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Have you noticed that groceries account for a HUGE portion of your budget? Does it seem like you can’t ever walk into a grocery store without spending more money than you planned? These 11 secrets below will help you win at grocery shopping on a budget.
11 secrets to grocery shopping on a budget.
1) Make a list before you leave and only allow yourself to buy what’s on the list. If you only allow yourself to buy only things on the list, you should be able to have a pretty good guess of how much money it’ll be at checkout when you first walk into the store.
2) Start your shopping with fresh fruit and vegetables. Lean towards fresh lettuce instead of bagged. It tends to be less expensive. While it might be a little more work to have to wash the lettuce yourself, it’s well worth having some extra money in your pocket.
3) Buy generic or even consider brands other than what you typically buy. There can be a big difference in prices between different brands or the generic store brand and I don’t know about you, but I do not want to pay more for my canned tomatoes to have a certain label. Now there are some items that I do prefer a specific brand because I’ve tried out others and have a taste preference, but be sure to give the alternative options a try. Bonus tip: make sure that you look at all the shelves at the store. Generics and less expensive brands tend to not be at eye level. Look high and low on the shelves to make sure you see all the options.
4) Make sure you’ve signed up for your grocery store’s rewards card. Visiting a store and don’t have a rewards card? Ask the cashier if they have one they can scan for you. They usually do and then you’ll get the sale prices.
5) Shop the sales. Have you ever noticed that grocery stores have weekly ad flyers? Take a look at the weekly ad and make a point to buy things off that list. Not only will you spend less money, but it also tends to feature fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables.
6) Look on your grocery store’s website or mobile app and see if they have a way to electronically “clip” coupons. If they do, look for items from the weekly ad that also have a coupon or for other items you plan to purchase.
7) Know when it makes sense to buy in bulk. Big box stores like Costco, BJs, and Sam’s Club can be great ways to save money, but just because something is carried there doesn’t mean it’s a great price. I shop at Costco in addition to my grocery store. For items like paper towels and toilet paper, Costco has great prices, I have room to store them, and they won’t go bad before they get used. For items like yogurt, the price per unit might be great, but if my husband and I won’t be able to eat it all before it goes bad then we won’t buy it. You have to consider your needs because these big box stores typically have annual membership fees so you’ll want to make sure you save at least the cost of the membership to make it worth it.
8. Use ibotta. This app gives you cash back on the items you’ve purchased. Sign up for ibotta through my affiliate link to get $10 free. You sign up for an account, add your favorite stores, “clip” coupons (including any item bonuses), scan your receipts after the purchase, and your ibotta account will be credited. Once you reach $20, you can cash out via Paypal, Venmo, or gift card. You can even earn quicker cash back by completing their bonuses. So far I’ve received $120 by using ibotta for purchases I would have made anyway.
9. Check out the prices at a few grocery stores near you or look at their weekly ads online. You might find that the one you’ve been visiting doesn’t have the best prices.
10. Don’t grocery shop when you’re hungry. You’ve probably already heard this one, but it’s so true. Not only do you tend to spend more money when you shop hungry, but you also usually end up with only junk food.
11. The number one key to grocery shopping on a budget is planning. Here’s the approach to meal planning that I’ve found most useful when I started out grocery budgeting.
Step 1: automate breakfast. Pick one or two breakfast items and eat those every day. My go to favorites are Nutrigrain bars and yogurt.
Step 2: Eat dinner leftovers for lunch the next day. This means that you only have to cook once and then you get at least two meals out of it.
Step 3: Save money.
Do you feel like these tips are too hard for you to do all at once? The great news is that each of these tips on their own will help you save money and then you can add more tips when you’re ready. Be sure to pin this article so you can come back to it later and try more tips.