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How to Save Money on Groceries – 45 Ways to Save Money on Groceries

Written by Nickel - 73 Comments

The recession in full swing and many families have been tightening their belts. With that in mind, I thought I’d spend a bit of time talking about how to save money on what, for many of us, is a major monthly expenditure — groceries! None of this is rocket science, but it does take a bit of discipline. With a bit of discipline, you can save a lot of money each and every month. Oh, and you might end up eating healthier, too. Talk about a win-win!

Before we dive into the full list, a reader pointed out that she saves money on grocery purchases by using credit cards offering cash back or points on grocery purchases. Just be sure to pay your card in full – reward credit cards can be useful tools, but they can also be dangerous if you build up debt – the interest you may be charged can easily outweigh any benefits you receive from points.

Now onto the full list!

Tips on How to Save Money on Groceries

Go shopping alone
Have a budget and stick to it
Make fewer, larger trips
Don’t shop hungry
Plan your meals in advance
Scan your cupboards, pantry, and fridge before leaving
Keep a running list of items you need on your fridge
Break your list down by store and plan your outing accordingly
Plan your trip through the store to minimize wandering the aisles
Don’t forget your list when you head to the store, but…
Be willing to deviate from your list for great deals
Don’t be afraid of store brands
Buy the Sunday paper
Keep an eye on the weekly store circular
Clip (and use!) coupons for name brand items
Check the store’s website for printable coupons
Be on the lookout for “double coupon” days
Stack manufacturer and store coupons
Keep a price list/book so you know a deal when you see one
Learn your store’s sale cycle (sales are often cyclical)
Stock up (within reason) when things are on sale
Get rain checks when sale items are out of stock
Visit multiple stores to get the best deals, or…
Ask your preferred store to match prices form elsewhere
Avoid non-grocery items that can be bought for less elsewhere
Joins the store’s affinity program and flash your card
Buy a chest freezer
Buy in bulk, but…
Be sure to look at unit pricing
Bring a calculator (unless you’re a math whiz)
Be on the lookout for “shrinkage” (e.g., 1.5 quarts vs. half gallon)
Cook large batches and freeze for later
Don’t waste leftovers
Eat less – seriously, many people eat way more than necessary
Cook from scratch, avoid processed foods
Avoid frozen/prepared entrees
Eat more fruits/veggies, cut back on meat
Eat in season fruits/vegetables
Plant a garden
Hit the local farmer’s market
Drink more water, fewer costly beverages
Be on the lookout for pricing errors at the register
Be sure they scan instant coupons that are attached to some items
Always fill out and send your rebates

Finally, consider the value of your time. While minimizing your expenditures is always a good idea, it doesn’t always make sense to spend tons of extra time in hopes of saving a few cents off your grocery bill.

How Do You Save Money on Groceries?

Now it’s your turn. While the list above is a good start, I’ve undoubtedly missed a number of things. So… If you have any suggestions as to how to save money on groceries, please share them in the comments.

Disclaimer: Discover is a paid advertiser of this site.
Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the Discover online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards.

Published on March 23rd, 2009
Modified on January 7th, 2013 - 73 Comments
Filed under: Frugality

About the author: Nickel is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!

73 Responses to “How to Save Money on Groceries – 45 Ways to Save Money on Groceries”

Pages: « 1 [2] Show All

51
Christine Says:
January 31st, 2011 at 4:47 pm
One more habit I have — before checking out, look through your cart for items you may have picked up on impulse even though you are trying to avoid impulse buys. I can usually put back a couple of high-cost or low-nutrition items that somehow jumped into my cart when I wasn’t looking…
52
Roxanne Says:
March 8th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
Excellent article!! I especially love the first one “Shop alone”. Whenever I take my husband with me, I always end up spending twice as much.

One thing that I do when I grocery shop is I set a limit on how much I can spend for the week. For every item I buy, I round the price up to the nearest dollar and I write it down. For example, milk….$3.19, I round up to $4.00. When the prices add up to what I want to spend, I quit shopping. When the cashier is done totalling everything up, I’ve usually spent about $10-$15 less than what I had planned.
53
Patt Says:
April 5th, 2011 at 1:25 am
I have to disagree with the fact that buying a half of
beef always saves you money. It depends on what cuts
of beef you like or can afford to eat. I only eat the eye of the round and ground round. I can get these 2 cuts on a good sale for under $3.00a pound. A friend just bought a side of beef for $3.00 a pound, cut and wrapped. That included $3.00 a pound for the bones. Now the side of beef included steaks and if you like to eat steaks I believe it probably is a good buy. I do not care for steak so buying a side of beef would not be a good buy for me.We each have our own tastes and budget.

I save money other ways. I make my own Greek yogurt for about $1.00 a quart. Just heat the milk to 180 degrees in the microwave, cool it to 112 degrees then add dry milk and the starter, I use Dan Active, put it in containers, place containers in a cooler, add enough hot water to come up to the top of the containers, place the lid on and put it in a warm place. It only takes 8 hours for you to have yogurt. I usually do this when I am doing dishes in the evening and let it sit over night. Leaving it more than 8 hours will not hurt it at all. I have left it sit for 12 hours one time and it was fine.

I take one day during the week to cook. On that day I make enough French bread for a week. I use my food processor, make small loaves and then freeze them. I make a crockpot full of dried beans and freeze them. If you change the water 3 times during the soaking time you will have no problems with gas. I make some kind of large roast to serve that day and have enough left over to freeze to use at another day in a casserole.
54
Robbin Robinson Says:
May 18th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
I like to buy meat that I spot on sale and in big packages. I take them home and break them down into individual size servings, using plastic to wrap them in before I put them in freezer bags. This allows me to re-use the freezer bags later. I then plan most of my meals around what is in my freezer. Also, start an organized collection of really good recipes from a favorite source that you like. I like Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray recipes. It doesn’t matter, just collect a lot of good recipes as this gives you more ways to cook up bargain cuts of meat and your meals always feel more fancy using the cheapest cuts or items in season and on sale, and you aren’t always cooking up the same thing.
55
Tina Salvatore Says:
May 20th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
My local grocery store puts meat on sale that is close to the sell by date. They discount it close to half of the original price and put a bright yellow sticker on it. That is what I look for now everytime I’m in the store. Today I picked up a family pack of 12 chicken legs for $3.32 original price was $6.63. A whole ALL NATURAL chicken for $3.60 regular price was $7.20 and a pkg of split chicken grillers for $3.60 regular price was $6.69. All of that cost me just $10.52. A savings of $10 and they all had a sell by date of tomarrow. Not bad if you ask me. Check your store to see if they have any sales like this on fresh meat.
56
Abby Says:
May 23rd, 2011 at 10:01 am
I absolutely love those dent & scratch-type places. I go about once a month and stock up on as many non-perishables as I can. I refuse to pay full price for spices, oils, canned tomatoes, pasta sauce and boxed snacks when I can get them at this place for pennies. They even have organic crackers, cereal, etc. for less than a dollar a box! It’s my favorite way to save money, and no coupons needed!
57
Cindy Says:
June 20th, 2011 at 12:10 am
I save lots of money by using coupons. I have sent emails to the companys of products I frequently use and they send me three to four coupons at a time and this really helps.
I also make large batches of stew, chili, spaghetti and put in small storage containers and freeze them. Not only do I save money I save time by not having to cook during the week.
I make a list and stick to it.
58
gigi Says:
June 21st, 2011 at 5:08 pm
i don’t eat meat
59
Julianne Says:
June 22nd, 2011 at 8:47 am
Remember coupons are marketing devices. Only save the coupons for items you actually already buy, then you are not buying items you won’t actually use. I put extra coupons on the table at work for others to take and use.
60
Fran Says:
July 20th, 2011 at 10:18 am
There are many techniques to saving money on groceries besides coupons. I never found coupons very frugal because they are typically for processed foods which are more expensive. Meals can be made quickly, cheaply and more healthy at home from scratch than several of the box meals.
61
Kathy Says:
July 21st, 2011 at 7:06 pm
One of my daughters talked me into trying the extreme couponing thing. It’s great for her (she saves an incredible amount of money,) but she also lives in an area with large grocery chains which have double couponing, etc. I have to drive for an hour in order to get to a store that does that and with today’s gas prices, it just wasn’t worth it.
So…Save A Lot has appeared in my area and, though I really hate to sound like an advertisement, the difference in prices between their store brands and the name brands are amazing. The difference even shows up, although to a slightly lesser degree, between their store brands and other store brands.
I took my husband shopping with me the second time I went to Save A Lot and he just didn’t believe the savings. What would have normally cost us around $300 in WalMart came to $76 and change at Save A Lot. And I scrounge their meat cases for the close to the sell-by date.
I have not bought one single store brand item at Save A Lot that didn’t taste just as good (and in some cases better) than the name brand.
Their produce section isn’t gourmet, but they always have the common produce. $1.49 for a 5# bag of Idaho potatoes vs. the sale price of $3.49 at another local store.
The one downside is that they don’t carry things like the “same as a five pound bag of sugar” artifical sweetener that I have to use and the “no added sugar” totally fat-free products that we buy. Still have to go somewhere else for those.
But all in all, that store has helped me cut at least 50% off my grocery budget and sometimes up to 75%, depending on what I find in the meat case.
62
Philip Says:
August 5th, 2011 at 10:58 am
Hey, I was told by a friend of the website http://www.southernsavers.com and anyone should check it out. The lady, Jenny, who runs it keeps the list of sales up to date at main stores. You can also print out a grocery list of compiled items that you check off. It’s incredible. Just wanted to tell other people about it.
63
Karen Says:
August 30th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
I’m so glad you mentioned shopping less often because everyone else suggests once a week and I like to go once a month, right after the household bills are paid.

Has anyone else noticed how crappy COUPONS are getting? Buy 3+ and save less than a dollar! A lot of stores wont accept printed coupons either.

When I do my monthly shopping, I make a list. I search the cabinets to find staples we need because forgetting them means another trip. Then I jot down fast meals I know my kid will eat. I check the ads for specials and note the store on the list. At the store, my son gets to pick 1 item for himself that we already need or I’ll let him bring the DS or read a book while I shop. I agree with the previous poster that checking before checkout is really helpful. I’m a sale hoarder When my fav non-parishable is 50 cents or more on sale I’ll buy many. It’s not good on the short-term but it’s good as long as you know you’ll use it. Worst example: This summer I bought 20 cans of tuna on sale! We mix tuna with everything when it’s over 90* outside

Tips:
Watch your barcodes and cent per unit. Walmart constantly argues that only products with the specific barcode ae on sale and all other identical items are full price. They do help a lot with noting unit price though. Lately, extra packaged is often cheaper than bulk.

Ive noticed that stores jack their prices before a sale so that its not really much of a sale anyway. Someone told me chain stores are price jacking on the first week of the month because of stamps, but I have’t kept track of that. **Our local news WXII just mentioned we should report (to whom?) grocery places that gouge before bad weather.**
64
FrugalCat Says:
September 14th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
I shop for certain items at the Asian grocery store. I get incredible prices on mushrooms, soymilk, tofu, fresh ginger and certain types of noodles. Go with an open mind and you may find some new favorites.
65
Ella Says:
November 7th, 2011 at 1:09 am
I like this article so much!you’ve list out all the points that we maybe forget in our daily life.I like shopping online very much and I used to lost in it and waste a lot of money.But now,my budget is in good condition since I took advantage of dozens of coupons online.I’d like to hunt for coupons on some sites like Couponcabin.com,CouponSnapshot.com,RetailMeLot.com,or Savings.com.They really helped me saving a lot!I enjoy myself in shopping online with coupon codes!
66
James Says:
November 30th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
An easy way to keep a price log is to use PriceMouse. PriceMouse is a FREE app for iPhone and iPod touch that remembers and compares prices for you at all your stores. It automatically does unit comparisons too. More info: http://www.floatingradish.com/pricemouse/

I’m actually the person who wrote PriceMouse. I wrote it because I wanted to save money on groceries but I’m lousy at remembering prices.
67
Rex Says:
December 20th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
#36, while correcting #35, is also a bit misleading. While no farmer runs their cattle through ammonia, meat processing companies most certainly do. And despite the fact that you’ve been raising cattle for 30 years, this process is relatively new (it was put into law by George W Bush). Basically, meat processing companies are allowed to use a certain percentage of ammonia treated meat in ground beef. So, when you buy ground beef from the grocery, you’re most likely getting ammonia. More about it here: http://redgreenandblue.org/201.....ool-lunch/
68
Peggy Says:
January 10th, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Most cell phones have a calculator built in…so you don’t have to take a hand held calculator to the store with you. A lot of people overlook the seemingly small coupons. Example: Libby’s had a coupon for 1.00 off 4 cans of Libby veggies. Hang tight…Dollar General had them on sell for 40 cents a can…bought a bunch at 15 cents a can. Also check you DOLLAR STORES like GREENTREE…they have added food items and lots of brand name personal items…check them out!
69
kerren smith Says:
July 18th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Try check saversclub.us Take advantage of an incredible opportunity to save 20% on the purchase of a new Costco Membership for your self or as a gift for a very lucky recipient. You will discover many additional shopping related benefits and savings opportunities that will allow you to save money, up to $500 or more, when purchasing your favorite candy, fragrances, flowers, dining delicacies and various items for your kitchen from many brand name providers.
70
what is the best way to make money at home Says:
April 25th, 2013 at 1:39 pm
What if I could show you few home-based jobs without any initial investment.
Just please remember Ad – Sense isn’t actually the one and only means to fix count on if you want to make money from home with Google. They even provide countless hours of educational material concerning how to protect your cash in times of crisis.
71
lana Says:
April 26th, 2013 at 12:52 pm
It helps if you keep your pantry, cupboards and freezers organized. Also, keep your frozen foods dated so you know how long they’ve been in there.
72
lana Says:
May 5th, 2013 at 12:27 pm
If you keep snacks in the kid seat area of a cart, you’ll be able to see more easily how many items you have before checkout. That helps me not to buy more than necessary.
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