SAVING MONEY ON GROCERIES

HAVE A PLAN AND STICK TO IT!

If you go to the grocery store without a meal plan it is difficult to estimate what you will spend. By having a meal plan prepared before you go grocery shopping you can have a list of exactly what you need. I use an app called meal plan which has all of my recipes in it so that I can create my shopping list from my plan for the week. You don’t need an app to do this, of course, it can be done on paper too.

Make sure to check what you already have that you can use for meals in the upcoming week. Maybe you have some spaghetti, some ground beef or frozen meatballs, and a jar of sauce.  Ok, that’s one night down. Check side dishes you might already have, canned or frozen vegetables, boxes of rice, etc. After you check what you already have to put into meals, then create you list of what you need for the other meals you have on your plan  Then check again to see what you have on hand first for those additional ingredients. It’s the worst to buy ingredients for a recipe when you already had them at home. I always go through the freezer, fridge, and cabinets with my list to see what I might already have and cross those items off the list.

ESTIMATE YOUR COST BEFORE SHOPPING

Price out an estimate of what each item will cost so that you can determine if your list is within your budget before you go to the store. I have a different app called Intellilist that I have set up with the prices (roughly) so that I can create my list and it gives me the estimated total of what I am going to spend. I also add things to the list like chips, fruit, etc. so that the cost of those items is included in the estimate also. Unless you know there are a few extra dollars available in your budget, don’t grab extra stuff that was not on your list.

TRY A DISCOUNT STORE IF YOU HAVE ONE AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA

I have saved so much by doing the majority of my shopping at Aldi.  I fill in with stuff from the regular grocery store when needed for things that those stores don’t sell. If you have a discount store in your area, consider giving it a try.

MAKE SWAPS WHILE YOU ARE IN THE STORE IF YOU SEE A GREAT SALE PRICE

Sometimes I will plan to make a certain vegetable as a side dish, like say fresh green beans.  When I am at the store if I see there is another vegetable on sale that could be swapped out I will grab that instead. Same thing with fruit, if I planned to get apples, but I see something different that’s on sale like cherries or something like that I’ll pick those up instead. This logic can really be applied to any food item. Say you were going to make chicken one night, but you see there is a great deal on pork chops. If pork chops happen to work out with the sides you had planned for that meal, then go ahead and swap it out.

Just try to really only pick up these sale items if you plan to swap them out. Or if you will use them in a meal plan very soon.  If you are purchasing for a future, week, make sure they can fit into this week’s budget. Otherwise don’t get them!

YOU DON’T NEED TO ALWAYS GET THE BEST PRICE PER (POUND, OUNCE, WHATEVER)

One thing that I really had trouble with for a long time was purchasing less of something for a higher price per if I saw there was a better deal for buying more of something. If you are really trying to stick to a grocery budget, sometimes it’s ok to pick up the $3 package of cheese, rather than the $10 package because it’s less per ounce.

DON’T COUNTING ON SPENDING MORE THIS WEEK, BUT MAKING IT UP NEXT WEEK

It is very difficult when you go over budget to try to make it up next week.  So, do everything you can to try to stay within your budget amount.  If you really need to spend a little more that week, then try to pull from another budget line item, if possible. It’s hard enough to stick within a grocery budget, let alone having to come in even lower to make up for overages from prior weeks.

TRY TO KEEP A BACKUP ON HAND OF CERTAIN NECESSITIES THAT MIGHT COST A LITTLE MORE

For example, when I buy things like paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, and things like that I buy them in large packages.  So, they are usually in the $10 – $15 range. If I end up needing 2 or 3 of those in one week, it’s difficult to stay on budget.  So, I try to keep enough backup that I can buy them when they fit into the budget.

Say I just started using my backup laundry detergent, I know I have at the very least a month or so wiggle room to replace the backup.  So, if I have a week that the groceries didn’t cost as much, I’ll pick it up that week.

GO TO THE STORE BY YOURSELF IF POSSIBLE

If my teenage kids come to the store with me, I pretty much always end up getting something I didn’t plan on.  Come on it’s food, we need to eat!  Even when I give them the big talk about we are only buying what’s on the list, I usually still end up giving in on something.

ORDER ONLINE FOR DELIVERY OR PICK UP

If you find that you struggle with sticking to your list while at the store, and end up making impulse purchases, consider placing your order online so that you can get exactly what you need.  Plus you can see your total before you check out.  So, you have another option to make adjustments if needed.

RANDOM TIPS

• Use up side dishes or meals during the week and save others to carry into the next week. If you have a side dish use it with a meal it works with, or if . Iyou have leftovers take them all out and use for a meal, then save the meal for next week, that’s one less night of food you will need to purchase. Switch up meals if needed to a lower cost option
• Make sure to use up ingredients that will expire sooner first
• If making a new recipe that calls for a special spice or expensive ingredient, consider if you really need it
• If you stock up on something on sale, plan out to use it, don’t let it just sit there.  You bought it to eat it.

Thanks so much for checking in! If you would like to hear the podcast version of this topic to check out Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast! Also, be sure to check out my other blog posts on this site!

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