Let’s face it… food is EXPENSIVE! Grocery shopping is one of the biggest monthly expenses family’s worry about. Everyone needs to eat and wants to make nutritious meals to stay healthy.
I know how hard it can be with those creeping grocery bills getting more expensive every time. I’ve had 5 hungry teenagers and one husband who loves food. Keeping their tummies happy and full with healthy delicious meals and a well-stocked pantry can be expensive. But it can easily be done with a simple budget and a few tricks to save money.
Take a look at these 15 genius ways to cut your grocery bill in half!
1. Make It Yourself
Buying certain items at the grocery store can quickly add up. You can easily cut your grocery bill in half by seeing if you can make homemade items instead of buying them. For instance, if you have tacos every week try making your own homemade taco seasoning. Likely you have all of the ingredients in your kitchen to make your own taco seasoning.
2. Shop at the Dollar Store
You can be surprised what you might find at the Dollar Store that is on your shopping list. Food items you can find at the Dollar Store are canned tuna, canned vegetables, non-perishable items such as pasta, tomato paste, prepared pasta sauces, and boxed mac and cheese. Even better, the Dollar Store carries name-brand products, so you can likely bring your coupons there and get a bigger savings!
3. Order Your Shopping Online
Try ordering your groceries online instead. You might have to give up on some coupons, but some grocery stores offer great savings when it comes to ordering your groceries online.
You might even be able to control more of your shopping instead of grabbing things impulsively. We all know it can be hard to shop when we are on an empty stomach or something looks good right there and then that you really don’t need.
4. Use Less Meat
Often people use way too much meat when cooking. Meat is already expensive enough and you can easily use meat in the package for several meals instead of one. Just replace the empty space in your meal with healthy veggies.
5. Always Use Cash
Nowadays it’s so easy to overspend when we have credit and debit cards on hand. It feels like we have endless amount of cash in these little cards. Instead of swiping the card at the grocery store check out bring cash to pay for your groceries. If you have a set budget on how much to spend each month or weekly on groceries make sure you only bring that amount of cash, such as $50, $75, $100, etc.
6. Compare Prices
Not every single grocery store has the same price on items. One store might be expensive than the other with certain items you buy generally. Compare the weekly sales ad for all the local grocery stores in your area and see which one has the best deal on certain items.
7. Don’t Throw Out the Leftovers
Often you might end up with leftovers in your home that can easily be turned into a delicious meal. Using your leftovers for another family meal can save you on more money than spending it on another meal that might end up not being fully eaten and thrown away later. Take a look at what you have and be creative with what you can make! It can be super fun!
8. Keep It Simple
To cook delicious meals that are affordable, try cooking with base ingredients like rice and pasta. There are a lot of Italian, Spanish, Indian, and Asian recipes that only use simple ingredients, a few spices, and a little amount of time to create frugal meals everyone can enjoy without hurting your set budget.
9. Try Store Brand Items
Store brand alternatives can surprisingly taste just as good as your favorite name-brand. Plus, you can save a bundle too! Try a new store brand each week to see if your family likes it. Who knows maybe it will become a new family favorite!
10. Use Grocery Store Gift Cards
Some grocery stores offer their own gift cards for purchase. You can load up a gift card each week for the amount you are wanting to spend on groceries per week or month. Only use that gift card for buying your groceries.
11. Always Use Coupons
This life-long saving hack is still one of the top tricks to saving money when buying groceries. Every time you shop you should be using coupons in items you are already buying. There are plenty of ways to find coupons online
12. Shop with a Calculator
When going to the grocery store bring along a calculator or use the one on your smartphone. You can calculate the amount on your items before heading to the grocery store counter. Remove items that you don’t necessarily need if you are on a tight budget.
13. Try the Envelope System
I love using the envelop system. It helped be keep accountable with my monthly budget for many years. To use the envelop system, you just need to put the amount of money you are wanting to spend on groceries that week and only spend that amount of money. Leave your credit and debit cards at home!
14. Buy In-Season Produce
Buying any fruits and vegetables that are in season are not only fresh and locally grown but you can save money too. If the fruits and vegetables go on sale be sure to bulk up and freeze them so you can use them later.
15. Go Meatless
Purchasing meat can often be expensive. Try meal planning family meals for a week or one night a week to be meatless. There are lots of great recipes out there that are meatless and full of delicious flavor. You might find a new family favorite too!