Hi, my name is Kristi, and I’m a recovering Whole Foods grocery shopper, and I’m currently learning ways to save money on groceries. Shopping at Whole Foods was almost like an addiction for me. I loved going up and down the aisles and finding new products or items and reading their labels and benefits (why, yes! Of course I need reishi mushroom tea and this $12 2 oz. jar of face cream).
But then in October of last year I quit my job to start my own business, and my husband and I started getting serious about budgeting and cutting costs wherever possible. For the first time, ever, we went down to a 1 income family of 4 which sadly meant we could no longer shop at Whole Foods. We knew the area that would make the most impact was cutting our grocery bill, in half. So, we set a budget of $400 a month to spend on groceries.
In this post, I’m going to share simple ways you can also save money on groceries.
How to Save Money on Groceries
Don’t Shop Hungry
Okay, so I said these tips would be simple, right? I try not to over complicate things. But seriously, don’t shop hungry! If I go to the grocery store hangry, it’s almost a guarantee I’m adding $40 to the grocery bill and 3 more pounds to my waistline.
Make a List
Again, simple idea, but can save a ton of money. Don’t go to the store and try to wing it. You need to make a list and make sure that what you have on your list is not already in the fridge or pantry. I can’t tell you how many extra loaves of bread I’ve bought because I didn’t think we had any, but then had a whole loaf in the freezer.
I keep a white board on the side of my fridge and jot down things we run out of and need to get on the next grocery run. This helps me when I go to make my list at the end of the week because I’m typically only getting the stuff we need, not stuff I’m randomly jotting down.
Only Buy What You Need
Anyone else ever go grocery shopping and just walk through the produce aisle and just start putting stuff in your cart you know you’re never going to use? Like those grassy root looking things you put on top of salads, or kale you know you’re never going to take the time to clean, cut, and cook? Yea, me too. I can’t tell you how much produce we’ve thrown out because it went bad before we used it.
If you’re going to buy produce, make sure you have a recipe or use for it as a side dish. Only buy what you need for the week ahead. That goes for all of the groceries. I stopped trying to stock my pantry each trip, and started only getting the stuff I knew we’d use throughout the week ahead.
Use What You’ve Got
This has been huge for us. We stopped wasting leftovers because we were throwing away SO MUCH food! Before we cook anything else for dinner we make sure we clear out the fridge. There have been plenty of nights where our kitchen table has been covered with different meals, but it’s saved us from either getting take out or cooking something else that could have been used for another night.
Also, re-purpose your leftovers when you can so that you’re not bored eating the same thing 3 nights in a row. For example, after Thanksgiving we had a ton of turkey left over. You know, the dark meat that nobody likes to eat? So, one night we had turkey, one night we had turkey noodle soup, and one night I made mini turkey pot pies using biscuits and frozen vegetables. In the past, all of that turkey would have most likely ended up in the trash.
Meal Plan
Honestly, just the term meal plan gives me anxiety and stresses me out, but I couldn’t think of another clever term. I don’t sit down every week and plan out what we’re eating each night of the week and write it on a chalkboard (some of you might be surprised by this). Instead, I find 2-3 (max) recipes that are SIMPLE that I know I, 1. can make, and 2. my kids will eat.
What I’m looking for in a simple meal is something that’s under like 4 ingredients. If it’s got more than 4 and I need to chop garlic it’s not making the cut. Ain’t nobody got time to be a chef. There are no words I love more than, “3 ingredient Instant pot recipe.” Once I figure out what I’m going to make I’ll add those ingredients to the list. Pinterest is my go-to for finding quick and simple recipes.
Clear Out the Pantry
Have you ever played a game of, “what can I make with this?” No? Try it. It’s a good way to clear out those cans of beans and corn you’ve had sitting in your pantry for 2 months.
Use Grocery Delivery or Pick Up Services
Besides Amazon and Chikfila, there is no concept I love more than home grocery delivery services. This is a moms dream come true. Rather than taking my two kids out to the grocery store I just order my groceries through an app and have them delivered to my door. This saves me money in a lot of ways:
- I’m not walking down the aisles and adding stuff to my cart I didn’t actually need or want
- I’m intentional about the things I buy because I’m not doing # 1 above
- My kids are begging me to buy them stuff from the store
- It’s saving me so much time, and time as a busy mompreneur is MONEY
In most cases, the prices are a little higher than what you would normally find in the stores, and you do have to pay delivery fees and a tip, but for the reasons listed above in some cases this is totally worth it to me. The $10-$12 I pay in fees and tip is far less than what I would spend on extra stuff I add to my cart by going to the store.
If you’d like to get $10 off your first Instacart order, use my referral code: https://inst.cr/t/CWwkCpspw
Pay for Groceries in Cash
If you’re not buying your groceries online, try to pay for your groceries in cash. I keep out $100 week for our groceries so that I ONLY spend that amount on Groceries. Most weeks we’ve been able to hover around $65-$85 for our “essentials,” and other weeks we spend a little over $100 when we need to “stock up,” so it all balances out in the end.
Buy Bulk Items When Possible
Instead of adding meat or fish to our grocery bill each week, we do one big “meat haul” at Costco when needed. This is when we buy our chicken, meat cubes, and ground beef and freeze what we’re not going to use right away. Some times this can last us up to 2 months. I’d also suggest you buy whatever other ingredients (rice, oatmeal, etc.) you use often in bulk.
Shop at Cheaper Stores
Is it just me, or is Acme like the Nordstrom of grocery stores? They can go scratch with their $7 gallons of organic milk. Wherever we’ve lived the past 5 years, we’ve always been closest to an Acme. We currently have one right across the street. But, I refuse to shop there, so instead we shop mostly at Aldis and Trader Joes.
Aldis is how we’ve been able to cut down so much on our grocery bill. They are a discount grocery store, and have a lot of organic options. For the amount I get at Aldis I would probably spend over $200 at Whole Foods.
So, there you go friends. Those are my top 10 tips and ways to save money on your groceries. These are the things that we have implemented in order to bring our grocery bill down from $800+ a month to around $400-$500.
Looking for more ways to save time and money? Check out one of my earlier posts here.
What are some of your favorite tips and tricks to save money on groceries? Leave a comment below.
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