I live in the second most expensive state for groceries. Hawaii is the only state that beats us in this area of money. When I hear about someone’s grocery budget being $800 for two people I cringe. I had a friend once causally say “you probably already spend $500 a month on groceries” when they were talking about a special diet they were doing for a month. I gave a look that clearly communicated that it was not the case. At the time, I hadn’t realized that we were saving so much money on groceries. So here is how you can save money on groceries.
Before we had kids our grocery budget was $150. We ate a lot of carbs and I was avoiding dairy at the time which definitely saved us some money. We had lots of fresh produce but we didn’t eat many fruits as those tend to be much more costly.
That $150 budget didn’t include detergents, cleaning products, personal care items, or eating out. We had a separate eating out budget that was $100. We also had a separate budget of $50 for all personal care items, but we hardly ever used it so we changed it to be part of a misc. fund that includes several other categories for each month.
What My Budget Looks Like
Now that we have two small children that some days eat more food than I do, our grocery budget is $350. This still doesn’t include personal care items or eating out. Our eating out budget is $150 and usually doesn’t include our kids.
With this extra money in our budget, we have definitely purchased more fresh produce. Now, we purchase lots of cheese and yogurt which aren’t the cheapest items to get, but cheese is amazing for grilled cheese or quesadilla and my son LOVES his yogurt.
We don’t use coupons. The problem with coupons is that they aren’t usually for products that we frequently purchase. They tend to be for brand name products that, when discounted, are the same price as the off brand product. Coupons also are a pain to deal with at the check out. I feel like I’m causing a huge inconvenience when I bring even one coupon to the cashier.
So how do we make this work? That’s what I’m going to be sharing with you today!
Have A Budget
Saving money on groceries starts with setting up a monthly budget. Don’t include anything that you don’t ingest. Having a budget just for food will help you understand how much money you could be spending on other things that may not be as necessary. If you don’t separate it out it will be much harder to see where you can save.
The amount you budget will depend on where you live and how much you are currently spending. If your family of 5 is spending $900 on groceries try cutting back a lot to start with, maybe to $500, then adjust it as you need to. In my opinion, it’s better to low ball your budget than to spend money you didn’t need to. Budgeting gives you permission to spend money, don’t spend money you didn’t need to spend. If you need help setting up a budget check out Dave Ramsey here to learn how to save money. This is not endorsed, my husband and I just really enjoy his approach to budgeting.
Related: 40+ Lunch ideas
Eat Less Meat
This doesn’t mean that the only way you can save money on groceries is that you have to become a vegetarian or have meatless meals. This just means you portion your meat out! The meat shouldn’t be the star of a meal. Instead try to make the meat a complement to your grains and vegetables. You can also plan to have a meatless day once a week, if you’re brave enough. Some meals that naturally have less meat include soups, casseroles, and stir fry. A lot of pasta dishes can also help you cut back on your meat intake.
Related: Vegan Meal Plan
Meal Plan
This is something that I frequently struggle with during different stages of my life. Particularly when I’m exhausted from pregnancy, postpartum, or caring for small children. For me I tried planning out all meals for a whole month, but it didn’t work out. If you’re interested in trying out planning meals for a whole month check out this blog post. I now plan dinners every week and go to the store once to get what I need. If I don’t have what I need, we go without.
There are so many ways to meal plan, find one that works for you and stick to it. Whether you meal plan every meal and snack or if you only plan dinners. Whether you plan for two or three days, a week, or a month at a time or not is completely up to you.
Related: Cheap Meal Plan Under $50 For 2 Weeks
Related: Budget Friendly Breakfasts
Make A List
Go through your meal plan and determine what you don’t have. Go through your fridge, freezer and cupboards to make sure you really don’t have it. I personally have my list on the notes app on my phone. Actually I have multiple lists. I have a list for Costco, one for Fred’s, one for Walmart, as well as a variety of other lists for non food items I want or need to purchase. Keeping a list for each store makes it easier for me to know what I still need to get. I also keep a master list of all the food items that I need and frequently use. Making a list of what you need and nothing else is hard. Sticking to that list is even harder, but in order to save money, this is one of the best ways.
Buy Off Brand Products
There are a handful of products that do benefit from being name brand, but the majority of products are just the same if not better than name brand products. There are even some off brand products that are made in the same factory as their more expensive name brand products. Personally I typically completely ignore name brands and go straight for the off brand products.
Don’t Buy Water Bottles
They aren’t worth it unless you live somewhere that has undrinkable water and even then you should get larger containers as they are much cheaper. We use hydro flasks that we refill as many times as we need.
Favor The Frozen
Frozen produce is often cheaper than fresh produce that is out of season. Frozen produce is frozen at its peak ripeness. It will also last a lot longer than fresh produce will. 12 ounces of frozen food is often $1.25 in my area and sometimes it goes on sale for one dollar.
Avoid Pre-Portioned Foods
We don’t get items that have been proportioned as much as possible. Getting items in larger packing is less wasteful and it allows you to portion it out how you want.
Shop By Yourself
I try to have my husband watching the kids when I go to the store. It’s so much harder to focus on what I need and get out quick with my kids in tow. I frequently forget what I need when they’re with me.
Go Shopping Less
How many times have you seen cookies on display and bought them on impulse? I have done this a lot, more than I like to admit. Especially when the cookies seem to be a great deal. Even if I go to the store for just one item, I frequently will go past the markdowns and see an item I don’t need, but could buy. If I hadn’t gone to the store to get that one item I would have saved on the items I didn’t need. If you go shopping less you will be in the store less. Being in the store less means you will have less time to be tempted to make impulse purchases that you don’t need.
Don’t Go Shopping When Hungry
Make sure you eat food before you go shopping. If you are hungry you’re more likely to make impulse buys and spend more money. To help avoid those impulse buys make sure you eat a snack before you shop.
Compare Prices Between Products
The cost per unit is amazing information that is usually clearly placed on the tags. You need to make sure that the items you are comparing are measured in the same unit or else you will have to do some math. For instance if a product is measured in ounces but another is measured in pounds you will have to divide the pound measurement by 16 in order to get the units to be the same. As a rule of thumb, I consider a food cheap, if the cost per ounce is less than $0.20. If it’s more than $0.40 per ounce, I basically won’t buy it unless it’s 100% necessary.
Compare Prices Between Stores
This is something I mostly do from home. I can see Walmart and Fred Meyers prices for most items on my phone at home. Download the apps for your local grocery stores and see if their products prices are available. Sometimes, in order to save money, I check the other stores price while I’m in the store if I see something on sale but I’m not sure if I will save money.
Cheap Meals
If you’re on a budget and need to spend less money on groceries, you need to make sure the meals you are making aren’t expensive. Cheaper meals are going to help you stretch your grocery budget. Make sure you’re turning to cheap staple foods to help make simple meals. Some examples of cheap staple foods include rice, beans, eggs, and most vegetables. Some examples of cheap meals include, breakfast for dinner, burritos/tacos, soups, and casseroles. Check out my post on 50+ ways to upscale mac & cheese.
Related: Ramen 99 Ways
Be Aware At Checkout
When you’re in the check out line make sure to notice if something didn’t ring up at the correct price. Don’t be afraid to ask the cashier about it, even at self checkout. Additionally if an item on sale was out ask the cashier if you can have a rain check for the item at that price. This won’t work for all sales as some are limited by the products they have, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
It’s hard to be disciplined and stick to your budget, but it’s worth it. Let me know in the comments if any of these ideas work for you!
