One of the most stressful aspects of everyday life is grocery shopping. It can be hard to find time in your busy schedule to go, and it’s always expensive!
But with these 5 tips, you’ll be able to save money on groceries without even having to think about what you’re doing.
Start meal planning a week in advance
The first point on our list is planning your meals out in advance.
Meal planning will help you make sure that you’re not wasting food or money on items that will go bad before they can be eaten.
It’s also a great way to save some time too; all your meals are already planned out for the week, then all you have to do is consult the list.
This technique is sure to save you money on your groceries as you’ll know exactly what to buy when planning your meals. This is great for those who have trouble sticking to a grocery list or knowing how much they need beforehand!
When you know what you have to buy at the grocery store, you can focus on grabbing the best deals and not overspending on items outside of your list.
We recommend doing this every Sunday evening so you’re prepared for the week ahead.
Buy in ingredients in bulk and freeze meals for later
This is another great way to save money on groceries and goes hand-in-hand with your meal planning habit.
Buying ingredients in bulk from your grocery store will most likely save you quite a bit of money.
We recommend buying enough so you can cook double portions of your dinners. Then you can put one in the fridge or freezer to eat for lunch the next day or save it for next week.
This will help save money on future meals, as well as cut down on food waste.
Some ingredients you can buy in bulk and save the difference on are:
- Pasta
- Rice
- Tinned goods (tomatoes, etc)
- Tea and coffee
- Cereals
- Spices
Join a warehouse club like Costco
Many people recommend joining a warehouse club because of the savings.
It’s an extension from our previous point about buying in bulk. If you’re serious about saving a ton of money with this method, then consider purchasing an annual membership to a warehouse club like Sam’s club or Costco.
This only works if you really are cooking and stocking your home with ingredients for weeks or months at a time, or if you’re cooking food for a lot of people consistently.
Dry and tinned goods are great items to pick up at these warehouses as they stay edible for months and years, so you have enough time to use them all.
Just make sure you have enough pantry space in your house!
Eat leftovers from dinner instead of ordering takeout
One way to instantly save money on food is to stop eating takeouts.
Homemade alternatives of your favorite takeout food can be made at a fraction of the cost.
A great way to avoid takeouts is by eating and planning out what you can have as leftover meals.
Cooking a big batch of food and then leaving a portion in the fridge and the freezer means that you can take it out and eat it almost straight away.
When you’re feeling lazy and would otherwise get a takeout, take a look in your fridge or freezer for any leftovers you can have.
If you have leftover ingredients too, rather than whole meals, a great way to use them up is by mixing them into things like stir frys and omelettes.
Compare prices between different stores and use coupons
As you probably know, different grocery stores usually have different prices for the same items.
Most of the time, these differences are only small, but sometimes it can definitely pay to shop around for the best deal.
You can download grocery store comparison apps so that you can check the prices before you go out grocery shopping.
And finally, coupons are a great way of saving money on groceries too!
Make your own produce at home
The last point on our list is to create your own produce.
This also means cooking for yourself as much as possible, which is a great way of saving money on your food budget and it can also be a great hobby to undertake if you have the time.
Snacks such as flapjacks or baked good such as bread, for example, cost far less if you make them yourself.
It saves so much money as it completely cuts out the companies who make these items in bulk, package them up and brand them with very high markups.
Essentially you are getting rid of the middle man by making your own produce.
Consider making your own bread, pasta, cookies or even crackers as this will not only give you greater control over what goes into them but they will also be cheaper.
Even growing your own vegetables is a great way to save money, if you have the garden space. It gives you complete control of your ingredients and can be a great hobby to try out.
