50 Ways to Save Money on Your Grocery Bill
February 4, 2007 by Karen Weideman
Filed under budget, financial matters, food, money saving idea
Saving money on your grocery bill is one of the easiest and most effective ways to cut your monthly budget. Finding a system that works for you is important. Here are 50 tips and ways that you can save.
1) Check the weekly sales flyer. Usually the items on the front page is where you’ll save the most. I mostly try to shop the sales and for a few things that I really need. It seems when I shop this way, I don’t need as much stuff because I’ve stocked up when the items were on sale.
2) Make a list. Include the sale items on your list. Making a list will help keep you focused and help you not to splurge on other things that you don’t need. If I don’t make a list, then chances are I will forget something. When I forget something I end up going back to the store to get that item and then I spend more money.
3) Eat before you shop. If you shop on an empty stomach you will more than likely spend at least $20 (maybe even $50) more than you had planned.
4) Go alone. You know you’ll spend more if the husband and kids are with you.
5) Use coupons. Some people are embarrassed to use coupons and I can’t figure out why. It’s like cash in hand. I remember times when I went to CVS with my manufacturer’s & CVS coupons and saved more than I spent. Use coupons!
6) Buy store brands. There are some name brands that I must have. I must have my name brand ketchup and tea bags, but for other things, such as crackers, buy store brands. I buy the Wal-Mart brand graham crackers for my kids and save over $1 a box!
7) Avoid buying check-out items. Those magazines and candy are there to entice you. Don’t spend 85 cents for a pack of gum when you can get a multi-pack for just a little more.
8) Check the prices per pound on items. Just because it’s a larger size doesn’t mean it ends up being cheaper. FYI, I get really annoyed when some grocery stores tell you the price of Heinz ketchup in ounces, but the Hunt’s ketchup price in pounds. It certainly makes it hard to compare.
9) Don’t buy toiletries and health items at the grocery store (unless they’re a good deal). Sometimes medicines, hairsprays, razors, etc can be a couple dollars more per item. Sometimes you can find toiletries buy 1 get 1 free, but that is the exception.
10) Stay away from convenience foods. Prepared foods can be very costly.
11) Look below eye level. Usually the cheaper brands are on the lower shelves.
12) Buy meat when it’s on sale and store it in the freezer. About once a year I pay full price for meat and about makes me sick. I buy my boneless chicken breasts when they are less than $2 per pound. All my meat is bought on sale and frozen with the purchase date written on the freezer bag.
13) Get a raincheck for out-of-stock sale items. I probably have 10 rainchecks in my purse right now. I have one for hamburger for 99 cents/lb. I’m waiting to use the raincheck for when I need it.
14) Check out the dollar stores. Sometimes you can find some pretty good stuff in there. I found some really great volumizing shampoo and conditioner at our local Dollar Tree. Later, I saw the same brand at a drug store and it was expensive.
15) Shop during off-peak hours. I get so annoyed when the grocery store is busy. I can’t find what I need, I can’t seem to comparison shop because of all the people, and then I usually forget something (which means another trip to the store which costs more gas and more buying).
16) Buy produce from local farmers. These are usually cheaper unless your local store is having a good sale. Check the sales paper.
17) Check sales papers on-line if you don’t get the paper. I do not subscribe to the paper, so I check the weekly CVS flyer on line. (I’m looking for a good diaper sale.) I also subscribe to the weekly Food Lion flyer.
18) Try to buy your produce when it is in season. Yes, I know there are some things that you have to have, but otherwise buy the produce when it’s the cheapest. If strawberries are buy one get one free, then freeze them for a cake.
19) Pay attention to the banners/signs above each aisle. Avoid aisles that don’t have something on your list. I’ve been trying this one lately. It seems to be working for me.
20) Make mental notes. When shopping I make mental notes of how much my regular items cost. I know that at Food Lion the applesauce is $1.99, but at Wal-Mart it is $1.35. I avoid buying applesauce at Food Lion and then when I make my rare trip to Wal-Mart I buy 3 packages of applesauce. (FYI – Food Lion is my store of choice. They have great sales.) Making mental notes keeps you aware of what a “good buy” really is.
21) Check your receipt before you leave. As soon as I check-out I look over my entire receipt before I leave. I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I have been overcharged. I try to watch as my stuff is being rung up, but with all the MVP stuff, sometimes it is hard to know what’s going on.
22) Buy your candy and chocolate after a holiday when it’s really cheap. Stock up so you have enough until the next after-holiday sale. Who cares if the M&Ms are red and green?
23) Check to see if your favorite store offers price matching.
24) Look in the discontinued or reduced carts. Sometimes you can find some really good deals there. Sometimes the store manager will make a deal with you if you buy all of the cereal that is in the reduced cart. Recently I had a grocery store manager offer me a deal on some things he saw me buying from his cart of reduced items. Usually, they just want to get rid of the stuff.
25) Freeze leftovers and use them for lunch. I’ve done this with pintos, spaghetti sauce, soup, etc. You can freeze a lot of things.
26) Look for double and triple coupon sales. If your store has one, then make sure you go at the beginning of the sale week before they run out of the items you have coupons for.
27) Pay attention to expiration dates. Sometimes you can find an item that has a shelf life of 6 months longer than the others.
28) Buy store brand milk. I can’t imagine paying 50 cents or more per gallon for a name brand milk. Check your gas station for milk prices. Sometimes gas stations have the best prices on milk.
29) Keep your emotions in check. Sometimes people buy things just because it feels good. Stick to your budget and your list. If you have to, find an accountability partner.
30) Try to limit your grocery shopping to only 1-2 stores. Driving around costs money. If you’re only saving a few dollars, then it’s probably not worth your gas and time to go to another store. Plus you know if you step foot in another store you’ll probably buy some other things not on your list.
31) Stock up on paper items while they’re on sale. I never buy my toilet paper or paper towels from Sam’s. I get those items when they go on sale at the grocery store. I buy enough to last me a while.
32) Look your cart over before you leave to make sure you’re not being excessive with your purchases. Do your kids really need a bag of chips, pretzels, and Doritos?
33) If you’re only shopping for a few items then get a basket and not a cart. It will be hard to overshop this way.
34) Plan your meals according to what’s on sale. If taco shells and lettuce are on sale, then you know we’ll be having tacos.
35) Plan your meals ahead. Put your meat in the refrigerator to thaw 1-2 days before you need it. If your meal is already planned then you avoid stopping by the store and paying full price for something.
36) Call food companies. If you get something that’s bad, then call them and let them know. They’ll send you a replacement coupon. If you get something that’s great, then call them and give them a complement. Sometimes they’ll send you some coupons for that too.
37) Check the produce to see if it’s in good condition. Dented and scratched produce will go bad faster. Also, don’t buy more produce than your family can consume within a reasonable amount of time.
38) Store perishable foods properly to avoid them going bad faster.
39) Shop with cash. You can only spend what you have and you’ll definitely stay in budget this way.
40) Consider how you’re going to use the item. If you’re making a stew, then you can buy a cheaper cut of meat. If you’re making a meatloaf, then you can use the generic brand of crackers or cereal.
41) Know what you have. How many times have you bought a jar of Miracle Whip, but already had a jar at home? Miracle Whip doesn’t have a long shelf life.
42) Try not to shop when you’re tired. Chances are you’ll buy chocolate and other carbs that will make you feel good.
43) Avoid your weak spots. If you have a weakness for junk food, then stay away from that aisle. If your weakness is expensive cheese, then stay away.
44) Avoid pre-packaged snacks. I just can’t bring myself to buy these, even when they’re on sale. I’m thinking in my mind, ‘Oh, these are on sale for $3.99. Well, even at $3.99 that makes these snack packs about 35 cents each. Geez, I can buy several boxes of cheese crackers for that amount and just put them into baggies.’
45) Try to cut back on your beverage bill. Filter your water instead of buying bottled. Make your own kool-aid instead of buying those individual bottles. Add your own sugar to your kool-aid instead of getting the kind with sugar. Buy generic soda. Comparison shop. Buy what’s on sale.
46) Look for reduced meat sales. Most grocery stores reduce their meat the day before it’s sale-by date. Sometimes I use this opportunity to get meats that are already seasoned or things that I normally would not buy. I get a splurge item at a sale price. Of course, I use the item right away.
47) Bigger is not always better. Sometimes economy size packages do not save you money. Even if they are cheaper, you need to decide if it’s worth the extra money. If you’ll use it then it’s a good buy, but if it will go to waste you need to rethink your decision.
48) Don’t buy something just because it’s on sale or because you have a coupon. Sometimes it’s easy to get on a bargain high and buy things that we just don’t need.
49) Shop at bag-it-yourself stores. We just got one here. The stores don’t have to pay baggers and they don’t buy bags, so the food is cheaper. Just remember your mental notes. Always know if something is a good price.
50) Get creative with leftovers. If you have corn left over, then mix it with green beans to have another night. If you have leftover grilled chicken, then have grilled chicken salads.
I hope that these thrifty tips have been helpful to you. These are things that I was taught from my very frugal mother. 
I have to confess, I do all of these except #39. I use my debit card when I shop. I am very thrifty, so this one is not a problem area with me. If you can take a few of these tips away and apply them to your shopping, you should be able to save a lot of money.
For more money saving tips, check out my posts below.
I definitely shop during off peak hours and without my kids. Makes it easier to just go in and get what I need.
Coupons are okay, but they aren’t what they used to be. For example, in the past you could get 35 cents off a bottle of ketchup. Now that same 35 cents savings only applies if you buy 2 bottles. Some even require you to buy 3 of the same item to get savings. I’ve lost count of how many coupons I’ve had to toss out because it required a purchase for more of an item than I need. It just isn’t worth the effort anymore.
#50 is a big one- the biggest piece of our grocery bill is wasted food. That is the hardest one for me.
My wife buys most of the groceries. I asked her how come she doesn’t clip coupons. She said that most of the time if there’s a coupon for something, there is usually a generic brand that is cheaper. A lot easier and about the same price.
Do a google search for how coupons work, specifically coupon value codes and where they are located on the barcode. Usually coupons are good for a wide range of products and not just the ones listed. For example, Kroger gives you a coupon for $2 off 8 Lean Cuisines (or so it says.) You really only to buy three and the coupon will scan just like all the others. Build a big enough database and you’ll save more than you ever thought.
Where do you get coupons? i don’t read the newspaper nor know of any other source of coupons besides newspapers and sleazy websites that require you to install adware to print their coupons.
Thanks!
Great writeup! As you mentioned about local farmers, farmers market are key to saving on groceries. You can get higher quality produce that stores a lot longer than supermarket produce by utilizing your local farmers. And don’t forget, farmers market eggs are the best!
Welcome Men! Great to have you all here. Thanks for the comments.
As far as coupons go, I do NOT get coupons from websites. The spyware is terrible! Most of my coupons come from the stores. Food Lion is great about printing out coupons. When I buy the breakfast Hot Pockets for my kids, then they will print me out a coupon to save 50 cents the next time I buy them. I do use a few manufacturer’s coupons that my mom gives me from her newspaper. You’re right, Tony, coupons are not what they used to be. When I first got married I would clip coupons and do my grocery shopping based upon my coupons. I would shop the sales and buy things with my coupons (Ingles had double coupons all the time) and then I rarely had to pay full price for anything.
If you’re really interested in saving money on your groceries, then check out my post about The Grocery Game. My friend has been using this system and she just used her savings to go on a cruise.
http://www.thriftymommy.com/play-the-grocery-game-and-save-time-and-money/
Cyn: I felt a little guilty tonight because I had to throw out some leftovers from last week. We just had so much going on with running errands and having a Super Bowl party that the leftovers didn’t get eaten. We usually do pretty well though. Tonight my husband finished off the Mexican pizza and Mexican rice. I made spaghetti for me and the kids since he doesn’t really care for pasta. I made a double batch of sauce and I will use some for my lunch for the next day or two and I will freeze the rest for later.
4) “Go alone.” Don’t, Bring your young child(don’t buy all the junk they want) But teach them.
My mom always took me to the store with her. Once my brother got older, he didn’t go as much. My mom taught us both how to be frugal. We learned from the best. Right now, I don’t want to take my toddler with me. He loves to eat. Whenever I put something in the cart he starts screaming because he wants to eat it!
This sounds like a terrible diet; the cheapest products are often those with the worst ingredients — and buying store brand milk is a recipe for hormones and additives that aren’t worth the savings. Not if you care about your health.
I do most of these things already. We are pretty thrifty shoppers, however I find this one to be the opposite for me:
4) Go alone. You know you’ll spend more if the husband and kids are with you.
I spend more if I am by myself. My husband is a stick to the list and don’t buy what you don’t need, kind of guy. So I am less tempted when he is with me.
When it comes to healthy eating though, that is more important. Store brand is okay with some things, but I read labels to keep junk and additives and unhealthy stuff out of our diets. Store brands can be notorious for that. So, being thrifty is important, but I feel it is more important to focus on healthier eating. For example the only yoghurt I can find that does NOT have added sugar or sugar subsitute, is Dairyland L’il Ones. So that’s what we get. All the rest have other crap in them.
Does Pet Milk have less hormones than store brand milk?
I realize that there is some difference in store brands and regular brands, but many of them are the same. This could be the same way with buying one brand of peanut butter versus another.
I’m not saying to buy food that’s not good for you. I’m saying watch the ads, use coupons, and do some things to save some money.
Mary: It seems in every relationship there is someone that is more frugal than the other. I am that person in our home. It is good that we have someone to keep us in line.
Welcome to Thrifty Mommy.
This was a great post, Karen. I know you put a lot of work into it. For #20, I would go one step further and suggest that you create a notebook or list of prices to use for comparison. I’m working on this one right now, and it has already helped me quite a bit because I simply can’t remember everything.
I buy store brand of most things, including milk. I don’t buy a lot of prepackaged mixes and meals, though; I cook from scratch almost every night.
Food Lion also bleaches their meat. Have fun eating shitty meat.
great list!
seconding the remarks on coupons not being what they used to be. especially the need to now by 2 or more instead of 1. i also remember when coupons did NOT have expiration dates at all. in fact i still have some in my files from way back.
another place to check is Target & RiteAid types…not just grocery stores. RiteAid’s reg prices are awful but sometimes with a sale and a coupon you can get a good bargain. I have found several items that our family is brand loyal to at Target and their regular price was less than all 4 grocery stores in our area. Again if it goes on sale at Target even better and then a coupon besides.
the hardest part with sales and coupons for me is trying to balance between getting inexpensive buys and foods that are actually healthy for you.
Congratulations this post has been nominated for a Hot Stuff Award at GNMParents.com.
Voting is open until Thursday morning. Good Luck
Thanks Revka. It was a lot of work. I thought about suggesting a notebook, but I guess I wasn’t sure if people would do that one. It wouldn’t have hurt to suggest it though.
I went to Food Lion last night and got 3 containers of nuts for free!
Dan: Food Lion bleaches their meat? How do you know that and why would they do that?
In the future, you are free to disagree with me or any posts on Thrifty Mommy, but please do so in a respectful way and with no cursing.
Wow! This post has been nominated for Hot Stuff. I am so excited and honored. Thanks everyone!!!!
Check out the Hot Stuff nominations here:
http://www.gnmparents.com/hot-stuff-vote-for-your-favourite-4/
A friend of mine works for brand name bread company, They would be bagging the brand-name bread, and when they ran out of bags on the shelf they would start bagging it in walmart bags, SAME EXACT PRODUCT, different bags.
If you hate coupons and don’t want to do the math, buy bulk items and cook from scratch. Tastes better, is healthier, and you save.
And, don’t forget #51………
Plant a garden. If you don’t have room; plant a container of salad greens at the very least. A packet of seeds is usually around a dollar….and yields way more than that amount in produce.
The Frugal Gardener
http://www.frugalgardening.com
Frugal Gardener: You’re right. My mom always had a garden when we were growing up. We grew okra, watermelon, pumpkins, and a few other things. She even let us experiment a few times with things like sugarcane, cotton, and sunflowers. We didn’t really do anything with the experiments. They were more of a learning experience and something fun to do. We haven’t had a garden since I was young, but I do like being able to go out in the yard and pick what I need.
Thanks for commenting. Hope you’ll drop back by again sometime.
Coupons are almost always on products you don’t really need, or prepared foods that are terrible for you. I used to save them, but found that I rarely if ever bought anything that was a coupon item besides cereal. So I only clip those coupons that I actually use, and never even bother with the other ones.
I tend to shop the perimeter of the store, using the store circular for sale items. There are aisles I never go down. We don’t drink soda, or eat processed foods anymore, so that tends to be a big price saver as well.
Lastly, our local convenience store sells a gallon of organic milk for $2.39 that is $3.99 at the grocery store and $4.99 at Whole Foods. We always stop at the convenience store and get mile there.
I’ve dropped my grocery bill from $250/bimonthly to $170 by never buying junk food. That’s pretty impressive!
Margalit: Wow! $2.39 a gallon for organic milk is a good price. What brand of milk is it? I’ll try to look for it. By the way, does organic milk have a different taste than regular milk? I’ve thought about switching.
Thanks for stopping by.
No kidding onthe organic milk! I pay $3.29 per gallon. I think it is worth it to not have to worry about ow many hormones my daughter is exposed to. we get our meat from Southern foods and all their chicken and meat is hormone free. It is worth it to me. I can not tell the difference in taste either.
I am interested in switching to organic milk. From what you are saying, there is not much difference in cost. I buy store brand milk over Pet Milk because there is a big difference in price, but I don’t mind paying a little difference for a better product. I’ll have to check into this.
That is a lot of good ideas. I already do many of them. I’m trying to spend only $30 on groceries this month.
Tight Fisted Miser: Thanks. These are the ways I was taught when I was growing up. I have a pretty good stash from buying things on sale. I could probably get by with only spending $30. Mainly I’d just need milk, bread, and other perishables. It would be hard to give up buying the sale items though.
Someone PLEASE tell me . . . were they talking about this post on the Cooper Lawrence show tonight? I caught the very end and it sounded like they were reading exactly from my post. I tried to call in and couldn’t get through.
Yes, they were! You can listen to the podcast.
http://cooperlawrenceshow.1079thelink.com/page.cfm?ID=2
It’s 2/20/2007 Tuesday Hour 3 at about 13:50.
51) I read somewhere else that grocery sales cycle every 3-4 months so buy enough to last till the next cycle.
52) And some items are on sale by season. January/February seems to be the leanest month for coupons. So store/buy enough.
Maybe I should check this by storing circulars just to know if my store follow this. OR, someone else please verify this for me.
Hi,
Good ideas. Also Remember:
- buy ziplock bags at discount stores; gro stores are usually a total rip off
- re-use ziplock bags when possible and safe as they can still be pricey
-Food Lions meat seems to have been okay for several years but observe meat carefully in any store. I’ve gotten yucky meat at Harris Teeter by not being observant enough.
- bag big boxes of cereal in gallon bags or put in plastic cereal keepers to keep it fresh.
-Even eating out can be cheap with coupons and you can eat a second time off meals at Chilli’s and other chains when you want a night out from cooking. Kid meals are sometimes almost as much as adults. When they are, try feeding kids adult meals ( only if they like something off the adult menu) and save half for school lunch etc.
- Pizza at real itailian eat in/ take out restaurants is a better deal than many chains like pizza hut, Dominos,etc They have great pizza, great coupons, and the Pizzas are huge! Look in the yellow pages for pizza coupons as well as in money mailers.
moodymoose
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To be able to track my grocery purchase, I make shopping list and stick to it. Then I use program to keep track of my purchase since the purchase history is updated by cellphone while shopping in store. This way I receive the reminder for what’s running low in my kitchen automatically, I also limit my spending to exactly what I need and never run out of anything.
Subcribe to your local grocery store’s email flyers. For instance, Food Lion sends a new flyer every week, including GREAT coupons. Dollars off produce, health and beauty items. Most are FL brand, of course, but not always.
Use a calculator to keep track of your purchases as you shop. I always round each item up to.05 or .10. That way when I add tax and check out, I’m not surprised…especially if I’ve accidently forgottten to add something in.
Lea, I subscribe to the Food Lion flyer too. The coupons are good, although sometimes I forget to use them.
I’ve actually shopped at some stores that have calculators built in on the shopping cart. It’s odd b/c they want you to buy more, not watch your money.
Karen this is great stuff keep up the good work. I am very proud of you
Awwww . . . thanks!
Well this certainly helps me specially now when i am in a family crisis. My brother is attending a drug treatment center and we need all the help we can get.
hey, this is great list for all mommy, thanks for posting it
You’re welcome. We have many other articles to help you save money too. Thanks for stopping by.
Re: Farmers Markets
It’s great that some people save money at Farmers Markets. In our area (midwest), the prices are double and triple the regular prices at the grocery stores. The vendors say it is because the stuff is fresh.
Wow! Double and triple prices? That’s crazy! Sounds like they’re trying to take advantage of people. Farmer Market prices should actually be less than the stores because they don’t have to sell them cheaply to a grocery store. I knew a guy that grew organic vegetables and he sold them to the grocery store for about half (or less) of what the grocery store sold them for.
That’s a pretty incredible list of tactics that I’ve honestly never considered when grocery shopping. I really like the tip about eating beforehand – what a great idea! I too don’t think I could shop with cash, but the other ideas are money in the bank. Thanks for posting it!
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I finally got smart about my grocery shopping and I religiously check the papers for sales. For instance, I go to Kroger and Publix because not only do they have good sales, they double the coupons you have as long as it’s $0.50 or less. I ended up saving $44 on my Publix bill!