Grocery bills can add up so quickly! Now it is just my husband and I currently since we don’t have kids but he eats enough for 3 of me! It caught me off guard when we first got married so I set out to find ways to save money on groceries without eating nothing but ramen.
Over the last three years these are the 7 thing I do to save money on groceries. I am of the mindset “a penny saved is a penny earned”. Even though it may sometimes feel like the small amounts you save don’t make any difference, they add up to a big difference. Especially when you consider the weeks, months and YEARS worth of groceries you buy in your lifetime.
1. Use Coupons
You know those annoying ads that come in the mail? My first reaction is to throw them away! But if you can just take a few minutes and cut out the ones you know you’ll use. Take them with you and save a few bucks.
A lot of stores now also offer digital coupons on their store apps. Taking a quick moment to add some of them to your card. It is important to note though that sometimes other brands are cheaper than the brand you have a coupon for. So make sure you’re still comparing prices.
And you know those random coupons you see sometimes in the aisles or stuck to some foods? Usually yogurt or cookies I feel like? Use them! Pick the package with the coupon! I’m always down to save a buck.
2. Shop the Sales
I don’t mean just go to the store, see something from your list is on sale and do a mental shout for joy.
Or worse you see something is on sale so you add it to your cart without a plan!
The solution: dealstomeals.com. There is a 5 dollar per month fee but you will save so much more than that by using this site, so worth it. The awesome women who runs this site lists all the deals in your area in one spot. You choose which stores you want to see, then a red flag means a good deal and a yellow star means a great deal.
I always look here first when I plan my meals. After I know what is on sale I plan what I am going to make so that hopefully most of the items I buy are going to be on sale. Then there should only be a few miscellaneous items that you need that aren’t on sale.
3. Buy Store Brands
Did you know that in many cases name brand foods are packaged in the same location as store brand foods? The food comes from the same place, is the same quality but then, based on the label that gets slapped on, the price tag is different.
(This is often the case with other kinds of goods as well, like glasses)
With that knowledge why would I ever buy name brand!! They are basically robbing us blind. 😉 JKJK, kinda.
But in all seriousness this is probably one of the easiest ways to save. Switch to automatically reaching for store brands. Also be sure when you are shopping sales on name brand foods that there aren’t also sales on store brands. Stores often respond to sales by also discounting their own products thus making it still cheaper to buy store brands.
4. Shop Seasonal Produce
Fruits and vegetables are priced based off of availability and theres always more when things are in season. For example: when sweet corn is in season it costs $0.25 an ear. However at the beginning of the spring (not in season for corn) it was literally $1.50 an ear!! Talk about a mark up. So do yourself a favor and stick to foods that are in season.
The best store I have ever found to purchase produce on sale is Sprouts. The other day they had corn on sale for 8/$1!!!
5. Buy in Bulk
I think this one is pretty well known, that is why stores like Costco and Sams Club exist. However did you know that that applies between sizes of cans or bags of food too? So if you’re thinking about buying a small box of Oreos vs a family size box of Oreos the family size will be cheaper per oreo.
This will be the case most of the time. You can find out for sure by checking the price per measurement unit. For example: $1.52 per lb or $0.62 per oz. Always compare those just in case.
6. Store Reward Cards
Many local stores now days like Krogers, Smiths, and Hy-Vee all offer rewards cards and you’ll need those cards to access deals on groceries. They also have point system that give you money off of gas and sometimes even groceries.
The key to this one is to make sure you always have your card with you. It does you no good sitting at home on the counter. Get the card and put it on your key ring and just watch the savings roll in.
7. Have a Plan Before You Shop
Make a list and stick to it. This will cut down significantly on your impulse buys which add up much faster than you would think. Especially at Costco!! Or other bulk stores. This can bust your budget and will often lead to unwanted snacking at home because in my case the impulse buys are almost always junk food.
The same facts also apply to DON’T SHOP HUNGRY. That will lead to impulse shopping and all the same issues, so be prepared and have a plan by having a list and eating before you leave.
Not to mention it could lead to wasted food if you buy more than planned and that is no good. When you can’t use food up in time before it goes bad it is just money in the trash. So do yourself a favor a write out a plan before you shop and you will save on groceries. Probably more than you would initially think.
Use Cash Back Apps
Once you’ve done all the above to save as much as possible on groceries up front, use cash back apps to earn back money you’ve already spent. My two favorite cash back apps for groceries are Fetch Rewards and Ibotta!
Fetch Rewards is an easy receipt scanning app where after shopping you simply snap a picture of your receipt in the app to earn points. You’ll earn points for qualifying brands as well as for simply using the app. Every 10,000 points you earn can be redeemed for gift cards ($10) to many different places. When you sign up use code: 92VKG for a free 2,000 points!
Ibotta is an easy to use app where you select cash back deals from available offers. When you’re done shopping you take a picture of your receipt and the app automatically matches any offers to your purchases. Then you watch the cash back add up until the $20 mark when you can withdrawal it directly into your account!
Save on Groceries
If you use these tips it can save you hundreds a month! And It will save you hundreds or more every year. So what are you doing? Make that list and get to work!
Let me know your tips to save on groceries in the comments. I am always down to learn how to save more money! The more money we save now the more money we’ll have to spend on items higher on our priority list. Like travel or investing or saving for a house! If you need to find other ways to save be sure to check out how to save on furniture.
This was a great post with so many practical money-saving tips. I will have to put these tips into practice.
Awe thank you! I hope the tips help you save.
Excellent advice! I follow each point and have cut my grocery bill by 30-50%. (Also… I never go to the store hungry… you’d be surprised at how that cuts back on impulse buying!)
Ah that is a good one! Definitely a must, so much wasted money on snacks lol.
Great list! We have tried some of these and can second how helpful they can be. We will need to check out dealstomeals as well. Thanks!
Thank you for reading! I loving hearing that other people use the same methods to save. Deals to meals is a great site, I hope you find it helpful.
I’m SO glad this was not another Ibotta post 🙂 Very useful tip – I need to look into dealstomeals!
HAHA well I do use Ibotta but that is not the best way to save. There are other changes, like discussed here, that are simpler and will make a bigger difference.