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Food is often one of the most expensive line items for household expenses. Despite inflation numbers slowing as of late, the cost of groceries is still quite high. According to the consumer price index report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food prices rose 4.9% between July of 2022 and July of 2023 and have been steadily rising since 2020. There are a few things you can do to help cut the cost of your grocery expenses. Below I outline 7 ways your family can start saving on your grocery bill.
Meal Prep
Meal prepping has been a game changer for our family, especially since having a baby. On Sundays we try to prep breakfasts, snacks, and items that can be used for dinner. This way we utilize all of the food we have/minimize waste. Weekdays can be so hectic and without meal prepping it would be all too easy for us to just order takeout. If we did that multiple times per week for multiple meals we would likely be spending an additional $400+/month.
Make A List/Assess Inventory
Another guaranteed way to spend extra money at the grocery store is to go with no plan in mind. You mindlessly stroll down the aisles and pick up whatever looks good at the time. Then you get home and wonder how you spent $200 and what you can make out of the random things you purchased.
Making a list helps you stay on task and avoid buying a bunch of random items. Another thing I try to do before going to the store is look to see what I already have at home. That way I’m not buying a loaf of bread for example if I already have some that needs to get used. This also helps to prevent food waste!
Pay Attention To Prices
This tip seems obvious but shopping can become quite passive, especially when you have a million other things on your mind. Instead of automatically reaching for the same peanut butter you always get, take a few extra seconds to look at alternatives. You might find that the generic brand has the same ingredients but is significantly cheaper.
Another thing to look for is the amount you are getting for the price. Chips are a great example. If a 16oz bag costs $4.00 but a 24oz bag runs $4.75 I’ll likely get the 24oz bag because I’m getting more for my money – even if it costs me more at that particular time. A lot of times stores, at least in my area, run sales where buying the larger item makes sense financially if you know it will get utilized.
Follow Favorite Brands
If there is a brand you really like and purchase frequently, it might make sense to follow them on social media or join their email list. Oftentimes brands will send out coupons to loyal consumers or share sales, rewards programs, etc in their newsletters. I have experienced this firsthand with brands like Tide and Enfamil.
Buy In Bulk (If It Makes Sense)
Buying in bulk can save your family quite a bit of time and money, but it does take a little bit of research up front. If you have a membership to a wholesale store like Sam’s Club or Costco you want to make sure you are factoring your membership fee in to the cost of the items you buy. We personally don’t have a wholesale membership and up until a few years ago purchased all of our toiletry/home items from our local grocery store. I learned about Amazon’s subscribe and save program and compared prices – going the subscribe and save route saved us the most money. With subscribe and save you get most of your items in bulk which is where some of the savings comes in.
Long story short, oftentimes purchasing in bulk will save you money. Just make sure to price compare up front and factor in any membership fees you might be paying to your overall price.
Join Rewards Programs
These days most, if not all, grocery stores have rewards programs. Off the top of my head Mperks, Target Circle, and Walmart+ are just a few examples. If you primarily do most of your shopping at one store that utilizes rewards it makes sense to sign up for their program. They are typically free to join. I have saved so much money over the last year or so using our primary grocery store’s rewards program. They offer personalized coupons, general coupons, and rewards that I can access right from their app on my phone.
Use Apps To Save/Earn Money
Lastly, I use apps to not only save money on groceries but earn money as well! Companies want to know what people are purchasing and are willing to pay consumers for that information. The 3 primary apps I utilize for groceries are Ibotta, Fetch, and ReceiptPal.
Ibotta is where I earn the most rewards. Simply clip the cash back for the item you plan to purchase on their app. Once you have your receipt you can upload it and cash back is in your account within 24-48 hours. I’ve earned almost $1k back since I started using Ibotta! Click here to earn $5 when you upload your first receipt. Fetch and ReceiptPal will ask you to upload your receipt and once you accumulate enough points you can redeem them for gift cards to your favorite retailers. You can click here to join Fetch and earn bonus points with code MY7TE.
Taking these 7 steps to save on groceries might seem overwhelming at first, but once you add it to your routine it only takes a few extra minutes every week. You could even start by implementing a few tips and see what works best for you! If you do anything different to save money on food or find this article helpful I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
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