Grocery shopping can put a major dent in your wallet if you aren’t savvy about it. But with smart planning and shopping strategies, you can keep your food spending under control.
Follow these 6 tips to slash your grocery bill dramatically:
-
Make a List and Stick to It
The first key to grocery savings is making a comprehensive grocery list. Take time each week to plan out all your meals and snacks. Make a detailed list of ingredients you’ll need right down to spices and seasoning. By doing this, you have a clear picture of the things you need to get and that will keep you on track. Avoid those tempting impulse buys that can wreck your budget by sticking closely to your list at the store,
-
Limit Your Shopping Trips
Every extra trip to the grocery store leads to more unnecessary purchases. So try to get all your shopping done in one weekly trip. This takes planning — stock up on staples and bulk items that will last the whole week. You can meal prep and freeze recipes in advance to save yourself multiple trips to the store. Consolidating grocery shopping into a single trip will help curb impulse buys and save money.
-
Pay Attention to Prices
Retailers often place name brands and pricier options at eye level on shelves. Take the time to scan the upper and lower shelves for cheaper store brands and discounted food. You can save some money with this, plus who doesn’t want affordable food?
Also, be sure to check end caps and promotional displays for unadvertised sales and markdowns that are tucked away in hidden corners of the store. A little bit of price detective work as you shop can add up to huge savings at the register.
-
Skip Online Grocery Shopping
While having groceries delivered through ultra-convenient services may seem easily accessible and readily available, it however comes at a shockingly hefty premium price.
From inflated per-item product markups to extra service and delivery fees, and tips for the driver, it all adds up extremely fast. You can always take a short drive to the store and do the grocery shopping yourself to skip using these delivery services and save big time on your overall grocery bill.
-
Compare Prices at Multiple Stores
It won’t be best to assume that any one particular grocery store will have the consistently best prices across every single item on your entire shopping list. Be sure to take some time to cross-compare circulars and check grocery store apps closely to pinpoint the very lowest price available for each specific item.
Employing this strategic mix-and-match approach by shopping at multiple competing grocery store chains in your area can certainly help you maximize your total savings on the overall shopping trip.
-
Buy in Bulk
For many staple pantry items such as grains, dried beans, pasta, and cereal, always make sure to buy them from bulk bins whenever possible.
Bulk purchases allow you to buy exactly the quantity that you need at the moment, which saves a lot of money. It prevents the wasting of precious food items and stops them from going bad before they can be exhausted.
Consider buying large family packs or bulk cases of produce and meat at club stores. Split them with friends if it’s too much for just your household.
Wrap Up
Slashing your grocery bill takes strategy — from writing a solid list to skipping delivery fees. But with a well-thought-out grocery plan, you can efficiently cut food spending. What are you waiting for? It’s time to minimize spending and maximize savings!