Every week I use strategies to save money at the grocery store. Here are 9 ways to save on your next grocery trip.
Guest Post by Kristen Whirrett of Joyfully Thriving
It’s a common desire. We all want to save money at the grocery store but it often feels overwhelming. It seems to take too much time to figure out the sales and clip the coupons. I’m here to today to share some simple ways to save right away on your next grocery trip.
I have always been a frugal shopper, but I put my skills to work even more since I became a stay-at-home mom and our income was cut in half.
Every week I use strategies to save money at the grocery store. Here are 9 different ways to save on your very next grocery shopping trip.
1. Make a list and stick to it.
The quickest way to save money on your grocery trip is to make a list and only buy what is on your list! This takes time but it is time well spent. Make a paper list or one on your phone. Just make a grocery list with everything you need for the week. If it’s not on your list, don’t buy it.
2. Plan your meals around the sales.
If chicken and pork are on sale this week, plan your meals around those items. When hamburger goes on sale next week, eat hamburger-based meals. It is a different mindset of meal planning, but a very frugal one to embrace.
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3. Scan through deal match-ups before you shop.
Whether you are a naturally frugal shopper or just learning how to do so, it’s always helpful to have someone else scout out the deals for you. There are entire websites devoted to specific store deals. Do a google search for your local grocery store and see what deal match-up websites you discover.
4. Watch for “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” deals.
This is a simple way to cut your grocery bill in half because you’re getting two items for the price of one. I love when I find these deals because I’m stretching my money even further. Just be sure the product is something your family really will eat or use before you purchase it!
Image from Pixabay.com
5. Clip digital coupons.
Most stores have digital coupons that can be loaded to your store loyalty card. I scan through the digital coupons quickly every week before I shop and load any coupons that I want. There’s no worrying about forgetting a deal and the coupons come off instantly when you check out.
6. Compare generic prices to name brands and purchase the lowest priced item.
I try to stock up on grocery items when they are at their lowest prices using this list as a reference.
Oftentimes generic products are cheaper, but you might be surprised! Since name brand items go on sale more than generics, you might find that you can buy a name brand product cheaper than the generic version on some weeks.
7. If you find a really good deal, buy more than you need, but only what you can afford.
If you know you eat a package of noodles every week, why pay full price? When noodles go on sale, buy enough to last you for several weeks of meals and see instant saving. This is a basic premise of stockpiling. Once you get good at buying ahead on sales, you will see your grocery bill drop dramatically.
Here are some more hints on how to start building a stockpile that saves your family money.
Image from Pixabay.com
8. Pay in cash.
This limits you to what you can buy when you know you don’t have wiggle room outside of the cash you’ve brought. If you prefer paying with a credit card, consider buying gift cards for each shopping trip which will limit you as well.
9. Start using a coupon app.
There are countless coupon apps available to use today both for smartphone users and regular phones. I recently embraced coupon apps and am amazed at how simple they are to earn money back when you go shopping! In my opinion, this is the best coupon app to use.
Challenge: Buy only what’s on sale for your next grocery trip!
If you want to boost your grocery savings instantly, try implementing the above tips and challenge yourself to buy only what’s on sale next time you shop. Can you do it? Fill in the gaps from your pantry and see how much money you can save.
What is your best grocery store saving tip? How do you save the most money when you are shopping?
Kristen is a frugal stay-at-home mom of two, who works hard to save her family money. She writes at Joyfully Thriving about learning to love her frugal life, as she encourages others to do the same. She loves baking with chocolate, good books, and saving money.
For more help with getting healthy food on the table, check out the free training Grocery Savings Made Simple!
Stacie
None of the links she provided work. They are 404 errors.
Erin
Oh no! Thanks for letting us know. They are now fixed!
Marge
Great tips, Kristen! I do a lot of the same things that you do. Planning ahead and sticking to a list are super important. I also learned a long time ago (from my husband!) to stock up when things are on sale and then plan meals based on what’s already on hand in the house.
There are 2 apps that I like to use to get cash back from shopping. One is Ibotta, and the other is Receipt Hog. I like Receipt Hog better because all you have to do is take a picture of your receipt. Ibotta is a little more complicated, but it’s still worthwhile using.
Pinning this article! Thanks!
Kristen @ Joyfully Thriving
Thanks, Marge! It is true that planning ahead will save you greatly. I use both those apps, too! It’s nice to earn extra on top of what we’ve saved at the store!th
Leah
These are great ways to save money! Once my son was born, though, clipping coupons went out the window! Now I can still save us a lot of money by buying in bulk, planning around the sales fliers, and using rebate apps. All of the money we get back from Ibotta goes to our gift fund!
Kristen @ Joyfully Thriving
I hear you, Leah! My coupon clipping has gone down since having children, too! 🙂 Although, I think coupons aren’t as good as they used to be anyway. I love the idea of putting all your Ibotta earnings into a gift fund! What a great use of your free money!
Jennifer | The Search For Imperfection
Some great tips here. This is one of my current “active” projects — cut our grocery bill. I particularly have to learn to buy multiples when they’re on sale. I think I’m doing great when I buy *one* extra, and then later kick myself that I didn’t go ahead and buy 5 or 6 (or 10) extras. We don’t have a lot of storage space, so that adds to the challenge, but I *know* it would be worth it to figure out some additional storage spots in order to create more of a stockpile. Thanks again for some good suggestions.
Karen
My best way to save: leave hubby home. He has way too much fun filling the basket.
Erin
This made me laugh! I can relate. 😉