Frugal Ways To Save Money On Groceries
Saving Money On Food
Groceries and food can be one of the top money spending areas in a home besides rent or your mortgage.
Cost Of Groceries
Why? The cost of food has risen over the last few years. The economy, the price of fuel and a variety of other sources are to blame for the price increases.
Also to blame is the increase in pre-made, processed heat and serve foods that find their way to the grocery cart.
How To Save Money On Groceries
Don’t leave home without a plan. Smart grocery shopping is three fold. Have a meal plan you stick to and use.
Shop store sales, use coupons, Rakuten and the store sales flyer to save money. And pay in cash.
Miss one of these things and guaranteed you will spend more money.
Meal Planning
Meal plans are great and they are simple to use. I find the easiest way to meal plan is week by week.
Food On Hand
Take count of what you have in the fridge and freezer if you are not already using a meal plan service.
How To Meal Plan
Now take your Monday to Sunday and divide up and write down what you want to make. What are some of your favorite meal ideas. Or meals you can make with the food you have in the fridge or pantry.
For example our up coming week has burgers, honey garlic chicken breasts, bacon wrapped turkey, soup and stir fry on it.
What’s For Dinner
These are all base dinner items that I add vegetables, fruits and grains to for the week ahead. Soups I will pull out of our pantry stockpile and the meats will probably be from the freezer.
Our Meal Plan
I find meal planning saves me a lot of time and frustration and the “what’s for dinner worry” 30 minutes before meal time.
I’m simple so I write out my meals each week on our large family calendar that holds all our other activities. I just find it easier with everything in one place.
Grocery List
Shopping with a list is important. Before I started “planning” my grocery trips I would shop from memory which meant several additional trips for forgotten items like salad dressing and onions or hand soap.
Coupons & Money Saving Apps
I also used to clip coupons to save money. NO MORE! I got the amazing money saving app Rakuten and I simple click, shop and enter and I save money. No more clipping, no more counting, no more paper cuts.
Sales Flyer
While you are making your list to shop check the store flyer or if your store matches competition sales check the competition stores flyer. A dollar saved is a dollar earned.
Ways To Save Money On Groceries:
- Set a grocery budget and stick to it
- Learn the store sales cycles and stock up
- Buy cheaper cuts of meat
- Purchase wholesale cuts of meat and divide and freeeze
- Stock up on beans and rice
- Try cooking vegetarian meals
- Learn to cook easy and fast meals
- Shop several stores including small discount retailers
- Figure out which retailers are going to help you stretch your grocery dollar farther
- Skip the magazine racks and the floral department
- Learn to say “no”
- Start saving time in the kitchen – freezer cooking
- Invest in appliances that make you want to cook
- Stockpile ingredients you will use
- Create a list of family favorite meals and shop accordingly
- Freeze what you don’t use. Learn 75 things you can freeze to save money.
Save Money On Groceries
Another great way to save money on groceries is to figure out all the “premade” foods you would normally buy and make them at home. Bake your own pastries and breads. Make your own pizza dough.
Money Saving Grocery Shopping Tips
Skip the pop and juice and drink more water. And there is nothing wrong with trying a new brand or going generic to save money.
Grocery Budget
If you are looking to keep more of your money and end over spending at the grocery store once and for all try this free Grocery Budget Workshop.
Related Money Saving Posts:
- Frugal Living Tips To Help You Survive On One Income
- Frugal Ways To Stretch Your Grocery Budget
- Secret Must Haves Of a Frugal Home
- 7 Things We Stopped Doing To Save Money
Update April 29, 2021
