Cost Effective Alternatives to Buy at the Grocery Store
So, you’re looking to save some more money at the grocery store without compromising your health. Sometimes it can be as simple as replacing one item with another similar item! Today, I’d love to tell you about 8 items you can buy to replace their costly, less healthful counterparts.
Oatmeal instead of cereal
Do away with the expensive boxes of cereal full of sugar and buy oatmeal! You could purchase those convenient packs of pre-made oatmeal, but I’d encourage you to buy a bag of oats instead. I find it so easy to create my own instant oatmeal packs, plus I can control the sugar content by adding various delicious toppings. Oatmeal will also help keep you feeling full so you may need less snacks 😉
Frozen fruit instead of fresh
Purchasing fresh fruit in season can be an inexpensive way to get them, but frozen fruits are a good option too. Especially because they’re picked at the peak of their flavour and aren’t any less healthful than fresh. So if you find yourself in the dead of winter wanting fruit, try grabbing a bag of frozen fruit to save yourself some cash and disappointment with the lack of flavour.
Yogurt tub instead of cups
Sure, yogurt cups are really convenient for packing in lunches, but you could spend a little extra time once a week filling up reusable containers with yogurt from a tub instead. Buying yogurt in larger quantities (tubs or those pour bags) will save you big time.
Make dressing instead of bottled
Making salad dressings from scratch has got to be one of the most simple kitchen tasks you could do. Believe me because I don’t do complicated in the kitchen. If you’re used to buying those expensive bottles of organic/natural salad dressings, you’ll be saving yourself a bundle at the grocery store by making your own with simple inexpensive ingredients you may already have on hand! Here are some of my recipes:
Not only is a head of lettuce much cheaper than the bags or containers of salad, they last longer too! I understand the convenience of buying a bag or container, but really it doesn’t take much effort to tear up some lettuce leaves for a salad. Especially when you have to sort through the slimy pieces in the bags or containers anyways.
Rotisserie chicken instead of deli meats
Go for the whole rotisserie chicken instead of the deli meats for sandwiches. Your boring ol’ sandwiches will taste so much better! Plus, you’ll be feeding yourself something a bit healthier. But don’t stop at sandwiches, hang onto the bones and extra meat to make a delicious chicken noodle soup for another meal or two.
Dried beans instead of canned beans
I’ll be honest and say that we don’t eat a lot of beans in our house so I do tend to purchase the cans of beans. But, if you use beans a lot in your cooking, purchasing dried beans is the way to go if you want to save yourself a bundle! Cooking up a batch of dried beans is simple if you put your slow cooker to use or the new Instant Pot.
Brown Rice instead of white rice
There may not be much of a price difference between white rice and brown rice, but if you look at the nutritional value, you’ll win with buying the brown rice. The vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are some of the benefits, but one of the biggest pluses may be that the high amount of fiber in brown rice helps fill you up longer than white rice would. In turn, cutting down on the amount of snacks you may need between meals. Or even the amount you pile on your plate in the first place.
A you can see, there may be no need to stop buying some items completely to save money, but a simple replacement should help you out. How many of these replacements do you buy already? What are some other things that you buy to save money?
Groceries. We need them and we have to buy them. Yet, while they are a necessity, do you find that you have quite a high grocery bill? Are you frustrated by that fact? There are ways to keep grocery costs down and I’m about to reveal my secrets that will help fix your problem.
You might be feeling as though there’s no possible way to lower your grocery bill. But, I’m of the mindset that our grocery bill is one of the most flexible bills we have to pay. There is no set monthly bill that a grocery store sends our way, unlike the phone company. We make the call on how much our bill will be each time we stop at the store.
Shop your Pantry
Before you even head to the grocery store, peruse your pantry shelves to see how many ingredients you already have that will help you put together as many meals as possible. Take inventory. Every once in a while I like to dedicate a week or two to shopping from my pantry. On those weeks, I literally only spend about $30 on dairy products and fresh fruits & veggies. Simply because I’m making an effort to use what I already have on hand. This is a great way to ensure that you don’t spend money you didn’t have to, and that you don’t find good food that has expired.
Have a Meal Plan
I’m a huge fan of meal planning. Like, huge! Every week, I try to have 5 dinners planned out by Sunday evening. Five, because one night we usually eat out and Sundays are spent at my parents. Also, I plan dinners only because lunch usually consists of dinner leftovers and breakfast is a rotation of oatmeal/peanut butter toast/pancakes/French toast/and eggs, each always served with fruit. This works for us because usually the same things get marked down on the list and I know what each item generally costs. This makes our bill fairly consistent, since there’s usually only a few “not usual” items needing to be purchased.
Shop the flyer sales
I’ll admit and say that shopping the store sales and planning meals around those sales is not my strongest trait. But often times if there’s an item on sale that I know we’ll use in the near future, I will buy at least a couple. (Chicken is on sale this week so I’ll probably buy at least four packages to get us through to the next sale.) If you can get good at planning your meals around what’s on sale each week, you’ll be saving a ton!
Breakfast is cheaper than dinner. There are usually a couple of nights a month where I plan to make breakfast for dinner. Waffles with whipped cream, fresh strawberries and bacon? Yes, please! My husband also likes to make a huge batch of French toast once in a while and we put the leftovers in the freezer for super easy breakfasts.
Use rice & pasta
I like to use rice and pasta quite a bit because I find them to be so cheap! Pasta is very cheap when I can find a good deal using coupons. Rice, when purchased in bulk, is cheap and lasts a long time! I like to make up stir-frys once in a while using rice or pasta to serve the veggies over. (Stir-frys are also a great way to use up vegetables!) Also, I know when I make something involving rice or pasta, it’ll be a hit with my toddler, and that’s a win!
Eat leftovers
Growing up, I was not a big fan of leftovers. When my parents would inform me that we’ll be having leftovers for dinner, I usually cringed. Now, as an adult, I LOVE leftovers! Leftovers mean one less meal I have to make during the week! More often than not, I’ll actually double up on dinner just so we have extra. Most of the time we save leftovers for lunch, but occasionally we’ll have a busy night that will need a super quick dinner.
Use meat substitutes
These days, I’m actually forced to use something besides meat and poultry because my daughter has decided she’ll have none of it. Luckily, she loves beans, lentils and eggs, which I find to be a great grocery budget saver! There are also many other vegetables that are high in protein such as mushrooms, green peas, kale, broccoli and cauliflower that I prepare with each meal.
Use frozen vegetables
While I much prefer fresh vegetables, sometimes buying frozen vegetables can be cheaper in the long run. Especially if you find certain vegetables are always going bad before you have a chance to finish them. (That’s cauliflower in our home!) I usually have a bag of mixed frozen vegetables on hand for those nights when dinner can’t be made fast enough. We have also determined that steaming them makes them taste the best. They’re not as soggy that way!
Use coupons
I don’t use a lot of coupons, but as I mentioned above, I’ve stocked up on pasta (and other items) many times because of some sales and coupons I’ve had. I also consider paper towels, toilet paper, toothpaste and other household items to be grocery items and I won’t buy these items unless I have a coupon. There are also some great cash back apps that I use to save even more.
Eat before you shop
This is a tip you probably hear every time someone tells you how to save money on groceries. But, I can certainly attest to its truth! Nearly each time I grocery shop hungry, I end up with extra stuff in my shopping cart. And it’s usually not healthy stuff! A bag of chips? Sure! A bottle of pop? We haven’t had that in a while! I always have snacks in my purse because of my daughter, but I’ve been known to “share” them with her just so I’m not starving and fill our cart full of unnecessary stuff.
There you have it. My 10 Secrets to a lower grocery bill! I hope you found something helpful in this list, or at least something that inspires you to try harder.
I’d love it if you would share your tips and tricks in the comments!
This homemade Baking Mix (Bisquick) is made with only 5 simple ingredients and takes just minutes to mix up. It’s cheaper, healthier and tastes great!
Homemade Baking Mix (Bisquick)
If you are like me and looking for ways to eat healthier and save money at the same time, then you’ll love this copycat “Bisquick” mix!
It only takes minutes to make, is cheaper than buying the Bisquick brand and it doesn’t have any ingredients that you can’t pronounce.
Take a look at my recipe for homemade baking mix (Bisquick)! Use it in any recipe in place of Bisquick. It’s so great in casseroles, quiche, pancakes, biscuits, muffins and more.
Looking for another valuable use for that KitchenAid stand mixer? How about an easy way to shred meat? It works so well to shred some cooked chicken breasts, boneless pork butt, or beef roast.
If you have ever tried to “pull” a pork shoulder with forks, you know this can take a bit of time. With the stand mixer and the normal beater attachment, you can shred a pound of cooked chicken breast straight from the slow cooker in under 30 seconds! (Tip: You can also use a hand mixer!) Take a look at this handy kitchen hack:
Here’s the Easy Way to Shred Meat:
1. Take your meat straight from cooking and toss it in the mixing bowl.
2. Make sure the beater attachment is in place.
3. Raise the bowl and hit a low power setting for about 30 seconds.
4. Enjoy your shredded meat!
So you no longer need to hesitate to make recipes like chicken enchiladas, pulled pork, or beef barbecue because of this tedious job again. If you don’t have a KitchenAid Mixer, here is another great reason why you might just want to take the plunge!
Planning a family vacation this year? Meals, snacks and drinks can really add up during those days away from home. While food is one of the most expensive areas of a vacation budget, I have some tips and ideas to help keep those costs down.
Plan ahead
Will you be eating out? Preparing your meals in the hotel? By having an idea of what you intend to do about the meals on your vacation, you have to opportunity to plan ahead by researching restaurants, grocery stores within walking distance, and even compile a meal plan if you’re cooking in!
Use those daily deal sites
Sign up for the email list for your vacation destination on daily deal sites like WagJag, Groupon and Living Social. Keep an eye open for deals featuring restaurants you may enjoy eating at. Might as well get a deal if you’ll be eating out anyways!
Be a local
By simply asking locals where the best place to grab an affordable meal is, they’ll most likely point you in the direction of a fantastic, hole in the wall restaurant that will give you more bang for your buck. Stay away from those tourist traps!
Entertainment coupon books
Sign up for the Entertainment coupon membership! Not only are there tons of coupons for discounted meals, you’ll find coupons for local attractions and shopping. 🙂 It’s only $34 per year or $4.99 per month.
Search out restaurants where Kids eat free
I have a list available on Simply Frugal where Kids Eat Free in Canada that might be worth checking out. Or visit Family Money School for a huge list of restaurants in the United States!
Stop in at the local tourist bureau
Stop in at the local tourist bureau and peruse the brochures they have available because you might find some great coupons inside! Most likely, the staff on hand will gladly point you in the direction of money saving coupons and even help you find affordable eating options.
Stay at a hotel that offers free breakfast
My husband and I love staying at hotels that offer free breakfast. It’s so nice to walk down, grab from the variety they have available, then get on with our day! When we’re on vacation, we like to eat a big breakfast so that we can skip lunch, which helps to keep our food budget lower.
Pack a cooler full of food
If you’re road tripping, bring along a cooler full of food. Buns, meat, fruit, vegetables and snacks are all great things to have readily available in case you come across the perfect picnic location. Consider freezing some milk to use as an ice pack. You can then use it the next day for cereal!
Hit up the local grocery store
Once you’ve arrived at your destination, hit up a local grocery store to stock up on snacks, drinks and simple meals. Even if you intend on eating out at restaurants, by incorporating a few grocery store meals, you’ll be saving a bundle.
Bring a slow cooker or air fryer
If you can, consider bringing along a slow cooker or air fryer. Put something together in the morning, head out sight seeing for the day, then arrive back at the hotel with dinner already made! Or whip up something quickly in the air fryer!
Meal plan
If your intention is to not eat out at restaurants while you’re vacationing, create a meal plan before you leave home that will help take the stress out of deciding what to eat. Keep it simple and allow for some leftovers.
Buy pre-made meals
Once again, if you have access to a kitchen, consider purchasing pre-made meals. While this is more expensive then cooking from scratch, you’ll still save quite a bit of money if you take this route.
Now it’s your turn, how do you save money on food while you’re on vacation?
Do you feel as though your grocery bill is starting to get out of control week after week?
Or maybe you have no idea how much you’re actually spending on groceries each week and you find yourself feeling really pinched by the end of the month?
In my opinion, the grocery bill is one of the easiest bills to manipulate. By simply taking the time to learn the money saving tactics that I have listed, you’ll be well on your way to lowering your grocery bill.
Read on to discover how to grocery shop like a money saving pro:
1. Learn the sneaky ways grocery stores get you to spend more.
Did you know that some of the “sales” you see from week to week are just sneaky tactics to get you to buy more?
From the sales, to the grocery cart size, to the layout of the store, grocery stores have learned the best ways to get their customers to spend more than they intended.
In this post, I’ve outlined in detail, several sneaky ways grocery stores get you to spend more.
2. You Need a Grocery Budget.
Having a grocery budget is crucial to lowering your grocery bill.
After all, if you don’t have a budget, you don’t know how much you’re spending or saving!
You need the guideline of a budget in order to help you improve your spending habits and to get you closer to your lifetime financial goals.
If you want to learn how to grocery shop like a money saving pro, meal planning is a must. Not only will it help you lower your grocery bill each week, you will regain so much sanity in your busy life.
By planning a weekly menu, you’ll be using what you already have on hand in your house, creating a specific grocery list and avoiding unnecessary trips to the grocery store.
Stockpiling, or the Buying Ahead Principle, or another way of terming it, “Buy lots when it’s on sale, so you never pay full price for the things you need”, is one of my favourite way to save grocery money in the long run.
Buying several of the same item when they’re on sale rather than buying one item not on sale, will save you heaps of money.
Another way to save money on your grocery bill is to use a variety of different brands.
When I need a certain product (tomato sauce for example) I always look at all the brands available and choose the one with the best value by taking into account the price and size.
I’ll admit though, sometimes brand does matter to our family. It’s Heinz ketchup or nothing at all!
6. Shop at More Than One Store.
By shopping at a couple of different stores, you have the potential to drastically reduce your grocery bill each week.
If you’re shopping at only one store, you’re most likely paying full price for many items that could very well be on sale at the store just down the road.
Say for example, you need some cheddar cheese. If you bought it from the one grocery store that you always shop at, you’re paying $7.99. But if you drove 2 minutes to Shoppers Drug Mart they have it on sale for $2.99. You just saved yourself $5.00 for two minutes of your time.
7. Look for Markdowns.
Grocery stores mark down items they want to sell quickly.
Sometimes the food is about to hit its best before date. One of the places I’ll always look for markdowns, is the meat department. Any markdowns are about to expire, but I know I can use it that night or freeze it for a later date!
Other times they are discontinuing a particular product and just want to move them to make room on the shelves for something else.
8. Buy in Season.
Buying fruits and vegetables in season, or when they’re at their prime and grown closer to home, can cut a big chunk off your grocery bill each week.
When you buy fruits and vegetables in season, you tend to get the best taste too!
I’m a firm believer that coupons can save you quite a bit of money on your grocery bill each week.
I know many of you already use coupons so you know the benefits.
But perhaps others of you aren’t sure how to use coupons effectively, don’t see the benefit in using them or don’t know where to find them. Here’s a series I wrote about How to Coupon in Canada that should be beneficial!
One thing I’ve been implementing more these days, is using cash-back apps like Checkout 51, Eclipsa and Caddle. These work well for a busy life.
10. Price Match to Save Money and Time.
Try price matching to find a really effective way on how to grocery shop like a money saving pro!
Many stores in Canada offer a price match guarantee. They’ll match the advertised sale price of any competitive retailer as long as it is the exact same item and in the current sale period.
They’ll even accept coupons on top! 🙂
If you’ve been wondering how to grocery shop like a money saving pro, I hope that this post gave you hope and a starting point! By implementing the tips provided, you should start to make headway with saving on your grocery bill.
There’s nothing more satisfying than saving money on something that you have to buy on a regular basis, especially when it can be a large percentage of your monthly income!
