10 Tips to Keep Your Grocery Bill Low

What you can do before and during shopping to buy groceries for less.

With food prices on the rise, it's more and more important to be purposeful when grocery shopping to make sure to stay within your budget. These money-saving tips can help you get the food you need, without breaking the bank.

Tip #1 - Make a Plan

Creating a meal plan for the week before you get to the store will help you stay on track. Use a meal plan tracker, the notes app on your phone, or even a scrap piece of paper to write down every day you will need a dinner, and what your meals will be.

Tip #2 - Be Realistic

Unrealistic meal plans lead to wasted groceries, and more money spent on take-out options. Think about the days for the week and what your family will be willing to eat. Also think about how busy you will be each night, and what cooking tasks you will be willing to take on. Don't plan to cook a recipe that takes 2 hours on a night you have a late work meeting, or make a meal that your family has been groaning about for the last few weeks.

Tip #3 - Plan Meals with Shared Ingredients or Shared Prep

Limit the purchase of many different ingredients by planning meals that use the same items. For example, if one meal you make uses shredded cheddar cheese, plan another meal that also uses that ingredient and purchase the larger package if necessary. In addition, find meals where you can prep one ingredient for multiple uses. If you're making two meals with diced onion, do the chopping once and store the other portion in the fridge or freezer to make less work for the next night!

Tip #4 - Plan Simple Meals

While there are times that it's fun to try new, fancy recipes, one great way to save money is to choose simple meals. Cooking meals that use few ingredients, or staple ingredients, is a great way to keep your grocery bill low. This doesn't mean you need to make your meals boring though! Instead, amp up meals by using a variety of seasonings or items you already have in your pantry.

Tip #5 - Freeze Leftovers

Food waste is simply money going right down the drain! Take advantage of your freezer in a multitude of ways. If your family won't be able to finish the leftovers for lunches or future dinners that week, put them in individual serving containers and freeze. I find these frozen single serving meals to be great for when I need a lunch but last night's dinner didn't end up being enough for leftovers. You can also freeze extra ingredients that weren't used, like leftover chicken broth or extra chopped vegetables.

Tip #6 - Check Grocery Flyers

Always look at the flyers for your store to find what items are on special sale. Usually there will specifically be a few types of meat and produce, as well as packaged food items. I try to plan at least two of my meals around meat or produce that is on sale that week, and use that as a starting point for planning my meals.

Tip #7 - Shop Your Pantry

The next place I look after consulting the flyers is my own fridge and pantry! Take inventory of what items you have like frozen meat or canned beans. Think of meals you can make using the items you already have, and take those items off your list before heading into the store. Which brings me to tip #8...

Tip #8 - Make a Grocery List!

This may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how often people go into the store without a written list! After making the plan, go through and write down all the items you will need from the store. Add additional items like lunch foods, snacks, beverages, and any other foods your family will need for the week.

Tip #9 - Stick to the List!!

This can be much more difficult than making sure you have the items on your list, but it will make a big difference when trying to stick to a budget.

Tip #10 - Keep a Price Tally

When I first picked my weekly budget of $100 I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to achieve it. I had never tracked what I purchased week to week, and didn't know what buying a weeks worth of groceries would really look like. I took out my phone calculator and added each price as I put the items in my cart. This helped me anticipate the amount I would be paying at the register, and also helped me make decisions when I wanted to add something off my list (like extra meat that was on sale, or even a treat!)

After using these 10 tips, you're sure to have a lower grocery bill, and come within budget! Leave a comment if you use any of these tips, or if you have more ideas to share with others!