Grocery shopping can be an expensive task, but it doesn’t have to be. This article will explore ten of the best methods to help you save money on groceries and reduce your bill.
The average grocery bill for one person is $77.35 a week, which works out to $4,022.20 a year. It’s an expensive cost that’s necessary for survival.
While some think that it takes a lot of time or effort to save money on groceries, it just isn’t true. In this article, we’ll show you how simple it is to save at least $50 a month on your grocery bill.
Without further ado, let’s jump straight into the ten methods.
1. Buy home brand products
Instead of buying expensive branded food products, your best bet is to save money by switching to home brand products.
A recent study found that the average household can save more than $2080 a year by switching their grocery shop to home-branded products, as well as shopping at cheaper stores.
So, try out a home-branded selection of products. I bet it’ll surprise you just by how good it is, at a fraction of the cost of branded products.
Some products can’t be replaced, but staples like flour, sugar, rice, sauce and more will be perfectly fine.
2. Use coupons
Another simple way of cutting down costs when shopping for groceries is by using coupons.
There are so many websites online where you can find free printable coupons, and they’ll tell you how much you can save on your next purchase.
You can head to Coupons.com and find thousands of products to get discounts on. These products include food, medication, pet products, skincare, beauty, and heaps more.
What’s the point in spending full price on products when you can find coupons online?
3. Write a list and stick to it
Before you go grocery shopping, write a list and stick to it as closely as possible. This will save you from making impulse purchases that might not be necessary.
It’s also easy to find the deals and discounts beforehand so that you can prepare your meals around them.
Research shows that writing a shopping list can reduce your food expense by 25% – 30%, which adds up quickly over a month.
4. Use cash instead of cards
Did you know that if you go into a store with only cash, you’ll save money?
This is due to having a strict amount of money available and literally not going over budget.
See, with credit or debit cards, you have a lot of money available, and an extra bag of chips or candy doesn’t seem like it’ll add too much to your final purchase.
But, an extra $15 added to your weekly grocery shop will cost you $780 a year. I also like using cash as it’s tangible, and I don’t want to use it all up.
5. Don’t shop on an empty stomach
An old saying that still stands true is never to shop when hungry. If you shop when hungry, you’ll most likely make impulse purchases or won’t stick to your list.
When you’re hungry, you’ll tend to opt for more expensive, higher calorie, and premade options.
Aside from being pricier, they’re also not as healthy for you.
An easy way to avoid shopping on an empty stomach is by keeping a snack, like a protein bar, in your car or bag. So, in case you ever need to make a quick pitstop on the way home, you can subdue your hunger with a quick snack.
6. Buy in bulk when possible
Another way to save money on groceries is by buying in bulk whenever possible.
Bulk buying is just buying regular products in larger quantities. You have to figure out if bulk buying is necessary to your shopping and adjust when necessary.
For example, I don’t mind lentils, but I’m not going to buy a 22lb pack of lentils because I won’t be able to eat that within a year. But, I would buy a 22lb bag of rice because I eat rice a couple of times a week.
Best groceries to buy in bulk:
- Rice
- Dried beans and lentils
- Flour
- Pasta
- Nuts and seeds
- Protein powders
Tip: This article by Dave Ramsey will help you utilize the power of bulk buying to your advantage.
7. Utilize rewards cards
Many people don’t utilize their rewards cards to their full potential and miss out on many savings within a year.
While they are meant to upsell you, you can use their weekly deals to get money back or try products for free.
Most rewards cards also have a points system, where every dollar you spend is equivalent to 1 point. Once you reach 1000 or 2000 points, you’ll get $10 off your shop.
For example, I use Flybuys reward card for my grocery shopping and have found deals like ‘spend $70 to get 4800 points back’ ($24 equivalent). I’ve done this multiple times and have saved over $70 simply by utilizing my rewards card.
8. Check unit price to weight
My favorite saving money tip on this list is checking the unit price to weight.
So here’s what you do: check how much it costs per 100 grams/one ounce instead of checking the overall product price.
While a product may theoretically be cheaper, it could be way more cost-efficient to purchase the bigger size.
Unit price to weight example:
- $1 chocolate bar weighs 50 grams vs. $2.50 chocolate block weighing 200 grams.
The $1 chocolate bar costs $2/100g.
Meanwhile, the $2.50 chocolate block costs only $1.25/100g.
So, while it’s cheaper to buy the $1 chocolate bar, you’re actually getting a better deal on the more expensive one.
9. Shop at cheaper stores
Another simple way to save money on groceries is by changing your primary grocery store to a cheaper one.
Some grocery stores are cheaper because they avoid name-branded products, keep products in their boxes, have fewer workers, and aren’t big advertisers.
Just these few money-saving techniques help the store save money and be cheaper for consumers in the process.
- Aldi
- Market Basket
- Food4Less
- Costco
10. Buy products on sale
It almost sounds silly to include, hence why I left it last, but buy produce and food items on sale. 90% of the food products I purchase are on sale, as I can’t bring myself to buy full-priced items when I know they get down 20% – 50%.
While this doesn’t apply to pantry staples or meat products, if the item you want isn’t on sale, put it down and go for a cheaper alternative.
Helpful tip: Stock up on the product and buy double when it’s on sale.
Wrapping Up
So that concludes the ten different ways to save money on groceries.
Hopefully, these ten strategies can help you save a bit more money every week and put it towards other things, like an emergency fund or bills.
Even just a savings of $8 a week adds up to $416 over a year. It’s these little amounts that really add up over time, so think of that with your next grocery shop.
How do you find ways to save money on groceries?
Read next: