How to Lower Your Grocery Bill This Year

_{Don’t let your grocery shopping cost more than it should! Become an expert shopper at the grocery store with these tips to lower your grocery bill this year.}

How to lower your grocery bill - woman at checkout at grocery store

How to Lower Your Grocery Bill This Year

We have all noticed that the price of groceries is rising at a rapid pace. Package sizes are getting smaller, quality is often getting poorer, and it is costing you more to put dinner on the table for your family.

Not to worry though, because here you will find some helpful ways to lower your grocery bills this year. You will be surprised at how simple it can be to cut your grocery bill in half!

Please keep in mind that grocery shopping on a budget doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your health.

Woman checking shopping list spending on groceries

Shop with a list

First and foremost, many people shop off the top of their heads. This is the worst thing you could do. Trying to remember what you need may cause you to purchase items you don’t need and forget all the things you do need.

So make sure you have a complete shopping list, including the snacks and drinks you’ll be buying. Try to stay on track. Impulse buys, as you know, can cause a big increase in your grocery bill. So, if you don’t need it, don’t buy it.

Along with keeping a list, it is important to create a weekly or monthly food budget. For my family of four, our budget is roughly $125 a week. Some weeks are less and others a little over, but on average we spend $125.

Use Your Leftovers

Cooking with a purpose makes sense and saves cents. Repurposing dinner from the night before into lunch or another dinner idea can stretch out your food longer. It also helps reduce the need to toss out food.

Food waste is not only bad for the environment, but it is also terrible for your grocery budget. Make a plan to use your leftovers by turning them into brand new meals, having a dedicated day where leftovers are what’s for dinner, or freezing them for later use.

Make a goal to use everything you cook.

Meal Plan

Meal planning will help you to save both time and money. You have the benefit of knowing what is for dinner every night, what you need to do to prepare it, and exactly what you need to put on your grocery list.

My first big tip is to start with one meal to have planned for the entire week. Then work yourself up to meal planning for a month. Once you have mastered this, you are ready to tackle other planned meals.

Meal planning will also help you to keep your portions correct. It is important not to buy your family calorie-packed food that has little nutritional value. Stick to foods that will fill you up but aren’t loaded with sugars such as sodas and bakery items.

Yes, these items may be a little more costly, but this is where your creativity in savings can play a big role.

Store Rewards Card

Does your local grocery store offer a store loyalty rewards card? If they do, you need to sign up for it. You can get additional savings on items that you buy frequently, and extra customer loyalty bonuses that can really add up over the course of a year.

These cards allow you to earn points and get sale prices and other discounts when you shop. These rewards can help you to stay within your grocery budget. Make them a habit by using them. They will help you develop good spending habits.

Store Brands

Another way that you can save significantly and lower your grocery costs this year is by choosing store brands over the name-brand products you see on the shelves. Look beyond the label and compare the ingredients.

In many cases, the store brand is equal to or better than the national brand in terms of quality, quantity, and taste. The savings are significant enough that it is at least worth trying store-brand products that your family enjoys frequently.

Please be mindful that not all foods have a store-brand counterpart, items such as canned foods, condiments, and other processed foods will have store-brand versions.

I do love it when I see gluten-free store-brand options. It seems that grocery stores are now seeing the need for more healthy options.

grocery shopping save money - woman holding grocery basket in the produce section

Learn About Sales Cycles

Grocery prices run in sales cycles that last anywhere from 6-8 weeks. That means that every 6-8 weeks you have the opportunity to stock up on items that your family uses the most.

This is also the best time to use your store and manufacturer’s coupons so that you can save even more money. Making a price book and learning the sales cycles in your area can help you save considerably on your meat and produce purchases.

Consider Grocery Delivery or Pickup

If you find it difficult to stick to only what you need on your grocery list, then you might benefit from picking up your groceries or having them delivered. You add only those items that you need to your list from your phone or laptop and then pick a time for them to be delivered or for you to pick them up.

Keep in mind, you will frequently get deals on delivery or pickup options from your local grocer. Making this a great option to lower your grocery bill. If you have never thought of this option before. It is pretty simple.

You place your order online, and then your store provides you with a pickup time to come and get your pre-packed groceries. The cost of a pickup can be cheaper than delivery by up to 50% to 75%. So if this option is available, do it!

Using coupons at the grocery store - woman at check out

Learn How to Coupon

If you aren’t already couponing, do yourself a favor and learn how to do it right. There are lots of websites, forums, and even online classes and video tutorials that can teach you all about how to coupon and save the most money on your grocery budget.

Start off by collecting coupons. 65% of coupons can be found in the Sunday paper, but if you can’t afford a paper, don’t let that stop you. Many coupons are now digital. In fact, the future of couponing will soon be all digital.

All you have to do is simply visit your grocery store’s website and find their coupon page. (Here’s our list of best coupon sites!)