How to Save on Groceries

Posted on by

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food is the largest expenditure for the average American household, after housing and transportation. But unlike the two main expenses, there are many ways you can manage your grocery budget on a monthly basis to cut down on unnecessary expenses.

Welcome to Cheap Chow Week ! Food is now more expensive than it ever was, and it might seem like the only cost-effective options for you are fast food or instant ramen. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This week, we’ll show you how to buy, prepare, and eat food in a cost-effective way without sacrificing pleasure or taste.

Here are some tips to try.

Loyalty Matters

To get the most out of your profit, sign up for your local grocery store’s loyalty program for big savings (here’s Meijer’s , Publix’s , Safeway ‘s, Winn-Dixie ‘s). You can also subscribe to our email newsletter to save more.

Coupons are, of course, a great source of savings. You will find your grocery store in the local newspaper, and if you use Amazon, weekly coupons are also available. Stores such as Kroger, Publix, and Walmart also accept competitor coupons. Here’s a basic guide to coupons , and here are the best, not crazy, ways to use grocery coupons .

Plan your meals

To cut costs, plan your meals with discounted items or ingredients you can buy in bulk. If you’re new to meal planning, sites like Budget Bytes offer food tips and delicious recipes. If there is no sale-price product in the store, ask for a receipt for the rain (in other words, when available, you will receive a discounted price). Ask support or cashier how to register.

And if you have food that is about to expire, don’t let it go to waste. Use a site like SuperCook to create recipes from the ingredients you have. Here are a few resources we have on this subject:

Buy only what you need

Before you hit the road with your cooking list, take stock of what you have. You can use an app like Out of Milk to keep track of (notepad and pen works great too).

This includes giving up on temptations like the $ 10 sale for $ 10. This might sound like a good deal, but be sure to check the unit price to see if you are truly saving money.

Stock up on a cheap base

By loading your pantry with main meals, you will ultimately save money. This includes things like brown rice, beans, dried spices, peanut butter, flour, eggs, canned tomatoes and tuna, oatmeal, frozen fruits and vegetables (more on this below). This way, if you have to work late or have a lazy weekend, you have what it takes to do something easy and inexpensive.

Here’s how to make 17 single chicken dishes , here are simple multicooker recipes that save time and money, and here’s how to make canned beans taste amazing .

Comparison store

Make a one-time comparison of your grocery items in stores you visit frequently using a paper list or an app like Basket (we’ve written about price tags in the past). Apps like Favado and Grocery Pal also track sales and compare prices.

If you have a few really expensive items on your list, such as meat, consider replacing them with a cheaper alternative. For example, you can trade jasmine rice for basmati and lentils for quinoa to save money, or try dried beans instead of canned foods. For meat, Bon Appetit recommends a beef shank instead of a short rib, a chicken steak instead of a rib eye, and a lamb neck rather than a shank.

As we wrote earlier , different stores offer different offers:

Use cashback

Many credit cards offer refund benefits for purchases at grocery stores. Make sure you understand your card rules and alternating categories – for example, in some neighborhoods, Chase will return five percent cash on grocery purchases – and maximize your spending. Likewise, apps like Checkout51 , Ibotta, and SavingsStar will refund your money if you have a copy of your receipt.

Learn your store’s tricks

Your grocery store uses a variety of tricks to get you to spend more. For example, food manufacturers pay to keep their food at eye level or display it in a store – look up and down at what’s in front of you for a better deal. Another tip: According to a study by the IHL Consulting Group , impulse purchases fell 32% when shoppers used a self-service kiosk because there was less temptation.

And don’t be afraid to take frozen foods. You might think that “fresh” food is always healthier, but this is not always the case. It could carry pesticides or travel long distances losing nutrients along the way. Reader’s Digest has a list of fruits and vegetables that might be best bought frozen, including berries and spinach. As for meat, ask your butcher what time of day it is usually discounted and read this to learn how to save on meat .

Look for alternatives to chains

Your local community-backed agriculture association will provide you with fresher and cheaper produce than your local chain store, at least during the summer months. At most CSAs, you pay in advance and then pick up your produce from local farmers throughout the season. You can also buy additional stocks that are suitable for eggs, bread, cheese and more. Find out more here .

Likewise, you can start a cooperative wholesale buying with neighbors or friends, which we wrote about in detail here . Ethnic markets also tend to have lower prices and better varieties of spices and other staples such as rice.

Any more tips? Let us know in the comments.

More…

0
Personal Finance

Leave a Reply