8 ways to save money on groceries

Before I started living frugally and doing a monthly budget I had no idea how much money I was spending on groceries each month for my family of three.  I was completely oblivious to the fact that I was wasting both food and money because I wasn’t meal planning, cooking on a consistent basis, and I was eating out way too much (yet another food expense that’s even more costly than groceries).  I thought this was just the norm, how everybody lived their lives.  When I finally made that shift into trying to save as much money as possible, I was able to see my grocery spending habits for what they were – wasteful.  I set a grocery budget for myself and have been happily saving hundreds of dollars a month ever since. 

I’d be willing to bet unless you are budgeting consistently you also have no idea how much you typically spend on groceries each month.  Take some time right now to look at your expenses over the last couple of months.  Whether you’re horrified by the total dollar amount or pleasantly surprised that it’s not as bad as you thought, I promise I can help you bring it down significantly.  Here are my 8 tips for saving money on groceries.

1. Set a monthly budget for groceries based on how many members you have in your family

Obviously the larger your family the larger your grocery budget will be.  I recommend spending $25 per family member per week.  So for my family of 3 that’s $75 per week which comes out to $300 per month (when multiplied by 4 weeks per month).  $25 might not seem like much, but if you apply my other tips you’ll see that it’s actually plenty.

2. Make a meal plan every week… and stick to it!

Once a week sit down with a pen and paper and plan out your meals for the next week.  By making a plan for yourself ahead of time, it gives you a guideline to follow for the rest of the week so that you’re not left wondering what to make for dinner at 5 pm on a Wednesday (a sure fire way to throw in the towel and just spend money on dinner out).  If planning out 7 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners seems like too much work then just plan out your dinners.  That is the top priority.  Just make sure you have some breakfast and lunch staples on hand or add them to your grocery list so that you’re not scrambling to figure out those meals at the last minute. 

3. Shop your fridge, freezer, and pantry before going to the store for groceries

I bet you didn’t realize you have a mini store in your own home to shop from.  Well you do!  Look deep into your freezer and pantry and you’ll most likely find things you completely forgot were in there – things you never got around to eating but that still haven’t gone past their expiration date.  What could you make with these newfound treasures if you combined them with the fresh ingredients you already have in your refrigerator?  Add your ideas to your meal plan for the week and you’ll only have to shop for a few extra groceries to complete those dishes.

4. Look at your grocery store ads and stock up on the best deals

Not only should you meal plan based on what you already have on hand – you should also take into account what’s currently on sale at the grocery store.  Especially focus on the meat and produce sales.  What meals can you make with the sales items? If a great deal jumps out at you and you have enough money left in your budget, stock up on 2 or 3 of them.  It will save you from paying full price later.

5. Buy groceries in bulk and freeze for later

Some of the best deals are for bulk items, such as meat sold in a max pack (2-3 lbs) or a large container of strawberries or big bags of shredded cheese.  Take advantage of these deals and when you get home you can separate these foods into smaller portions and freeze them for a later time.

6. Bulk up your meals with inexpensive ingredients, and go meatless at least once a week

Adding extra rice, pasta, beans, canned or frozen veggies to a meal is an inexpensive way to stretch it out further.  Also, since meat is usually the most expensive of ingredients in any meal, try going meatless at least once a week to keep food costs down.

7. Portion control is your friend in more ways than one

Let’s face it – most of us need to be better about portion control, if for no other reason, to stay healthy and keep from overeating.  But there is an added cost benefit to portion control as well.  The less you eat now, the more you’ll have leftover for future meals!  Instead of going for seconds, pack up the rest of your meal and freeze it for a quick and easy future dinner.  Or pack it up for your lunch the next day.  Your wallet and your waistline will thank you.

8. Keep an eye on what’s in your fridge to keep your food from spoiling

One of the goals you should have is not to waste any food that you buy.  That’s why you’re taking the time to plan out your meals and shop accordingly.  But sometimes it’s easy to forget about some of the items in the back of your fridge and they inevitably spoil before you can consume them.  Take a mental inventory of your refrigerator every few days to make sure there is no food in danger of spoiling.  If you find anything that won’t last for much longer, find a way to incorporate it into a meal or freeze it.  This will help you get as close to zero food waste as possible.

I set a grocery budget for myself and have been happily saving hundreds of dollars a month ever since.  Click To Tweet

There you have it!  8 ways to save money on groceries.  Implementing any of these tips will help shave down your grocery costs, but if you follow all of them you’ll be amazed at how much less you’ll spend! Just think of all the extra money you’ll be able to save or put toward debt!  Give these a try and please let me know how it goes. 

If you’d like to see these tips in action, keep an eye on my Instagram stories!  I try to share my meal planning process each week and I also share my grocery hauls.  I’d love to connect with you there!