13+ Tips to Save Money on Grocery Shopping

13 tips to save money on grocery shopping that will help you spend smart and eat well on a budget.

According to Business Insider, an average household grocery spend ranges from $314 to $516 per month based on the city.

Having said that, we all know grocery shopping is expensive and it forms the majority of our monthly household expenses.

Raise your hand ✋✋,

• If you have been guilty of being carried away during grocery shopping with all the fancy things at aisles.
• And then, piling up your cart with ice cream tubs, snacks, frozen stuff, colorful drinks, and whatnot.

Well, don’t feel bad, we all have been in this situation and then, felt sorry for ourselves and later realizing that…

You have spent way too much on the grocery .

You did not require half of the things you just bought or you bought lot of unhealthy stuff.

The good news is….

You can easily cut your grocery bills and spend less money on food. All you need is little planning and the following tips on how to save money on grocery shopping.

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13 tips to save money on grocery shopping:

1. Do meal planning:

It may not sound fun, but meal planning helps in saving money on food as well as helps you eat healthily.

When you plan your meals ahead of time, you know what groceries you need from the store and help you in avoiding buying all the unwanted or binge-worthy food items off the aisles. With meal planning, you don’t make spontaneous decisions about what to eat when you are hungry, and you tend to eat lesser outside as well.

It just takes a little effort to prepare a menu, but if you prepare a meal plan for two or three weeks, you can just keep rotating them every other week.

2. Check your pantry and refrigerator:

Before you step out for your grocery shopping, do check your pantry and refrigerator. Look out for items that you already have and try to incorporate those ingredients in your next week’s meal plan so that there is less wastage of food items.

Trust me, they are several things that you bought on your last shopping trip and have forgotten about after putting them in the refrigerator. Also, I have a whiteboard on my pay refrigerator and pantry door with all the food items in there. It just lets me keep up with things for minimal wastage.

3. Check your social calendar:

Don’t forget to check your social calendar before buying your groceries. There will be days when you, your spouse, or kids may have to eat outside or have a birthday party to attend or so on and won’t eat at home. So, plan and buy lesser groceries accordingly.

4. Check for coupons:

Make coupons your best friend if you are looking for some good savings at the grocery store. You can check the website like Coupons.com to save some serious cash and on top of that, you can also use the store coupons that you get in the mail or in the store. Couponing does help in saving a lot of money in the long run.

5. Shop the seasonal items:

Seasonal items are a lot cheaper than off-seasonal produce. Also, the seasonal produce tastes far better in season, and plus you pay lesser for them.

6. Look for sales item:

Also, check the store’s weekly flyer and see what they are promoting. It may be possible that you could find some good sales on the items you are needing. Also, if you see a rock bottom price on some other things that you may need in a few weeks, you may buy them at a competitive price now if your budget allows.

7. Shop the generics:

You don’t always have to go for brands. Most of the time, generic is as good ad branded products. In fact, most of the time, they have been prepared in the same factory but the branded products are priced higher because of the brand names.

8. Stock up on some cheap and filling items:

You should always consider adding one or two filling items in your grocery list that doesn’t cost much. It can be bananas, rice cakes and so on which can be good filling snacks to keep you full for a longer time.

9. Don’t go grocery shopping empty stomach:

When you go grocery shopping empty stomach, you are most likely to pick more stuff off the aisles than if you go right after your meal. When you are hungry, you will also be tempted to buy more fancy stuff that you can eat right away to curb those hunger pangs.

10. Shop online and pick-up at the store:

Ordering online and then pick up at the store does help in spending less money at the grocery stores. When you go to the store, you get to look at other stuff and you tend to buy more stuff than you need. In contrast, when you order online, you just add to the cart you order usually and avoid any out of the ordinary purchases.

Walmart Online Grocery is a great option to do that. You can book up a pick-up time and keep editing your order 24 hours before your pick-up which is very convenient.

11. Pay using cash:

When you head out for your grocery shopping, carry only the amount of cash that you budgeted for. This really helps to avoid buying any unnecessary stuff and control your expenses at the grocery store. If you go over the amount of cash you are carrying, you can prioritize what you actually need and leave the stuff that you can survive without.

12. Take advantage of store’s loyalty program:

Many stores like Walgreens, Dollar General, Homeland, etc. have their own loyalty programs and offer additional discounts if you sign up for the store royalty program. These programs are usually free to join and also help you earn rewards on every purchase.

13. Shop the different stores:

Buying produce from stores like Aldi usually costs cheaper than other stores. Similarly, you can usually find better deals on toiletries at Walgreens than other stores. So, instead of just sticking to one store for all your needs, shop around to score better prices and deals.

Saving money on grocery is possible but needs a little planning. Hope these tips help you in cutting monthly grocery cost and save you some cash.