buy store brands. You will save significantly just by buying the store brand variety of foods.
Don’t buy individually wrapped snacks. You know the ones I’m talking about. The ones that are so easy to throw into your child’s lunch because they are already individually wrapped. But it really only takes a few seconds to throw them into a lunch container that you can reuse, and you will save money.
Buy bagged popcorn instead of microwave popcorn. You don’t need a popcorn maker to make popcorn. I make it right on the stove with just a pot and a lid.
Buy rolled oats instead of those individual instant oatmeal packs. We talked up above about avoiding the individual packs. If you get the instant kind of rolled oats it only takes a few minutes to make, and not only will it save you money but it is healthier.
Don’t buy canned beans, buy beans in the bags. I like to cook the whole bag of beans in my slow cooker and then I divide them into different portions to freeze. I just pull out a portion from the freezer when I need them for a meal.
Buy Generic. You will usually pay more for name brand products. We buy a ton of generic groceries and they taste just as delicious as the name brand.
Ask for a rain check. If you go to the store to buy something on sale and they are sold out, ask for a rain check. Many stores will give you a rain check that you can use at a later date to still score the deal.
Shop in season. Certain products are cheaper at certain times of the year. For example, in our area we pay less for clementines around the Christmas season, apples and root vegetables are cheaper in the Fall, and berries and watermelon are cheaper in the Summer. Eating in season also makes it that much more enjoyable because you look forward to enjoying all the delicious foods that particular season has to offer without getting sick of them.
Bring a grocery list. Without a plan you run the risk of spending on things you don’t need. Always bring a list and stick to buying what is on the list. I use this grocery list, meal plan template, and other resources to help me in this area.
Grocery shop alone. Okay, so I know this isn’t possible for everyone, but if you are able to leave the kids at home, do it. I usually leave the kids with my husband when i go grocery shopping so that I don’t have little ones asking me to buy things and wearing me down, allowing me to stick to my list.
LITTLE SAVINGS AT THE GROCERY STORE ADD UP
These may seem like little changes but if you try these easy ways to save money on groceries, you will most likely notice the difference in your grocery bill. If you find the cheapest groceries to buy you will reduce your shopping expenses.
As you can see, many of these changes are taking away the convenience factor. With busy lives it can feel easier to pick the option that is more convenient. However, you will notice that the more often you do these things, you will notice they don’t take all that much extra time at all. Sometimes it just requires a little more pre-planning, but once you get into a good routine when it comes to food prep it will just become habit. This is the type of habit you want to add to your life. 🙂
You can also try grocery shopping online to save money, and you can use these tips when shopping on the internet.
If it puts money back into your pocket, it is worth it, especially when you might be going through a tight financial season in your life. By overlooking the small ways you can save money, in the end it can literally mean missing hundreds of dollars in savings every year! Try implementing these tips to save money on groceries today.
If you are looking for a cookbook that will help you make use of the frugal ingredients you buy at the grocery store, check out an excellent resource that helps you make delicious meals from very basic ingredients that will fit nicely into a tight budget, Dining on a Dime. What I love about this cookbook is that it saves you money on your very first trip to the grocery store with the many money saving recipes in it.
It also comes in eBook form or hard copy form which is great if you prefer one over the other. The eBook is cheaper than the hard copy so if you have a tight budget but still want a cookbook that can help you save money it is a great option.
Try some of the above ideas the next time you are at the grocery store to help you trim your grocery budget.
Related: How to Save Money on Meat at the Grocery Store
