Cut Your Weekly Grocery Bill in Half
Americans waste an unfathomable amount of food. Did you know that 50 percent of all produce in the United States is thrown away?—some 60 million tons (or $160 billion)?? Wasted food is also the single biggest source of trash in American landfills. 60 million tons is enough food to feed the hungry. Not budgeting for your groceries is not only wasteful but environmentally unconscious. You do not have to waste food and your grocery bill can be much less each month by following some simple steps.
Groceries are typically the largest weekly expense and depending where and how you shop it can be quite challenging to get the most bang for your buck. The average American family will waste $1000’s of dollars of food each year. Not budgeting is not only hurting you but the world around you. I have created this guide of steps to cut your grocery bill in half and perhaps you can find a better use of this $ to feed the hungry and end environmental waste…or put that money towards your child’s college. Whatever the case…. I guarantee if you adopt some of these steps you will save every month and cut back on waste! So let’s get started.
1.) Take an inventory of what you already have in your house and pantry. If you have lots of can goods, rice, and pasta…make meals around those items. You may realize you only need to spend $40 for meat. Your wallet will thank you. Make a stir fry or use it as base for gumbo or curry. The worst thing that you can do when operating on a set budget is buy more of something that you already have, or spend money on foods you never get around to eating. Utilize your pantry and work with the ingredients that are already there. Let them inspire what you cook for the week instead of adding to the stockpile.
2.) Always look for items on the bottom shelf. They will always be cheaper. The most expensive products are always eye level.
3.) Use competitor coupons! Here are all the grocery stores that will accept competitor coupons:
Bi-Lo
Giant
Super G
Harris Teeter
Kroger
Lowe’s Foods
Marsh
Price Chopper
Publix
Walmart
4.) Hold on to your receipt many stores have a price drop policy. If you buy something and later see the item was discounted the store will pay you the difference. Most stores will do this up to 30 days after the purchase. Available at the following stores http://lifehacker.com/all-the-stores-that-will-give-you-a-refund-if-a-price-d-1661273299
5.) Pick one day a week where you do a grocery run. Small trips everyday really add up.
6.) Regrow your food. Organic lettuce, celery , & basil…etc.. can all be regrown in water. It’s very easy. https://www.icreativeideas.com/13-vegetables-that-you-can-regrow-again-and-again/
7.) Always join the grocery stores loyalty program. Last week I joined Kroger’s my groceries rang up at $120 and after using my Kroger card it dropped to $90..that’s $30 dollars of savings.
8.) For extra savings find coupons for each item on sale.
9.) Shop with a calculator. Stick to your budget plan and do not go over!
10.) Do not buy something just because it’s on sale. I know we all love a good deal but there is absolutely no reason to have 10 bottles of ranch that will expire in year. Buy what you need.
11.) Don’t automatically overlook no-name or store brands. Many are made by the brand name companies, just with a different label.
12.)Do not go hungry.Many of us go to the grocery store after work and before dinner, which is when we start to get hungry. If you buy your groceries when hungry, you’ll purchase more than you need. Try to get the shopping out of the way on the weekends, when you can shop on a full stomach.
13.) Do not buy pre washed produce..Yes, it’s convenient, but it also costs nearly three times the price. If you buy your own head of lettuce, wash and trim it right away, and have it ready to use, you won’t even notice the difference.
14.) Use Apps. You don’t have to literally clip coupons to get exclusive deals anymore, use the device that’s already in your bag constantly. Target has a popular app called Cartwheel and Walmart has the Walmart Savings Catcherapp. If your favorite store doesn’t have its own app, there are grocery shopping apps that will keep track of all kinds of deals, like iBotta, Checkout 51, Favado, and more.
15.) Practice Meatless Monday. The practice is beneficial in that it will reduce your saturated fat intake (the kind associate with heart disease), also meat substitutes have a lower price point.
16.) Shop at bargain stores.Sure you can still find decent bargains and deals at Publix and Whole Foods, but nothing will ever beat cheaper supermarkets like Aldi’s,Kroger, and Food Lion. Do not do food shopping at Target or Walmart stick to those for home goods. By shopping at these cheaper grocery stores, you can find plenty of great food options at a fraction of the cost. I mean seriously, you can get bags of oranges for $1 while the same thing will cost you upwards of $5 at Walmart or Target any other major grocery chain.
17.) Always price check.If you do choose to shop at Walmart for groceries ( I don’t recommend it) do your homework first. Wal mart offers a price check discount. For example is you find Tide laundry detergent for $8 at Food Lion and $13 at Walmart you can always show them and they will give you the food lion price.
18.) Use online coupon sites. Try https://www.pgeveryday.com/tag/coupons-offers
19.). Find the Clearance Items. Some grocery stores will actually have a clearance section where you can find discounted products, both perishable and non-perishable.
20.) Buy cleaners & containers at the Dollar Store. Condiments, ziplock bags, seasoning, spices, mac and cheese, and candy is a lot cheaper at the Dollar Store. Same goes with Tide detergent if you catch it at the right time. This will save you hundreds a year and most of the products work just as well as the brand name.
21.) Use cash. If you bring a certain amount of cash to the grocery store, then that’s all you’ll be able to spend. So make a list and budget for it before you go — then only bring enough money to cover it.
22.) Buy in bulk when it makes sense
23.) Buying meat in bulk is a great way to help reduce your monthly spending. If your family eats a lot of meat, buy bigger quantities — which will cost you less per pound — and then freeze what you don’t eat immediately for later.You can also ask the person working in the meat department to reduce the size of a certain package you want — if it’s too big or too expensive!
24.) Salvage stores offer cheap food .This may be a little more extreme, but these stores sell dented cans and food that is near or past expiration date (and many foods are fine to eat well past the expiration date). I did this in Kansas City and spent about $20 every week in groceries.
25.) Cut up your own produce If someone is getting paid to do a job that you could easily do yourself at home, like cutting up a mango or watermelon, you’re going to be paying at least $2 extra for it. Do it yourself!
Happy shopping! Feel free to add your tips in the comment section below!