Since starting our journey to becoming debt-free, we have been looking for ways to cut our budget and save money. Groceries is an area I knew we could cut down on, but I want to make sure we aren’t sacrificing quality for a cheaper price tag. Here are 10 tips to save money at the grocery store that do not involve couponing.
1. Meal Plan
Meal planning takes the guess work out of “what’s for dinner.” My husband and I like to sit down once a week and create a list of dinner’s for the week. By creating a plan for the week you know exactly what needs to be purchased from the grocery store.
2. Create a list
Going grocery shopping without a list is a sure way to overspend. As you are meal planning, write down the things you need and when your at the grocery store, stick to your list!
3. Keep track of how much you are spending
If you are trying to stick to a certain dollar amount for your grocery budget, a tally tracker is a great way to keep track of how much you are spending as you shop. I have a simple Tally Counter App on my phone and for each item I put in my cart I add a tally for each dollar that item cost. Because I am not adding the cents, I will round up or down depending on the cost of that time. By the time I am in line to check-out, I have a very good estimate of how much my total will be.
4. Keep an ongoing list of items you are running low on
Add things as you notice you are running low on them. My husband and I keep a list on the refrigerator of all of the things we need to pick up next time we are at the store. Since using this list, I notice we need to go to the grocery store less often for miscellaneous items because we pick them up before we completely run out. We aren’t making trips for 1 or 2 items.
5. Shop the sales
For the items that you know that you use consistently, shop the sales to stock up on those items for a lower price. I try to do this for toiletry items like toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, toilet paper etc. and for grocery items we use all of the time like cereal, breakfast bars etc. Having a small stock of these items prevents us from spending full price on them and will hopefully last until the item goes on sale again.
6. Try Grocery Pick-up or delivery
Grocery delivery has been a game changer for us! Not only does it save time, but it also saves money on impulse purchases. It also saves time, especially with 2 kids. While I am meal-planning, I am able to look through the items I already have at home and make a grocery list. I am able to check that I have all of the ingredients I need, and make sure I am not purchasing things I already have in the cupboard.
For grocery pick-up we have used Walmart’s grocery pick-up service and the best part is, it’s free! Click here to get started with your first grocery order and you will get $10 off of your purchase and I will get $10 off of my next purchase too.
7. Buy in season produce
In season produce in much cheaper than produces that is not in season. We like to freeze any extra berries and bananas we have for smoothies.
8. Buy generic brand
Generic brand products are cheaper and tend to taste just as good as the original brand. There are a few products I like to stick with the brand name, but for the most part we go with generic.
9. Shop around for the best price
Before grocery pick-up, Aldi was our go to grocery store for a great deal. Although they don’t have as big of a selection of products, their prices are much lower than other grocery stores for many things. We would get the essentials we needed at Aldi, and would make a stop at a larger store for the items they didn’t have. Making 2 trips isn’t the most ideal situation, but the for the $50 we saved, it was worth it.
10. Organize your grocery list
Whenever I create a grocery list , I like to organize it by the layout of the store. We always start shopping in the back, so I will list out the refrigerated food we need at the top of my list and go from there. This helps me to shop more efficiently and helps prevent me from having to go back in the store to get something I missed. It also helps me to make sure i haven’t missed an item I will have to make a separate trip for later on.
Thank you for reading. I would love to hear any tips you have to help save money at the grocery store!
Check out my other ways to save money posts:
18 Ways to Save Money in College
Ways to save money during pregnancy