The #1 question I am asked nowadays is what strategies I used to cut my grocery spending down by half. (Yes, HALF!)
Ask, and ye shall recieve.
Below is a list of my top 5 tips to spend less on groceries, and they are the exact methods I use that reduced my monthly budget for me and my husband from ~$650/month to ~$325/month.
Do me a favor and don’t exit out halfway through this post – the best tips are at the end and you’re going to want to use them all to get the most bang for your buck!
Actually, I have one last thing to say. It sounds like common sense but needs to be repeated: if you’re trying to spend less at the grocery store, you need a budget. If you’re not sure where to start with creating a budget, start here.
Now, let’s get into 5 ways I save money on groceries each month.
1) Look at Price Per Ounce
It’s easy to see a jar of nuts for $6.99 and another jar for $7.99 and assume the first is a better deal, but I encourage you to take an extra 2 seconds to look at the price label on the shelf for the price per ounce because you may find that the $6.99 is actually MORE expensive based on how much is in the container.
Why does this happen? Well, product developers and shopping analysts are smart. They know that shoppers have certain behavior patterns and are usually just looking at the outright price on the label rather than taking the extra time to consider the price per ounce. They also figure out sneaky ways to add more air or bulkier packaging to a product so you think there’s more inside of the container than there is.
This goes for shopping in bulk/jumbo sizes too. I always thought that bulk sizes at the grocery store or at Costco would absolutely be cheaper, but that isn’t always the case. Always check the price/oz and see how it stacks up against the other options; you may even want to keep a notebook or a spreadsheet with a $/oz for each item you regularly shop for so you can compare in real-time to know if its a good deal or not.
So, when in doubt, always compare $/oz for the most accurate savings.
This isn’t the biggest cost saver on the list which is why it’s at the top, but pennies add up over time.
2) Stockpile on good deals.
You can use the notebook or spreadsheet I suggested above to assist with this one, too.
If you see that something is on sale or the price per ounce is really competitive, stock up with however much your budget will allow. (A good rule of thumb is 1 for now, 2 for later.)
This means that over time you will have a stockpile of food in your pantry that was purchased at a great price that you can cook with instead of needing to purchase each item on your grocery list for the week – and being forced into whatever pricing is available to you that day.
If you keep this process going, you’ll squeeze a few more dollars out of each grocery trip. The added benefit is especially clear when it comes to pantry goods that have long shelf-lives; if the power goes out, you need to feed a bunch of people on short notice, or you’re crunched for time and need to cook with what you already have on hand, you will have a stockpile of items to work with that didn’t break the bank.
3) Prioritize Organic / “Clean” Foods
There’s no doubt that shopping for organic and “clean” food is more expensive than conventional. While it can be worth the extra expense, sometimes you’re really just paying for the marketing fluff and pretty label.
If you’re trying to save money, you have to make some compromises. Instead of categorically shopping organic, prioritize using the EWG’s “Dirty Dozen” guide line, outlined below.
These are the items to prioritize purchasing organic if your budget allows:
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Pears
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Potatoes
When it comes to meat, there is also some details to be aware of that can help stretch your budget.
General tip: purchasing your meat directly from a local farm (for example, you can split a quarter cow with your neighbor), will save you a ton of money by cutting out the grocery store markup completely. Good freezer space and comfortability with thawing meat is necessary for this option.
Chicken: All chicken is hormone-free by law, so if the label is touting just that benefit and charging an extra $2/pound, you can move along. If antibiotics are given to chicken on a farm, FDA regulations require proof that the antibiotics have cleared the animal’s system before going into food production – although I will say I have my suspicions about this so I do try to pick “antibiotic-free” chicken. In general though, poultry is not nearly as concerning as beef so I would save your money here by purchasing conventional chicken if you’re on a budget.
Beef: There are six FDA-approved hormones allowed for use on cattle in order to bulk them up and get the most meat off them, so the extra costs of hormone-free beef is worth consideration in your budget. There is also grass-fed beef versus conventional grain-fed beef. Almost all cows live in a pasture and then are “finished” grass-fed or grain-fed, and grass-fed does have demonstrable benefits. While I still buy conventional beef if my budget forces me to, I do try to prioritize purchasing hormone-free and grass-fed beef as much possible.
Pork: Like chicken, hormones are not allowed in pork and any antibiotics given must have exited the system prior to livestock heading into pork production. I would recommend saving your money here and buying a cheaper conventional brand.
Bottom line: I am always here for purchasing the healthiest version of an item possible, but it still has to fit into my budget. Period.
On that note, I want to take a moment to address something. There is so much fear and guilt around “eating clean” these days (rather, much fear and guilt around NOT “eating clean”) that I just want to remind you that feeding your household REAL food is far and away more important than organic/non-GMO/grass-fed, etc. Cooking a homemade meal with conventional vegetables/fruit/meat that you bought on the clearance rack at Walmart is an order of magnitude better than fast food and processed junk foods from Whole Foods. Bottom line: do not ever feel guilty for doing the best you can within your budget.
4) Meal / Menu Planning
I am cringing as I type this because I have heard/seen so many people talk about meal planning before and it never, ever worked for me. Until now.
I am going to do a full blog post on this because it’s too much to explain here, but I will do a summarized version. Basically, the way everybody else teaches meal planning is completely ass-backwards and often creates MORE wasted food, and therefore wasted budget.
With proper meal planning (note this is not the same as meal prep, although that also works well for some families), you will know exactly what you need to buy so you won’t over-buy or purchase unnecessary items. This will allow you to fully use up the food you purchase week-to-week and will save you SO MUCH MONEY.
Take 30 minutes to do the following before you do your weekly/semi-weekly/monthly shopping trips:
- Take inventory. Write down everything you’ve got in your fridge, pantry, and freezer.
- Plan meals/recipes/snacks for the week. Use as much of your existing inventory as possible, especially leftovers.
- Create a shopping list. Fill in your grocery list with whatever items you need to purchase to complete each meal.
Now post this meal plan somewhere public so your family knows what’s on the menu for the week. Not only will this restore some ORDER to your life (and good lawd we all need more of that, don’t we?) but it will help you use up the food you’ve already got and only purchase what you need.
And now it’s time for my #1 grocery hack that completely changed my grocery game…
5. Use an online shopping service.
I know some of you are rolling your eyes or already thinking about how an online shopping service simply won’t work for you.
Let me just say, I LOVE grocery shopping. I like the store, the process…the entire experience is enjoyable for me. But I don’t go anymore because it sucks up my money like nobody’s business.
Just hear me out.
I use Instacart* and it has saved me so much money in three simple ways:
- You avoid distractions and adding unnecessary shit to your cart. I think we all like to say that we don’t do this, but most of us still do. Even when it’s healthy stuff like grabbing a ripe watermelon or new flavor of juice, if it’s stuff you don’t need and didn’t budget for, you’re spending unnecessary money. Eliminating impulse purchases makes a huge impact on your bottom line.
- You can quickly price shop. This is huge. HUGE, I tell you. When I shopped in-store, I typically went for brands I recognized or grew up with. Out of habit, I rarely paused to consider other brands or look at prices. When I shop online, I search for exactly what I’m looking for (i.e. organic crunchy peanut butter) and price-shop based on total price and price per ounce. I have saved SO MUCH MONEY THIS WAY. (Also, going back to my previous point about prioritizing the kinds of foods you buy to fit into your budget, the ability to quickly price shop online has also helped me realize that I simply don’t have the budget to buy certain items organic so I either have to change my preferences or change my budget. Either way, a re-prioritization must take place.)
- You see your cart total in real-time. This a big one. Some foods are just more expensive than others and if you’re shopping in-store you might not realize how expensive a particular week’s menu is shaping up to be until you’re at the checkout counter and it’s too late. When I use an online shopping service, my cart total adds up in real-time so I am able to adjust if I see certain items or recipes sucking up a lot of budget.
Online shopping for groceries isn’t a miracle in-and-of-itself. If I shopped online the same way I shop in-store – just throwing the brands I’ve always used into my cart and not considering the cart total until the very end when I’m on the hook to pay – I would probably end up with the same problem. But because it is so much easier and quicker to track all of these things and make adjustments as I go when shopping online, I end up saving so much money.
Although my reduced grocery receipts are all the proof I need, I also have some inverted evidence that this method works. Over the last year, I’ve had to make a few in-person grocery trips. I went with my meal plan and grocery list just like I do when I shop online, but each time I walked out of the store having spent at LEAST $50 more. (Don’t get me started on the one time I had to do an in-store shop and did it at Whole Foods…I spent almost my entire month’s budget in that one shop and was so shocked by the total that I just stared at the cashier after she told it to me. It was awkward as hell.)
Here are some objections I’ve heard before when it comes to online shopping and my thoughts on how to handle each:
“Instacart and other delivery services aren’t in my area yet.” Most grocery stores now let you shop online and pick up your groceries in-store after a store employee has shopped and bagged all of them for you. This is a great alternative. Check your local store to see if this is an option! While it isn’t the exact same thing, Amazon Fresh and similar services are also becoming increasingly popular. If all else fails, try to emulate everything I described above while shopping in store; it may take longer, but it does pay off.
“They don’t have my store as an option for service.” If you’re in a moderate sized city or suburb, there should be a delivery service for your store. I know Whole Foods has started rejecting some grocery services, but if you’re in a budget pinch, I personally wouldn’t be shopping there anyway because $$$$. In Atlanta and its suburbs, I can access Krogers, ALDI, Publix, Costco, and a few others via online services. If budget is a priority, maybe it would be worth considering switching grocery stores?
“But I can’t pick my produce!” That is true, and I understand the concern here. But these are real people doing your shopping so you CAN leave notes for them. For example, I tell my shopper to pick the chicken package with the latest expiration date and that I need one avocado that’s soft and ripe and one that isn’t. I’ve never had anybody deliver anything to me that wasn’t what I expected without messaging or calling me first to talk through any issues beforehand.
“Sometimes they don’t have what I need!” That can be true. The shoppers go to a store local to them or one that’s somewhere in the middle of the handful of shopping clients they are shopping for at the same time, and as we all know, not all grocery stores have the same stock. Again, they will message you to tell you if something is out of stock so it won’t be a surprise. This has happened to me maybe 5 times out of 100+ deliveries, and I just made a quick run to the grocery store for the single missing item and that was that.
“What about delivery fees and tips? Isn’t that paying more money?” Most services do have delivery fees, unless you do an in-store pickup like I mentioned before – which is a good option, too. I can’t speak to all of the services, but with Instacart, I joined their Express program which means free deliveries within 2 hours on orders over $35. I pay $99 for the entire year for this, and since my order frequency averages out to once per week, that’s about $2 in fees per order, plus usually ~$5-7 for tip. Considering we save well over $40 on each shopping trip with Instacart, I consider the fees/tips well worth it.
Lastly, something I haven’t touched on yet in regards to using a delivery service but would be remiss not to, is the value of your time. It seems abstract, but the truth is, grocery trips can be a 1, 2, or even 3 hour affair depending on how often you do them and how many stores you hit. When I think about what I could do with a couple extra hours in my week, I see a never-ending list of opportunities.
This week, I’m using the hours I saved to film videos and write blog posts like this one and put up holiday decorations. I will take that instead of over-spending on a grocery store trip any day of the week.
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I hope you found this helpful! If you have any questions or tips of your own that you want to share, leave them in the comments below.
*NONE OF THIS WAS SPONSORED, LIKE INSTACART HAS NO IDEA WHO I AM. I JUST LOVE THEIR SERVICE. BUT IF YOU SIGN UP USING MY REFERRAL LINK YOU CAN SAVE $10 AND I CAN SAVE $10. WIN-WIN.
