How To Cut Your Grocery Bill Without Sacrificing
Did you know that with just a little bit of prep work and an open mind you may have the possibility of cutting your grocery bill in half?
It’s totally possible to eat better quality, healthy food while spending less on groceries. Here are some ways for you to cut your grocery bill without sacrificing taste or your health.
Plan Your Meals Ahead Of Time
I have many articles about meal planning, but this is because I can’t stress enough how important meal planning is. Especially if you want to cut down your grocery bill.
There are two ways to go about meal planning. You can plan meals based on what you already have at home or plan based on what is on sale in the flyers at your local stores. The first option would be your cheapest option since you’re using ingredients you have already purchased. It’s still quite possible that you will have to fill in missing ingredients with a trip to the store.
If you go with the second option, you can then plan and base your meals on the sale items. Most of the sale items will be in season so your meals will be too. By planning your meals to match what’s on sale, you’ll be surprised at how much that will cut from your grocery budget.
Take Advantage Of Coupons
The great thing about coupons and couponing is that you’ll never have to shop and pay full price for your groceries, it really becomes a fun game when you’re paying less than full price for your items. So, take advantage of all the coupons you can use to get discounts on grocery items.
You can start collecting coupons from your local newspaper or even from mobile phone apps. There are also websites like Simply Frugal that lists all the most recent Canadian coupons.
Purchase Generic Items
Name brand items can be really eye-catching but they can also have the ability to empty your pockets as well. Often the only difference between a grocery’s brand-name product and a store-brand product is the packaging.
If you take a closer look at the list of ingredients, in most cases, you’ll actually see that they are nearly identical. It’s just the price that’s different. So, before you take that name brand item off the shelf, do your research and you’ll definitely be rewarded with the best deal.
Tip: Ingredients are listed in order of the amount in the item, so if sugar is the first ingredient in your cereal, you know there’s more sugar in it than anything else in the box. So, when checking ingredients between generic and brand name, be sure they are listed in the same order to ensure you’re getting the same “taste”. This is always a great way to determine which version is the more healthy version, if that is your goal with ingredients.
Buy In-Season Fruits And Veggies
Sometimes you just want to satisfy a craving with out of season fruits and veggies but to really make a dent in your grocery bill, you’ll want to purchase in season produce.
Out of season fruits and veggies will definitely be more expensive because they cost more and take more effort when they are not in season.
Buy frozen produce
Often times, buying frozen fruits and vegetables is more cost effective than buying fresh produce. Frozen vegetables are perfect for quick dinner sides and soups. Frozen fruit is perfect for smoothies, or fruit crumbles or even sprinkled over yogurt. I also like to freeze fresh cherries that we pick from a local orchard for $1.50 a pound each year.
Plant A Garden
Growing your own food is the best way to go when you really want to lower your expenses and save money on your grocery bill. A great example is having your own herb garden.
If you buy a bunch of herbs they can be expensive and you may only need them for a meal or two (this is again where meal planning can be helpful). But if you have some potted herbs in your garden or kitchen, you’ll save a lot of money and have those herbs at your fingertips anytime you need them. Plus fresher always tastes better.
Cutting your grocery bill without sacrificing is definitely doable. It will just require you to make a few changes and find what works for you and your family. Taking control of how your money is spent and saved is a great feeling when you’re trying to stay within a budget.
What are your best tips for cutting your grocery bill? Please tell us in the comments below.
Thanks for sharing your meal plans,much appreciated
I cook in batches to freeze while using frozen veggies and meat/chicken/fish on sale. I prepare an 8.5 litre of soup every week and use left over fresh produce that would otherwise need to be discarded. I only buy produce from Canada and buy frozen vegetables and fruit so that we can use only the amount we need; thus cutting back on cost and waste.
When I buy vegetables and cauliflower, I do not throw out any part of these vegetables as I cut them up and use them in soups or stirfries. The leaves and stems are perfectly edible and by using these up, I am also helping the environment by not throwing out these parts of the vegetables. I also use the leaves on celery for salad and soups. I keep the peel on potatoes to cook these and in this way, I increase the fiber and vitamins and minerals content of the potatoes. I also use peels from other vegetables in my soup by putting these peels in a blender when the soup is ready to eat. I always make sure to wash the peels thoroughly. I watch the sales diligently and stock up and make sure that I buy enough to last until the next sale cycle. I usually save more than $200-$300. a month by doing this. I also do price matching and collect points to get free food. I have also joined the PC membership and get bonus points this way. I also collect points by having a credit card that provide points in return for utilizing their credit card. I typically can get cleaning items and other everyday essentials free of charge when I have collected a certain amount of points. I watch the sales like a hawk and try to live a thrifty lifestyle that is also very conscientious about respecting the environmental impact that my family has on the environment. I bring my own bags to the store. This way, I do not have to pay for bags and I am not having to discard these useless bags into the garbage bin. Although we are told that some of these bags are recycled, too many of these bags end up in third world countries and as a result, the residents of these countries end up sick when they inhale the fumes and toxins created by these bags and other items that we Canadians discard thoughtlessly.
Some other helpful ideas:
– buy frozen fruit and veggies
– if you have farms around you, speak to them about the possibility of getting an entire cow/pig/etc butchered. Initially the cost is a lot but per pound, it’s so much cheaper.
– on the note to follow up farms, ask around about getting a Co-op together. Some farmers may offer a discount on eggs or chickens if you can guarantee a certain amount of sales every week.
These are great tips! Thanks for sharing!