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Inflation may go down, but grocery bills certainly don’t. Of course, how much you spend on food depends on your location and how you eat, but according to research, the average family spends close to $300 a week on groceries—more than $15,000 a year. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to slash your grocery bill, sometimes by as much as half.
Create a Grocery Budget
If you don’t already have a grocery budget, you should make one. If you do, try to challenge yourself to see how much you can lower it by couponing and planning your meals.
Create a List Every Time You Shop
Impulse buys can seriously damage a budget, and you won’t be able to stick to your grocery budget if you don’t know what you need to buy. So, to make sure you only get what you need, create a list every time you shop and stick to it.
Plan Your Meals
While preparing your shopping list, take some time to plan your meals. This will help ensure everything goes on the list you need, help you stay on budget, and avoid the stress of deciding what to cook each day.
Don’t Grocery Shop When You’re Hungry
If you are the type of person who waits to shop until you’ve run out of food, there’s a good chance you’ll shop while hungry, which means you’ll be more likely to succumb to the temptations of the snack aisle. Stay strong, eat a decent meal before you shop so you can avoid the snack aisle completely.
Take the Time to Price Compare
It’s tempting to grab and go, but not checking and comparing prices means you may not get as much bang for your buck. You’ll get a much better deal if you take a minute to compare the unit price against the price by volume.
Cut Coupons
I’m not saying turn into an extreme couponer where you spend hours cutting coupons and finding the best places to shop. However, if that’s your thing, there’s nothing wrong with that, and some extreme couponers save hundreds of dollars. But if you aren’t at least cutting coupons for the things you purchase often or using your local store’s weekly coupons, you’re potentially missing out on some great savings.
Try Generic or Store Brands
You’ll be surprised to find that most generic or store brand items are pretty close to their name brand equivalents at a much lower price.
Buy in Bulk
It is cheaper to buy in bulk, but it’s also easy to fall into the ‘buy it because it’s a good deal’ trap. Buying in bulk only works if you’re actually buying something you use regularly. But if you have a large pantry and freezer, don’t be afraid to buy something in bulk if the price is right and you know you’ll use it before it expires.
Freeze Extra Food
If you’re able to cook large batches, you can stretch each dish over multiple days. This can cut down your grocery bill and give you some quick and easy meals you just need to reheat, saving you in takeout costs on days you’re not up to cooking. Just freeze the extra food and heat it up when you want it.
Don’t Use a Handbasket
Even if you’re only picking up a few things, use a shopping cart rather than a handbasket. It might sound odd, but using a handbasket can lead to impulse purchases because the strain in your arm signals your brain that you deserve a special treat for your hard work.
Avoid Pre-Prepared or Pre-Cut Items
Yes, it’s convenient to have items already cut or prepared that you can munch on as soon as you get in the car. But, if you can wait until you get home and cut or prepare the food yourself, you’ll save a lot of money. Pre-cut veggies and fruits are usually much more expensive.
Choose In-Season Produce
In-season produce will always be less expensive than out-of-season items. If you aren’t sure what fruits and veggies are in season, do a quick search online before heading to the grocery store.
Consider a Few Meatless Meals
Meat is tasty but expensive. To cut meat costs, consider cutting back on your meat consumption. Replace it with a different protein source once or twice a week, and you’ll be surprised by how much money you save.
Check the Grocery Store App
Before you head to the grocery store, check the app so you know what items are on sale and what coupons are available. You can also use most grocery store apps to plan a shopping list. If you plan on going to multiple stores, use the apps to compare prices and decide where to buy specific foods.
