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Spending money on groceries is a regular weekly expense in every household.
If you are a family of four you might be spending at least $100 a week on average.
While cutting back on groceries might be the best answer, there are other mistakes you might be making.
Most of the time, we are shopping for essentials but the problem lies in how and when we shop. For starters having a shopping list each time you shop is necessary. Otherwise, you are going to stop at each aisle “assuming” you might be needing extra items.
Let’s take a closer look at how you can save money on your groceries every week.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read disclosure.
Want to Get Paid to Shop?
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It’s as simple as uploading clear images of your shopping receipts that are not more than 7 days old from any grocery store in the US. You can also upload receipts from drugstores, liquor stores, and hardware stores. Check out Fetch Rewards to start earning.
How can I cut back on my groceries?
By making the right choices.
Most of the time, we write down our shopping list, head to the supermarket, get want we want and leave.
For fruit and veg, we buy whatever meets the eye. For diapers and other expensive personal hygiene products which can feel a pinch to the wallet – we shop immediately when we are out of stock.
This means you are shopping for a 20 pack of diapers which probably isn’t on a discounted price. Instead, buy in bulk when there is a sale, even if you don’t need it right away. This is a good strategy to follow on items that last long.
Here are some products with a long shelf life:
Disposables/Cleaning:
- Toilet Rolls
- Microfibre cloth
- Toilet bleach
- Laundry detergents
- Garbage liners, dishwashing liquid
- Handwash
- Diapers, wipes and milk powder
- Sanitary towels
- Shampoo, body wash, moisturisers
- Over the counter pain killers also have a long expiry
- Batteries – can come in handy
Groceries:
- Pasta
- Rice
- Dried Lentils
- Tomato Sauce
- Salt/Sugar
- Cereal, peanut butter, jam
- oil
- Frozen food of your choice – vegetables, berries
- Canned food – baked beans, tuna, soup, carrot/peas
- Plain/Self Raising flour
Buy these items in bulk when there is a price drop.
This will definitely save you money in the long run. You will not need to spend money on these items the next time you shop.
Tips to spend less on groceries
1. Buy in season
In-season fruit and veg and always reasonably priced. You will notice exotic and off-season fruit maybe double the usual price. It’s good to choose wisely unless you really need to use them in a special recipe.
2. $5 meal plan
This comes highly recommended for busy moms that are lost for ideas when it comes to cooking healthy meals.
This meal plan costs only $5 a month and you end up saving money on groceries and eating out. Each recipe makes use of budget-friendly recipes that are inexpensive and easy to find.
The meal preparation is simple so you are not spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Here is a free 14-day trial if you want to check it out.
3. Swap for Cheaper (healthier) Alternatives
Did you ever realise that raw coconut oil can work out as a cheaper and healthier option to expensive moisturisers?
Or how about reusable kitchen towels instead of paper towels?
There are many ways to swap for better alternatives and even though you might only save a few dollars, they all add up by the end of the month.
4. Use a Shopping List
If you have a shopping list handy you stay focussed and buy only what you need. This also helps you make a final decision when you really need it or not.
Without a shopping list you might feel lost and end up buying a lot more than what you need.
Try this: Cozi is a free shopping list app for moms to help stay organised. It does more than just shopping lists. check out the Cozi App here.
5. SuperCooks
Supercooks is a website that helps you re-create recipes from leftovers.
Just list out the ingredients and let SuperCooks tell you what to cook! Never again will you have to stare at those leftovers in the fridge and wonder what to do with it.
6. Grocery Saving Apps
Unlike clipping coupons, grocery apps can save you money with little effort from your end.
Two highly recommended apps are Ibotta and Rakuten (formerly Ebates).
With Ibotta, you can earn real cash in your wallet every time you shop at Walmart, Hello Fresh, Target or 300 other retailers. You can usually get your cashback within 24 hours!
Rakuten is a very popular cashback app in the US, that offers up to 40% cashback on most items. You can also install their browser extension if you tend to shop online.
7. Clear visibility
When arranging your fridge or pantry, try and make sure everything is visible. The best way to do this is to not overload.
When you can see whats in the fridge, you will make sure to use it. Things in the pantry may go past their expiry of you are not able to keep track of what’s inside.
8. Deals and Discounts
Supermarkets have regular deals and discounts. While coupons are a great way to save, you can also save a lot of money from supermarket specials or when buying during festivals and holidays. This is definitely the best time to buy.
Coupon App: The Honey app is one of the best free coupon apps that gives you the latest coupon codes to apply at checkout. Install this app on your desktop, and everytime you shop online, it will automatically show you coupon codes to use.
9. Limit Meat
Meat usually has a shorter expiry and can cost a lot more expensive than vegetables. So if you can limit the amount of meat you buy each week, you can definitely save some dollars there.
Another way to save on meat is to avoid buying meat in smaller portions. Most supermarkets charge less when you buy in bulk. You can buy a larger portion of meat, use what you want and freeze the rest.
10. Don’t opt for pre-cuts
Whether its pre-cut meat or precut veg, they are again highly-priced than when bought in whole.
11. Buy in bulk
I don’t want to sound like a broken record here, but bulk up anything you can. And remember when you do this make sure to keep track of the expiry, so you make proper use of everything you’ve bought.
Keep rotating your pantry items to check that you haven’t pushed a product that is nearing expiry at the back of your cupboard.
12. Shop After Your Meal
I used to go grocery shopping around noon – ever single time. It was just before lunch and I used to feel like buying the entire store!
Around seemed to be the best time for me to shop, but not the best time for my shopping bill:)
When you are walking into a store without an appetite it will definitely reflect on your bill.
13. Shop for Kids
If you have kids that are still using diapers, buy in bulk when there are baby events in-store.
You can also buy diapers one size bigger and stock up.
Same when you shop for clothes and school uniforms. With younger kids that tend to grow often, its a good idea to shop for a bigger size and keep handy.
Buy summer clothes at the end of summer and the same for winter outfits. Stores often have summer/winter clothes marked down at the end of the season.
