The Top 10 Ways to Save More Money on Groceries

Do you feel like you spend way too much money on groceries each week?

If you have children, you probably feel like the food in the house goes way too fast and it is hard to keep up with stocking your fridge, freezer, and cabinets with different items that each person in the household will enjoy.

While you may currently spend hundreds of dollars on groceries throughout the month, there are some creative and beneficial ways to save a lot more of your money while still providing healthy meal options for yourself and your family.

10 Ways to Save Money on Groceries

1. Get a Shopper’s Loyalty Card

Always get a shopper’s card for the supermarket that you are going to when doing your grocery shopping.

ALWAYS

While some supermarkets do not have these cards, others require customers to have them if they want to get the sales, fuel discounts and other special offers.

Because you want to have access to any sales that are being offered in the store, it helps to sign up for the card and keep it on your key ring with your keys, or in your wallet, because then you will always have it with you.

2. Make a List of What You Need Ahead of Time

Instead of browsing through the aisles trying to figure out what you need or want to grab or being sucked in by special deals on things you won’t use, you should make a list before you even head out to the supermarket.

If you make a list in advance, you can stick to the list and avoid going into aisles that are full of tempting items that you truly do not need.

By making a list, you can also figure out how much you are probably going to spend at the supermarket before you even get there.

How often have they had a 3 broccolis for the price of 2 deal and you go ahead and grab 3, despite the fact you know you will only get through one head of broccoli in your family this week?

You feel like you are getting a good deal, but actually, you will probably throw 2 of those broccoli out, so save yourself the money and the effort, and just get what you will actually eat!

3. Go to a Discount Supermarket

With plenty of different supermarkets in existence, you should look for one of the discounted ones that regularly offers food at some of the best prices around.

Instead of going to a supermarket simply because it is closer to you, go to one that constantly offers the best sales because then you can get fruit, milk, meat, pasta, and other items at great prices.

Bigger stores will have better range, and bigger discounts, it is worth traveling to get the better deals.

4. Collect Coupons and Use Them

Start collecting coupons and always use them whenever you go shopping at the grocery store. There are plenty of ways to start collecting coupons.

You can look online for printable options that are available (I love Coupon Surfer!), you can view the weekly circulars that come in the mail, and you can even buy a Sunday newspaper specifically for the coupons.

Ask friends and family to give you any coupons they might have that they do not plan on using, the savings you can get from using coupons is phenomenal!

5. Start Meal Planning

Begin meal planning at the end of the week for the following week. Figure out what you are going to prepare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because then you will know how much food you need to get.

If you start to meal plan ahead of time, you can save money by making sure to purchase only the necessary items rather than buying items that you are not going to use or need.

Grab our free printable meal planning sheet here:

 
 

6. Stock Up on Non-Perishable Items

When you notice a sale on non-perishable items, you should start stocking up on them because they are not going to go bad nearly as fast as other items.

Some of the different non-perishable items that you may want to start purchasing include bags of rice, canned vegetables, containers of peanut butter, boxes of pasta, and crackers.

Non-food items can also be bought in bulk and stored in a basement or other large storage area – soap, detergent, toothpaste, paper towels, toilet paper etc

7. Pay Attention to the Sales

Look at the weekly advertisements for the supermarkets in your area to find out what kinds of sales they are having, signing up to their email alerts is the best way I have found to do this!

By looking at the advertisements, you can find out if a specific supermarket has the items you need on sale for the week.

If one place is not offering the best sales, you can always look at advertisements for other supermarkets and ultimately visit the one that is providing the best deals to customers for that specific week, or do both and get the best deals at both places!

8. Always Add Digital Coupons to Your Shopper’s Card

Some supermarkets offer the option to go online and add digital coupons to the shopper’s card that you receive when you shop there.

It may take a few extra minutes of your time but clipping those digital coupons can help you save hundreds of dollars throughout the year, so it is worth it.

9. Buy Store Brand Instead of Name Brand Products

While you may enjoy certain name brand products, many of the store brand products are just as good.

You can easily start saving a lot of money on your groceries by choosing to purchase store brand versions of the same things you would normally get, including loaves of bread, peanut butter, jelly, canned vegetables, and even cereal.

The generic versions are often much cheaper than the name brands and some even taste a whole lot better.

10. Skip the Meat Throughout the Week

Even if you enjoy eating meat, try to serve a few meatless dishes throughout the week. Meat is often more expensive than the other ingredients that are used to make meals, such as vegetables, rice, potatoes, and pasta.

If you can have at least two or three meatless dishes throughout the week, you can save at least $20 per week that you would have normally spent on steak, chicken, or pork.

Some meatless meals include spaghetti with cheese sauce and vegetables, baked macaroni and cheese, rice and bean bowls, and vegetable soup.

If you do buy meat, grab the tougher, cheaper cuts and learn how to use a slowcooker to make delicious cheap meals.

If you are spending a lot of money on groceries and need to start saving more money, follow these simple tips. You can avoid overspending and still get the same amount of groceries as you would normally need to purchase for your family.

Need inspiration for using your crock pot?? Check out our eBook packed full of delicious recipes: