With a history of spending almost half of my monthly budget on groceries, I know how it feels when you wake up to the realisation of how much money you actually spend on groceries. If you are wondering how you can cut down cost and save money on groceries, you are not alone. For most families and individuals, a large number of their monthly budget goes into grocery shopping but there is a way out.
Before we move on, remember that this can be
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Before you proceed, I recommend that you take a look at this amazing grocery budget makeover for a step by step formula to help you save money on groceries.
These are 20 practical ways to save money on groceries from today.
1. Shop in bulk
It is cheaper to buy groceries in bulk. Instead of buying in small units and spending a lot of money, buy in bulk and get more groceries at a lower price. I have observed that buying groceries in bulk helps me get more groceries which last longer at a lesser price compared to buying in bits at different times. Be mindful that this largely depends on the prices being offered and where you are buying from.
2. Preserve and use leftover food
Do not undermine leftovers. Instead of cooking a new meal, reuse leftovers for lunch at school or work. Also, you can get
3. Cut down on expensive snacks
It is time to let go of the expensive cookies, chips, smoothies, pies and other costly snacks you love to munch on daily. Substitute them with affordable ones. Preferably, cut-off regular snacks until you really need it.
4. Use substitutes
To save money on groceries, replace costly ingredients with affordable ones if they are meant for the same purpose. For example, instead of meat, buy fish; instead of red cabbage, buy green cabbage.
5. Eliminate wastage
Ever dropped food in the trash can? That was food you wasted. When you waste food, you are wasting your money. Stop wasting food and let other members of your family know that it affects your budget when they waste food.
6. Cut down on large servings
Do not serve more than you can eat. Portion control is important in helping you to save money on groceries. Cut down on the food you eat; most importantly, serve what you know you can eat at a table and quit wasting food with every meal.
7. Budget
Before you go grocery shopping, plan. Prepare a list of the groceries you need with their prices and stick to the list. Erin Chase does this well and helps people to spend less of their hard earned money on groceries.
8. Buy from the market/ farmers market
It is cheaper to buy groceries from markets compared to most supermarkets and grocery shops. A useful tip is to visit the farmers market at the close of the day. Around that time of the day, prices of groceries may be cheaper because some farmers cannot afford to take their groceries back to the farm; they would rather sell them at cheaper prices.
9. Stick to a meal plan
A meal plan will help you to plan and spend on meals within your budget. This is because it helps you to budget how much you intend to spend on every meal. Check out the $5 dollar meal plan to help you plan your meals, stick to a budget and save money on groceries.
10. Freeze and store meals
Cook meals in large quantities, store them in small containers and freeze. This is great to help you to preserve food and eat it for a longer period. It also saves you the cost of buying groceries all the time and cooking fresh food, which can be expensive.
11. Never go grocery shopping hungry
Have you felt like buying every food item you set eyes on because you are hungry? If you haven’t observed, you tend to be more inclined to pick up more food items from the shelves when you go shopping
12. Start a backyard garden
If you can afford to start a small farm or garden in your backyard, go ahead. This may be an investment of time, and money at the beginning, but it will help you save money on groceries in future. Also, you can get healthier groceries when you grow them yourself.
13. Shop online
Shop for groceries online and get it delivered to you at home. This will help you save time and money you would have spent on fuel. Most importantly, it will prevent you from buying things on impulse when you go to a shop.
14. Pay with cash
Paying with cash will prevent you from going over your budget compared to if you go shopping with a card. The possibility of buying extra groceries you do not need is higher when you have money on a card. Paying with cash limits you to the money you have on hand, therefore you are more likely to stick to your budget and pay for what your money can afford.
15. Try other grocery shops and compare prices
The grocery shop on the next street may save you half the amount you pay at your favourite grocery shop. Window shop and compare prices. This will help you get a better offer and save money on groceries.
16. Buy generic ingredients
Instead of buying egg noodles for a particular recipe, for example, buy a generic kind of noodles and use it for different meals. You may be tempted to buy specific items in the name of special recipes, but remember that to save money on groceries, you must not buy ingredients that will go waste after one meal.
17. Cut down on regular big dinners
Cut down on big dinners and prepare just enough to feed the family. Cut down on starters, desserts and all the fancy accompaniments that come with dinner. Trust me, this will save you a great deal of money.
18. Buy veggies in season
Buy fruits, veggies and cereals when they are in season and preserve them. This helps you get more groceries for less. It also prevents you from buying the same ingredients at expensive prices when they are out of season.
19. Don’t be drawn to fancy packaging
Fruits and veggies that are washed, processed and have fancy stickers may be expensive. Some of the groceries that are not packaged under fancy brand names are cheaper and in most cases, healthier.
20. Let everyone in on the mission
If you live alone, this will be easy to accomplish but if you live with your family, it is time to let every member understand your efforts to save money on groceries. When every member of the family appreciates the need to contribute to the goal, it will be easier to avoid wastage, accept the meal changes and contribute to help save money spent on groceries.
Implement these tips and save a lot of money on groceries. To help you on this journey, I highly recommend that you check out Grocery Budget Makeover to help you cut down your grocery budget significantly, and the $5 Dollar Meal Plan to help you plan meals for as low as $2 per person.
