24 Ways to Chop Your Grocery Bill

Need a foolproof way to cut your monthly food and grocery expenses? You could stop eating for one week out of every month. That would do it right there—25% percent off the top.

What?! Don’t think you can pull that off? Me either, but not to worry. What follows are two dozen much less painful—and I hope slightly more realistic—ways to chop the high cost of food to beat inflation at the supermarket.

Create a shopping list

Do this at home using the store’s weekly sales flyer as your guide.

Don’t shop hungry

You will be compelled to buy everything in sight regardless of what’s on your list if you arrive at the store hungry. Tip: If you can’t avoid it, head to the bakery a pick up a cookie or grab a protein bar on your way in. That will be enough to silence your hunger and clear your mind.

Leave the kids at home

You will stick to your shopping list with much less frustration and stress if you fly solo.

Avoid convenience or specialty stores

You won’t find many bargains there, but oh so many temptations to overspend.

Groceries online

Online grocery shopping is the latest and greatest for many (me!). It keeps me out of the supermarket where, even with a list, I’m an impulsive disaster just waiting to happen. I shop at KingSoopers (part of the Kroger Family of stores) and pay a flat fee of $4.95 per order for its Pick Up service, or free for orders of $35 or more. Walmart offers its groceries online program with free same-day pickup available at hundreds of Walmart stores nationwide (store locator). Walmart does not charge a pickup fee but has a minimum order requirement of $35.

Pinch of salt

Sounds weird, I know but this really works: Add a pinch of salt to a new container of milk when you first open it. Shake well to make it last longer. Salt retards the growth of bacteria that makes milk turn sour. Such a small amount will not alter the taste or be detectable in any way.

• MORE: Frugal Food and Grocery Shopping 101

Avoid leftovers

Your good intentions to make enough for lunch tomorrow too, will more than likely ensure you growing biology specimens in the back of the fridge. Prepare just what you will consume at one meal. Exception: If you prepare an entire extra casserole to freeze for some later date, I don’t consider that to be leftovers; that’s called a great idea.

Stretch fruit juice

Mix 50/50 with generic brand club soda or seltzer.

Stretch concentrated fruit juice

Always add one can of water more than the instructions state. You will be pleasantly surprised when you detect little difference if any.

Drink water

Your doctor will love you and so will your food bill. Keep a pitcher of chilled water in the fridge. Rave about its wonderful qualities to your young children. They’ll think it’s a treat if you are convincing enough.

Eliminate choices at meals

Stick to your plan and let your family know that from now on there will be only two choices: take it or leave it.

Creative menus

Come up with creative menu titles for what otherwise might be considered plain and boring: Baked Potato Bar; Chef Salad Night; Bits and Pieces (my kids favorite meal when they were little), which is any combination of things in the fridge cut up to bite-size, cleverly arranged on a plate then ceremoniously sprinkled with a bit of seasoned salt and eaten with a toothpick. Smorgasbord Night (a glorious array of this and that; you know … leftovers that you wouldn’t even think of throwing away); Hors-d’oeuvres and Mocktails. You get the idea.

Homemade snacks

Popcorn is easy to make and is usually inexpensive when you buy the kernels and pop it yourself from scratch.

Buy in bulk

This will cut down your trips to the grocery and will often save as much as 50 percent of the unit cost. Reorganize your kitchen and pantry. Find places outside of kitchen to store dry and canned goods. Repackage large amounts into small units.

Consider generic and store brands

Some generic items are awful and others are exactly the same product as the name brand. Do some experimenting, especially if your store offers “satisfaction guaranteed!” If you don’t like it get a refund or an exchange.

Shop the perimeter of the store

This is where you will typically find the produce, meat, and dairy. The center aisles are the prepackaged and preprocessed high-priced items, a.k.a. the danger zone.

Keep a price book

Start keeping a notebook which, lists the prices of regularly purchased items at various stores. Keep it with you so that as you see specials or ads you’ll be able to determine whether it is really a bargain or not.

Shop midweek

According to studies, on Wednesdays, most supermarkets reduce prices on food that is about to expire. This is also the day that the majority of stores start their new sales.

Shop the sales

Check grocery ads for specials, then base your week’s meals on what is on sale. The closer you can stick to buying only what’s on sale, the more you’ll cut your costs.

Odd hours are good

Shop late in the day, then ask the butcher, bakery.\, and produce person if there is anything they will be marking down. You’ll be surprised how helpful these folks can be and you’ll get the best of the sale and priced-for-quick-clearance items.

Shop rested

Don’t shop when you are exhausted. You will not be as disciplined or effective.

Creative procrastination

Even if you think you must get to the supermarket because there’s nothing to eat in the house, wait. Hold up. Pretend you’re stranded on an island with truly nothing to eat but what you have in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. Chances are pretty good you’ll come up with something, using up what you have already, thereby putting more time between shopping trips

In season

Purchase foods when they are in season, especially produce. But buy off-season meats; typically, roasts are on sale items during summer months as steaks tend to be popular while roasts are not. Buy the sale meats and freeze. If you buy a large piece of meat, cut it into portions for quick thawing later.

Weigh produce

Even if it is priced per item, weigh it. You won’t believe the difference in weight of the pre-bagged carrots, for instance. Even with a weight printed on the bag, the real weight may be quite different (and it can be, provided it is not less than printed). Heads of lettuce priced individually can differ in weight by as much as half a pound.

 

Question: What are your favorite tricks and tips to keep the cost of groceries under control? Please share in the comments below

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