How to be Frugal With Groceries. Must Try Tips!

If you want tips on how to be frugal with groceries or how to save money on groceries, you’re not alone!

Everyone loves cutting their grocery bill. That’s why TV shows like Extreme Couponing and Ten Dollar Dinners are so popular!

That’s also why coupon apps like Checkout 51 and Ibotta are so widely used!

We use these apps to reduce our grocery bill. But besides the apps, we also tried a lot of different strategies to cut our grocery spending per month as much as possible!

Today, we’re going to share all of those strategies with you! Some may work with your lifestyle, others may not. But by the end of this post, you’ll be an expert on frugal grocery shopping!

Are you ready to save some money! Let’s do it!

1. Create a Weekly Menu Plan

Before creating a weekly menu plan, our grocery bill was usually twice as much as our grocery budget!

We always overspent because we had to come up with a dinner meal plan every day. And what we ate was because of our cravings!

This meant we went to the store nearly every day, which caused us to overspend for two reasons.

1. We weren’t using our ingredients efficiently. We’d have a bunch of pasta and tomato sauce sitting in the pantry, but instead of cooking that we’d go spend $20+ dollars on the tacos, we were craving!

OR

2. We’d buy something extra. Personally, I can’t help picking up something from the bakery section. Those sweets easily added $20+ to our weekly grocery bill.

Creating a meal plan can limit your trips to the grocery store and help you use your ingredients more efficiently.

If you’re like most people, you don’t have the time to create a meals plan every week.

But here’s the good news… you don’t have to! Because $5 Meals Plan has already done it! $5 meal plan will not only hook you up with tasty meal ideas, but they’ll save you time, energy, and keep you from making impulse purchases as well!

Sign up with $5 Meal Plan.

2. Consider Doing Your Frugal Grocery Shopping Online:

Another great way to cut back on temptation and impulse buying is to avoid going inside the grocery stores.

A lot of grocery store have a pickup option nowadays. Just order your groceries online and pick them up at the store later!

3. Get Your Groceries Delivered

Nowadays it’s possible to get your groceries delivered directly to your front door. Postmates is one of the delivery services that can be useful to avoid unnecessary shopping trips. 

You may use this option to increase your savings if you’re the type of person who goes shopping for 1 thing but ends up buying 20. You can sign up with Postmates to get your grocery delivered. 

4. Make a Grocery List

Creating a grocery list before you go to the store is fundamental to frugal living!

If you go shopping without one, it’s unlikely that you’ll stick to your food budget.

You’ll end up buying things you didn’t need and blow your grocery budget. You’ll also pass over things you didn’t realize you needed (and have to go back to the store again later!)

I know it’s basic, but a grocery list really is your best friend for keeping your grocery budget!

5. Use Gift Cards

Buying discount Gift cards online is a great option too. You can save up to 10% in regular stores that you usually buy your groceries. Stores like Walmart, Target, Whole foods, or Costco.

Besides, if you have an old gift card you didn’t use, you can sell it there too and get some of your money back.

6. Use Coupons

One of the oldest ways to save money on groceries is to use coupons. You can find them in newspapers, in your mailbox, or even at the store!

Also, check out some coupon apps like Ibotta and Checkout 51 to save at the store.

7. Eat a Snack Before Going to the Store

Have you ever gone shopping and impulsively bought all your favorite food?

This usually happens when you go grocery shopping hungry! A great way to be a more frugal shopper is to have a snack before you go to the store!

8. Don’t Bring Impulse Buyers to the Grocery Store

Not every member of your household is equally frugal.

People buy more when they go grocery shopping with the kids. Or maybe your significant other spends much money because he or she is an impulse buyer.

If you’re the only one that can stick to a shopping list, consider going to the grocery store alone if possible.

9. Check Out the Offers Online

Most grocery stores advertise their weekly offers and discounts online.

When planning your meals, take time to check websites for ways to save money.

10. Only Bring the Cash You’ve Budgeted For

The quickest way to become a frugal grocery shopper is to ditch the bank card and use cash!

Plan your food budget in advance and only carry that exact amount of cash to the store!

This will definitely keep your food budget under control because you won’t have the option to overspend. 

11. Use Your Pantry Stock Before Buying New Items:

Many of us have days (if not weeks) worth of food in our pantries we don’t use!

Often, the food expires without us even realizing it and contributes to food waste!

If you want to be more frugal and save, use your pantry stash as much as possible before visiting the store and buying new groceries. This tip can reduce your spending per month for sure.

12. Schedule Your Shopping Days:

I don’t know about you, but my husband and I have a dangerous habit of going grocery shopping nearly every day.

Often we go just because we want one or two things… a few apples, maybe some almond milk or meat.

The problem with this is that we don’t just get the apples or the milk. We end up buying other things that we don’t need and that we didn’t plan on getting and spending more much money.

We found that scheduling our shopping days and getting everything we need on those days was one of the best way in breaking this habit.

13. Shop on Bargain Days:

My favorite grocery store here in Florida is a chain called Publix.

Publix, like many stores, have BOGO offers and other deals that they advertise on their website.

One thing you can do is spend a few minutes browsing the website of your favorite stores to find deals you’re able to take advantage of.

You may not always be able to find a bargain, but investing a little time hunting for one can sometimes save you money!

14. Avoid Warehouse Stores

I love Costco, and I enjoy buying things in bulk. But if you’ve ever gone, you know it’s easy to spend $50 (or more) without getting that much stuff. Five pounds of ground beef, a bag of tortilla chips, a package of chicken breast, and BOOM! you just blow up your budget!

So, if you’re trying to get all your shopping done on a frugal budget, don’t use warehouse stores to shop for most things.

Instead, get most of your groceries from stores like Walmart, Target, or any store that doesn’t force you to buy in bulk.

15. Shop Around/Make Use of the Dollar Store

The same product often has different prices at different stores.

Figure out which stores have the best prices for your staple items and buy the best deal.

You can also buy some of your supplies from the Dollar Store as opposed to your regular grocery store.

Ever since I’ve started going to the Dollar Store, I’ve saved a ton on paper goods and cleaning products.

There are several low-cost stores that can really reduce your grocery expense. Remember, cheap does not always mean bad. Visit new stores and don’t be afraid to try new brands.

16. Do it Yourself

There are some things we buy from the store that we can really make at the house.

The first example that comes to mind is bread. Bread is easy to make and you could save a load of money by making it instead of buying it.

The same is true if you’re an ice cream lover, kefir drinker, or whatever.

Just by investing a little money to get the supplies, you can make your own food. 

And when you make it yourself, it tastes so much better!

17. Keep Yourself on the Right Aisle when visiting the store

If you want to stick to your grocery budget, don’t wander around the store too much.

Only visit the aisles that have items you have on your list. And avoid your temptation aisles!

I discovered that by doing that I could reduce my grocery bills per week almost at half!

18. Check Out the Clearance Section

Many stores have clearance items where you can take advantage of discount products. You can sometimes find items you want here!

19. Buy Store Brand Groceries

Most of us stick with the brands we grew up with, but consider buying the store brand groceries. Most of them just as good as brand names, and they are usually much cheaper.

20. Check Out the Bottom Shelf:

Brands pay good money for retailers to place their products at the customer’s eye level. And the ones that are positioned at eye-level are usually the most expensive.

By keeping your eyes low and checking out the groceries on the bottom shelf, you can find some great bargains!

21. Don’t Buy Things You Don’t Need Just Because They’re on Sale

Have you ever been to the store and bought something on sale that you didn’t need? That’s the quickest way to blow your grocery budget!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this., it’s on sale, so I’m saving money, right?

Well, not exactly.

If you don’t need it then buying it, even at a discount, is a waste of money.

If you want to stick to your grocery budget, avoid buying things you don’t need, even when they’re on sale and you’ll see how much you can reduce your grocery bill per month.

22. Buy Substitute Products

If you normally buy food that costs you a bunch of money, consider some food substitutions.

For example,

• Instead of buying expensive potato chips, consider buying popcorn kernels that you can make yourself at home
• Try almond milk instead of the more expensive cow’s milk
• Or fix peanut butter and jelly sandwiches instead of the more expensive meat and cheese sandwiches

 Finding cheaper substitutes will save you a ton of money and help keep your grocery budget on target!

23. Buy Less Pre-Packaged Food:

Pre-packaged food is usually the most expensive food you’ll find at the grocery store.

But because it saved us time, we used to buy a lot of boxed foods, packages of meat that promised to be “ready in 5 minutes!”

If you really want to be a frugal grocery shopper, make sure to buy as much unprocessed food as possible.

24. Buy Frozen Food

Raw foods are cheaper than processed foods, but you’ll find that certain fruits and vegetables can still be expensive.

Instead of buying fresh fruits and vegetables, consider buying frozen.

Frozen fruits and veggies are usually cheaper because they’re easier for retailers to store and ship. They also keep more nutrition than fresh food.

25. Buy Less Meat

Meat is usually the most expensive thing on our grocery list. Consider choosing cheaper types of meat (for example chicken instead of beef) or finding other sources of protein altogether.

Since we started decreasing the amount of meat we eat, our grocery budget had decreased a lot!

26. Choose Seasonal Products

It’s much cheaper to buy fruits and veggies when they are in season. Make sure you take this into account when planning your shopping list.

It can save you a pretty penny when grocery shopping!

Oh… if you’re not sure when your favorite fruits and vegetables are in season, check out the Seasonal Food Guide.

27. Don’t Buy Pre-Cut Food:

The price of pre-cut vegetables, fruit, meat, etc., is usually more expensive than whole foods.

The higher price goes towards handling, washing, and packaging. If you’re willing to spend a little extra time cutting your meat, for example, you can save some money.

28. Cook in Bulk

Cook enough meals to last a few days.

This was the best way we did to organize our meals better and reduce our grocery money.

Having meals prepared in advance will keep you from ordering take out and eating junk food when you’re too tired to cook.

29. Be Creative With Your Ingredients

You can create many meals using the same ingredients. You can also cook the same meal in a lot of different ways!

So, next time you don’t have the ingredients you usually need to make chili, consider reinventing the dish with new ingredients.

A quick Google search can give you a bunch of meal ideas and keep your grocery budget on track!

30. Preserve Your Food

Did you know that every day, on average, a pound of food is thrown out for every American?!

Every time you have to throw out old or spoiled food, you’re throwing away money!

If you have to get rid of meat or moldy vegetables on a regular basis then you may want to consider investing in things like a Vacuum Sealer or a Produce Freshness Extender. 

31. Don’t Forget Leftovers:

Take your leftovers into account when preparing your meals. If you don’t want to eat the same thing for days, then freeze them or reinvent them into a new and fresh meal.

That meat you cooked yesterday, still can be used for some other meals. Just don’t let them go bad in the fridge!

Related post: Creative Ways to Save Money.

32. Choose the Simplest Options:

If cooking is hard for you, then prepare less elaborate meals, at least during the time you’re busiest. Meals prepared in the oven or grilled are the easiest options when you have little time. This is one of the best way to keep your meal planning organized.

33. Buy Organic Food at Discount to Save

If you like to eat organic foods, then you know that it can cost you a pretty penny.

The best way to save money is by buying your organic food at reduced prices at Thrive Market  or   Vitacost. They offer products at more affordable prices than regular stores.

34. Keep Things Organized

We often buy more and more food because we don’t know what we have at the house.

Keep your food organized a way that you can easily keep track of what you have.

For us, what worked was creating little sections inside the pantry. I believe us, It’s easy to see at a glance what is in there. You can even label them like:

• Baking Supplies
• Pet food (Cat food, dog food ….)
• Basmati rice
• Snacks
• Breakfast products like pancake mix, oatmeal and so on.

This will make it less likely that you’ll buy something you already have.

How to be frugal with Groceries? The Bottom Line

That’s all, folks! If you can commit to putting a few of these tips into practice, I’m certain that you can reduce your grocery budget!

If any of these tips have worked for you, or if you have other money-saving tips that you’d recommend, please let me know in the comments section below! I would love to hear from you.

Cheers!

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