5 Simple Ways To Save On Groceries

For most consumers, there are few absolutely necessary types of purchases. Those include rent, utilities, gas and groceries. So, if you could cut the cost of these categories, you could have tons of extra funds to pay down debts, pad your savings, or enjoy the finer things in life. Today, we’re going to talk about cutting the cost of one of these necessities, groceries! Here are 5 simple things that you can do to reduce your monthly grocery expense.

#1: Meal Planning – Meal planning was the single biggest grocery savings decision I’ve made. I used to just buy what I thought I wanted when I got to the store. These days, things are much different. My fiancé and I sit down and think about what we’re going to eat over the course of the next week, what ingredients are involved, and what snack items we might want between meals; writing everything down every step of the way. At the end of the conversation, we’ve got one heck of a grocery list, but we know exactly what we need. This way, we don’t throw away as much food, and we don’t make unnecessary impulse purchases.

#2: Create A Shopping Schedule – In my younger days, I would go shopping whenever I needed something. If I was out of milk, off to the store I went to get a gallon. The only problem was, every time I went in the store for one thing, I came out with more than one. Every time I walked into stores, I became a victim to subliminal marketing and spent far more than the amount of money I intended on spending. So, I decided to only go shopping once per week. Doing so has saved me tons in unnecessary knick knacks, candies, and other pointless purchases.

#3: Couponing – I used to think that couponing is only for the extreme frugalist. However, that’s not the case. I quickly figured out that the average manufacturer’s coupon has a savings of about $1.20 printed on it. That’s a good amount of money for a minute or two finding and clipping a coupon. By clipping coupons for an hour based on what you know you’re going to need, you could save $60 or more! I know coupons save me a ton, and contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t take a 40 hour work week to be worthwhile.

#4: Quarterly No Shopping Week – Tons of money savings experts are starting to talk about a quarterly no shopping week. It’s actually a great way to save. Most people think that if they go a week without shopping, they won’t have enough food in their cabinets to keep them going. I thought the same until I actually tried it. You’ll most likely be pretty surprised at the amount of non-perishable food you’ve got sitting around!

#5: Shop Fresh – If you talk to any money savings expert, you’ll never hear them talking about a great meal they just ate out of a box. Why? Because preprocessed foods are much more expensive than making food from scratch. Instead of shopping in the freezer section, shop the outer edges of your local grocery store where you find produce and fresh meats. You’ll be amazed at how much money you can save by eating fresher, healthier food!

Final Thoughts

There you have it, 5 simple ways that my family saves money on groceries. There are tons of ways to save out there, do you know of any others? If so, let me know in the comments below!

Author Bio: This article was written by Josh Rodriguez of ModestMoney.com.  Check out Modest Money for all kinds of financial tips and advice, as well as the top finance blogs list.