Hey everyone!
Typically I like to reserve Sundays for church, football, and grocery shopping. And since football season is over (#PhillyChamps), I attend church in the morning and go grocery shopping afterward. I know that some of you may have groaned over the words, “grocery shopping,” but I promise you it can be stress-free. Today I will share with you three simple tips to save money while grocery shopping.
1.Budget
Many people complain about how much they spend on groceries each month, but I wonder how many of them actually have a budget for shopping. Before I moved into my apartment, I researched how much I should spend monthly and ways to save money. This article suggests that households spend between $75-$125 per person per month on groceries. That sounds unrealistic, but it is doable.
I, myself, do not have a concrete budget but try to stay under $120 per month when grocery shopping. By spending only a set amount on groceries, you can ensure that you will have enough money to fulfill other bills and obligations. This is very important, especially when you move out for the first time or have a very tight budget each month.
2.Plan
Once you have a budget, it is time to plan. At this stage, weekly circulars, coupons, and shopping apps will be your friend. You don’t have to become an extreme couponer, but with a little time, you will feel more confident when shopping.
Weekly Circulars
Weekly circulars can be found in your local newspaper. Here is an example of the stores that distribute weekly circulars in my town. Each week, I will look at the circular and see what is on sale. Another tip I learned while researching about grocery shopping, is to revolve your meals around what is on sale that week. For example, this week, Giant is having a sale on Chuck Roast. Last time this was on sale, I made a slow cooker chuck roast meal that lasted a couple of days (let me know if you want the recipe).
Coupons
Many people may not be aware, but most grocery stores offer their patrons a membership. You don’t have to pay to be a member, but it pays to be a member (you like what I did there lol). When items go on sale, only the members that use their cards at checkout are eligible for the discounted price. Additionally, grocery stores will also have digital coupons available on their website. So not only can you get the sale price on certain items, you can also use coupons to further reduce the price. I’m not sure if other stores do this as well, but Giant has free days where you can load a free item on to your card. I have received free: tic tacs, yogurt, coffee, produce, crackers, snacks, drinks, etc. by checking out their website. If the store you shop at does not offer digital coupons, you can also visit Coupons.com and print them out.
Ibotta
A lady from church told me about this app called Ibotta, and it is fantastic. Ibotta offers “rebates” on items that you buy at the grocery store and other stores like Amazon. You can search rebates based on your favorite grocery store and your favorite products. Compare the items on your planned grocery list (see tip #1) with the items on Ibotta, then load them, shop for them, and get your rebates in the app. This app works like other similar apps, where you accumulate money to redeem for gift cards or to your PayPal/Venmo account. So far, I have redeemed a Walmart gift card and an Amazon gift card. Even better, when you accumulate enough money, you can use the gift cards towards your next grocery shopping trip. If you are interested in learning more about this app or want to try it, click this link to get $10 loaded onto your account.
3.Stick to the Plan
This may be the hardest tip for some people, but it is crucial to stick to the plan you created. You have worked so hard to create the best meals for your family while trying to save money, that you don’t want it to be messed up by not sticking to the plan. Make sure when you go to the grocery store with your list, that you are in the best state. Do not go when you are hungry, are in a rush, have all of your children with you, or when you are tired/exhausted. These conditions will only encourage you to buy items that are not on your list.
When you plan for 1-2 weeks of groceries, ensure that you buy everything you need in that one shopping trip. Note: fresh produce may not last that long in the fridge, so budget to buy those produce items when you need them. If you find that your grocery budget is busted every month, take note at how many times you go to the store throughout the week. All of those little trips for milk or unplanned dinners, will add up in the end of the month.
Bonus tip: don’t forget to buy healthy snacks and easy to make meals, for when you are short on time and energy. This will help to prevent unbudgeted fast-food dinners.
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I hope that this post was informative and helps you take steps to saving more when grocery shopping. If you liked this post, please comment and/or like below. If you have any other tips or questions for me, please let me know. As always, thanks for reading and please like/comment/share/subscribe for more posts about living your best life on a budget.
Love,
Britt♥
My Attempt At Adulting 
Hi Britt, that’s just about how I do it!! Great post!
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Thanks. Question for you. I find myself spending (sometimes) hours meal planning for the upcoming weeks with my approach, is that normal? Or are there ways to cut back on that time?
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It gets easier the longer you do it. I usually plan for about 10 days, coz I’ll have leftovers or days I can’t cook.
I have some meals that are favorites: regular, rotation & mostly pantry meals, no-brainers, and over time I built up a collection of these.So if beef is on sale, I turn to that section. If chicken is on sale, I go to that one. I used to use recipe cards, but now they’re printed out and in a binder, so I usually rely on them for several meals each week. It’s a huge time saver, especially since it’s on paper and I can sit and lay the ads out on the bed or coffee table along with my binder. I’ve basically built it up over time by picking the five-star faves of the recipes I’ve tried, and also including recipes that might not be five star, but are still really good, but get a bonus point for being super fast, cheap and/or easy!
Then I work in all the new recipes, recipes I want on my blog, etc. depending on what looks good in the ad and what I feel like eating. That can be more time-consuming, coz. I like to shake things up. But most of all, I like to have kind of a pattern to my cooking:
One big protein meal (from the sales price in the ad) that spins off several others, then usually a soup/stew meal in winter or a salad meal in summer, a meatless meal, a smorgasboard or buffet type meal to use up leftovers, maybe an appetizer or no-cook meal, or just a super easy meal or two.
Just getting some kind of pattern that suits you will give you a parameter, kind of a backbone, and that repetition, even if it’s only for a couple nights for each week, will save you time in planning because it becomes an automatic, reflex-like thing. Like some people do an appetizer night, others a taco tuesday or an Italian or Chinese night.
It doesn’t have to be strict, but you’ll start to quickly identify what kinds of things you need to keep on hand and what items you’d be likely to want to buy.
So if you know you want to cook an Asian meal once a week, you’ll have most of your pantry ingredients stocked (because you’ve cherry-picked all those low pantry prices) and if beef is on sale, then you know you’ll just need to pick up the fresh veggies. Now, you see, there’s hardly anything to think about. Broccoli on sale? Well, then it’s beef and broccoli. Tomatoes and peppers cheap? Then it’s Beef & Tomatoes & Peppers, or Pepper Beef, and so on.
I also have a well-stocked pantry (like I mentioned, I always cherry pick the sales each week for items that are at the lowest price, whether I’m using them that week or not.) Then I “shop” from my pantry. Saves a lot of time in planning, cooking, and shopping, and saves a ton of money.
Then, all of a sudden, a possibly monumental task is broken down to just really thinking about:
a) are there any great prices on my commonly used pantry items?
b) what is the best value for the perishable meats/proteins, etc.?
c) what fresh produce, dairy or other items will be needed?
I really try NOT to worry too much about how long the planning takes (although I get why you need to tame the lion!) because an hour planning is less time than it takes me to get out of the house, shop at the store for those one or two things that I need (and I’ll be likely to pick up MORE things when I’m there, lol!) and get back home! And if I don’t plan well and have to stop at the store a couple of times, well I’ve blown quite a bit of time!!
Oh, wow, I rambled on, didn’t I??
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This was really great. I really liked the idea about having your favorite recipes printed out and use them regularly. I think that may be one of my problems, I am always trying to cook something new for lunch/dinner. I will have to print out your comment and use it next time I am meal planning. Thank you so much, this has been a great help.
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Nice plan.
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