Ever wondered about the secrets to cut your grocery bill in half? Whether you want to save money because you’re tired of spending hundreds each week or live on a tight budget, learning the right way to shop will save you loads.
Imagine paying less than half that of your current grocery bill. How much would that shave off your monthly expenses? I am talking about really reducing your grocery bill even if you buy groceries every week. Think of how much you can save in a year.
Even if you have more than enough or any 7 figures a month, saving a little extra cash never hurts. These secrets I’m about to share will help you cut your grocery bill in half, spend less and save more, now and even in the future.
1. Stick to your budget and shopping list
Do you have a budget and shopping list for your monthly grocery needs? Understanding your budget and sticking to a shopping list will keep you honest while in the grocery store. You’ll avoid the temptation of buying that cordless trimmer or shiny new colander if you don’t have room in your budget for them.
To decide how much you should spend, add the grocery bills for an average month over the past year. This is how much your family spends on food each month. This is exactly where to start if you are truly serious about saving some money on grocery shopping.
2. Target coupons
Coupons were first introduced in the year 1884 by the Coca-Cola company when they initiated the “free glass”. Coca-Cola offered a taste of the drink at every time of purchase for her customers. This strategy first ever introduced earned Coca-Cola a skyrocketing increase and proliferation of sales and product consumption. Ever since then, companies, producers, and sellers have decided to use coupons to entice buyers.
On the other hand, coupons have helped customers to cut their grocery bills in half while creating a helpful budget. Most grocery stores offer special promotions on certain items from time to time. Keeping an eye out for these will ensure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
SEE: How To Get Grocery Stores Coupons
3. Debit/Credit Cards Bonus
As a buyer, one incentive that you should have an eagle eye for is a Debit/Credit card bonus. Online malls and sometimes mortar businesses include credit/debit card bonus deals for their customers both existing and prospective ones.
Depending on the offering, the bonus deal allows you to shop more with less if you use any particular card (Master or Visa) at the point of payment. Bonus deals are rare for Verve cards but can be available for malls existing within a defined territory.
4. Use Rainchecks Vouchers
Rainchecks is a borrowed term from the American sport of baseball in 1880 when it was first used. It offered spectators another chance to watch a postponed game based on reasons beyond their control.
Customers/buyers can likewise request a raincheck voucher in situations when an advertised product cannot be purchased at the very moment in preparation for the time it will be purchased even if the price tag goes lower than that. It helps you as a buyer to save up and buy the product even at a lesser price.
SEE: How to Make Money with Receipts
5. Pay attention to Newsletter
A newsletter is a great way through which companies or sellers communicate their about-to-be ideas and plans. It sometimes includes available deals or offers that can help you save some extra dollars.
Ensure you subscribe to the newsletter of your favorite stores so you can save your money when such happens. Newsletters are sent at odd times. Be vigilant. Paying attention to the contents of newsletters is one of the secrets to cutting your grocery bill in half.
6. Stockpile when discounts are offered
Stock up when items are on sale. You will find that many items go on sale multiple times a year and sometimes even more often than that. Look for these sales and buy as many as possible at a discounted price.
Then look for a way to preserve them by freezing or refrigerating them if you have to or putting them in your pantry or closet until you need them. If you have a coupon for an item that is on sale, use it on this purchase so that you get the biggest discount possible.
SEE: A List of Foods You Shouldn’t Refrigerate
7. Go for the shopping cart. Avoid basket
If you have to carry everything yourself, you’re going to spend more time at the store and less time shopping for deals. Use a shopping cart whenever possible and avoid checking out with a basket full of groceries if you don’t have to.
Even research carried out by the Journal of Marketing Research claims that baskets encourage impulse buying because they make it harder to see what you’ve already bought and how much room is left in your cart. Shoppers with carts tend to spend less than those who use baskets or carts without dividers.
8. Keep an eye out for FREE Grocery Gift Cards
Keep an eye out for FREE Grocery Gift Cards. There are lots of websites/platforms that offer gift cards if you take surveys or perform tasks such as watching videos, playing games, or reading ebooks, blogs, newsletters, etc. You can find many of these platforms on Surveystor.
9. Learn to turn your food scraps into another meal
Learn to turn your food scraps into another meal. If you’re an avid cook, waste not want not should be your mantra. If there are some fruit or vegetables that are going bad in your fridge, don’t throw them out.
If you have food scraps from last night’s dinner, don’t throw them into the trash bag. Use them to make another meal. You can also freeze certain foods like bread or fruit to use later on when you’re cooking something else up.
SEE: How You Can Turn Food Scraps Into Food
10. Avoid boxed mixes. Make your own
Boxed mixes are convenient and cheap, but they’re full of sodium, preservatives, and other additives that you don’t need in your diet. A much better alternative is to make your own at home from scratch using real ingredients that you control yourself. You’ll save money and get more nutrients from whole grains instead of refined ones that are used in boxed mixes.
11. Learn to reuse your vegetables
One of the secrets to cut your grocery bill in half is to reuse your veggies. You probably have a few containers of vegetable scraps in the freezer or a bin in your freezer. Chop up those veggies and add them to a stir fry or curry dish tonight or tomorrow night. Don’t be afraid to use them as ingredients in soups, stews, and casseroles.
You can also compost these scraps if you have access to a composting bin. Or, if they’re too old or stale for eating on their own, add them as flavorings to soups and stews
SEE: Unique Ways to Reuse Your Vegetables
12. Start a garden of your own
Start a garden of your own with mason jars. You don’t need a yard to grow food — just a few herbs and some sunlight can be enough for you to start growing your food. It may not seem like much at first, but after a few weeks or months of growing plants from seedlings, you’ll be amazed at how much food you can make yourself without spending any money at all!
13. Avoid shopping on an empty stomach
The best way to avoid spending too much at the grocery store is to never go when you’re hungry or cranky — or both. You’ll be tempted by all kinds of things that look good when you’re hungry, but they probably aren’t worth the extra calories or money spent on them.
If you do plan on going out after work, pack snacks in your purse so that if anything looks good while you’re shopping, you can just go home instead of buying something impulsively that costs more than it should.
14. Grow, dry, and can your herbs
If you’re like me, you have a hard time sticking to the grocery budget. One way I’ve found to keep my spending in check is to grow my herbs in mason jars. I love fresh herbs and they are so expensive at the grocery store.
For example, a stalk of basil may go for $8 to $15 at the store, but you can grow it yourself for free. If you have a few mason jars, you can use them for growing your herbs. Dry and can them after harvesting. Trust me, you’d save a lot of money you never thought of.
SEE: Easiest Ways to Reuse Your Grocery Jars
15. Purchase staples in bulk
Purchase staples in bulk: Produce is among the most expensive items in your grocery cart. Buying just one avocado can cost $2 or more — so if you’re serious about cutting down your bill, buy these items in bulk instead of paying more for each piece individually. That way you can buy enough produce to last several weeks at once, which will help keep costs down over time.
16. Plan meals around sales
When planning meals for the week, take advantage of sales on meat and produce by shopping that day or the next time you go to the store. If you’re making spaghetti sauce from scratch (which takes about 15 minutes), look for tomatoes on sale before making spaghetti.
You can also get some savings by buying store brands instead of name brands whenever possible (but don’t sacrifice quality). Store brands are often cheaper because they don’t spend money on advertising as name brands do.
FAQs
How will you know if your grocery costs are in line?
It’s important you know the price of your groceries, create a shopping list, and stick to your budget.
How do you stop wasting food?
You can stop wasting food by reusing or repurposing your food scraps.
Can you freeze raw foods?
Yes, some raw foods can be preserved by freezing. See some of the foods you can freeze.
Conclusion
Yes, you can cut your grocery bill in half. It isn’t a myth. It isn’t a hypothetical idea. But it takes some work, and it takes some discipline. But if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you can spend significantly less on food than you are now—and still eat healthily and well.
Your decision to make this change is truly up to you. No one else can make you do it. The choice is yours, and yours alone. So if cutting back on your spending is close to your heart, take the plunge and reduce your expenses starting today by using those secrets to cut your grocery in half.
I hope you’ve found this article to be helpful. While not everything on this list will apply to every household, keeping them in mind can help you to ensure that you are getting the best deals possible on your grocery purchases.
Want to learn more tips and tricks to save more and spend less? Check out these grocery shopping tips and tricks. Please feel free to explore Cheffist for more helpful tips and guides.
Thank you for reading.
