How To Save On Groceries Every Month
Photo of bottled and goods on shelving displayed with labels facing out by Daria Volkova on Unsplash
Updated 2024.07.29. This page contains affiliate links and this site earns from qualifying purchases made through these sponsored links.
It is possible to save money on food, cut down your grocery bill, and yet still eat healthy.
You may have to develop a system, you may have to shop at certain grocery stores, and you may have to finally read the sale flyers.
But when you start saving half your bill just because you paid attention to a few key things, you will realize that all the steps in this post are well worth your effort.
You can get a return on your investment of time and money by learning how to save money on your grocery bill and the learning curve is pretty quick.
Below are 18 ways to save money on your groceries every month:
1 - Keep a notepad on your counter
As you run out of things, write down the items that you’ve run out of on your pad. This list will help you limit the number of times you have to run into the store to pick up something you forgot and remembered only on the way home.
The fewer times you enter the store, the less you are exposed to those tempting 'impulse buys' that stores put on end caps and near registers.
2 - Shop the clearance meat section
In the back of your grocery store, see if there is a “Manager’s Special” meat section, where all the meat is marked with yellow or orange labels.
The Manager’s Special meat is getting close to its sell by date, but most of it is still good. Make sure the color still looks fresh, the liquid is still in the meat and not all over the package. A little more caution is required with discount seafood, since that goes bad more quickly.
You can freeze what you find that is good. If necessary, divide into portion sizes before freezing. You can place the individual portions into small bags or containers before placing into a larger bag for freezing. Be sure to label with the date if you removed the original packaging.
Pull it out when you need it and this way, you get your protein for less.
3 - Read the periodic flyer
Every week, or in some cases every two weeks or every month, grocery stores put out an advertisement of what is on sale.
This advertisement often includes something called “loss leaders.”
A loss leader is a product being sold for very little with the idea that by offering it, it will bring customers in, who will then buy other things. The loss leaders are often on the front page and if you go in and just get the loss leaders, you can save money.
4 - Calculate the unit price
The unit price is the total price divided by the quantity, and the output is the cost per unit.
Usually, but not always, the larger quantity the less the cost, but whenever you are choosing between packages it is a good idea to do this quick calculation - you can save pennies, dimes or even dollars which adds up when tallied across the board.
5 - Buy in bulk when staple foods are on sale
When you purchase your cooking oil, potatoes, onions, rice, and other things you use a lot when it is on sale and in bulk you save more - this is due to the fact that the unit price is lower on bulk items and sales take money off that, which drives the price down even lower.
6 - Find a grocery store with the best deals near you and learn their system
Every neighborhood seems to have a store that not only has the best deals, but is closest to you and you get more for your money.
Maybe they have what you need, maybe their sales are just too sweet. Either way, practice *just* shopping there. Learn their rewards card system, sales cycles, and clearancing system.
Once you learn their pricing and identify how to maximize it to your benefit, expand to other stores.
7 - Keep a pricebook
Not every deal advertised is the best you’ll see all year.
Even if you are shopping at the lowest prices every time, you still want to be wary as a consumer. If you get something at a great price, write it down in your pricebook, and then when you see it advertised again, cross check your history. If it isn’t lower than that, wait, if you can.
Don’t be seduced by every red tag you see! Know that prices tend to have cycles and if you have seen an item lower, it usually returns to that price range again in the future.
8 - Avoid junk food
A misconception when you first start budget shopping for your groceries is that only junk food has coupons or goes on sale.
While this is not entirely true, it can seem like it some weeks. So remember - just because a junk food item is on buy one, get one doesn’t mean you have to buy the one just to get the other one. You can be judicious, purchase just the healthy sales and still eat great food.
9 - Click the coupons
If your store has an App or Digital Store this makes couponing even easier. Simply use your email and get an account with your grocery store, and click on the coupons you want to use before you check out.
These clickable coupons, which are on some grocery sites, such as Giant, Wegmans, and Shoprite, will apply to your order at check out, when you are logged into your account online or when you scan your account at check-out in person.
10 - Be adventurous with new brands
The adventure of saving money on groceries is that you get to try new things. If a coffee you never tried has an amazing deal, try it once. Same with a tofu or mayonnaise brand you like.
You can always go back to your old brand if it doesn’t work out during non-sale weeks. The more willing you are to try new things the easier it is to eat for less.
11 - Do not stock up just because you have a coupon
If you are in a saving money mode, chances are you want to keep money around. To do this, you have to keep your inventory light.
Converting money to products that may expire or may never be used is a waste of money resources that could be freed up and applied elsewhere. So consider your inventory and how quickly you can use what is there before buying more. If you already have too much, hang back even if it is priced very low - it will go on sale again.
12 - Simplify your food choices
You do not have to cook an elaborate meal with rare ingredients every time you eat. Sometimes you can have oatmeal and dried nuts and that’s all.
The more you cook with a few, simple, ingredients, the less your grocery bill will be.
13 - Say yes to free food
Some grocery stores do what is called a “meal deal.”
Meal deals rotate weekly and the way they work is that you buy one thing, usually the protein, and you get all the sides for free. It’s often some scenario like you buy the burgers and you get the fixings, free. Try this out when you see it - some weeks it really is quite a deal.
14 - Shop what’s in season
Pay attention to when certain foods are abundant at certain times of the year.
In the United States for example, turkey is abundant in the fall, citrus in the winter, ham in the spring, berries in the summer. When there is a lot of something, it is cheaper. If you buy when there is an abundance of an item, your bill will be lower.
15 - Pay attention to the agricultural operations in your area
When the farm or processing plant is near you, those foods are normally cheaper as you do not have to pay the shipping costs that others do, to access the food.
For example, where this blog is located, there are pork processors around. This means that pork is often on sale and available for a Manager’s Special price, more so than other meats in the area. Where you are, it could be beef, corn or even seafood.
When you buy local, you cut out the trucking company’s take, and therefore, save money.
16 - Share food with family
When you find a deal and get too much, offer it to a family member and they will usually accept it. Same goes with excess food offered to you - accept it when it comes around even if it's not something you would normally eat, just try it.
When you score a deal, share it. Not only does it feel good to divide up resources, but it prevents things from sitting too long in the freezer and losing their flavor. Food that is shared is food someone didn’t have to buy.
17 - Check your receipts for prices
Sometimes the check out station is wrong. Sometimes the cashier is. Whatever it is, always cross check your receipt and if you find an error, call the store. Errors do happen.
The store can often correct it over the phone if you have an account with them or if you’re in their rewards program.
18 - Look up and down
The best deals are not always at eye level. When shopping in person, make sure you scan the aisle vertically, as well as horizontally for the best price.
Sometimes you need to look up for the family pack or down for the gallon.
Okay so these are just a few of the best ways to save money on your grocery bill. On a good week, you can cut your bill up to half of what it normally is just by implementing some of the techniques above.
Besides saving money, best of all, when you get food for less, it’s exciting, inspiring and it makes you feel really abundant.
In a world where inflation is rising every day, you can beat it just by shopping savvy.
If you begin saving money on your groceries by applying just one of the tips above, which tip will you choose to start?
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