If you are trying to save money, a good place to start is to cut your grocery bill. Groceries are one of the only expenditures that you have complete control over, unlike your mortgage, gas and utility bills.
Of course, you still need to eat so you do have to spend something but using the tips below,I’ve reduced our weekly bill for a family of 3 plus a baby from $250 to less than $100 a week.
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5 Ways to Cut your Grocery Bill
1. Get a Grocery Store Flyer App
You can leaf through the paper flyers each week but there are apps that do the job even better as you can access flyers that are not local to you which means you have more chance of finding savings to price match.
My favorite app is Flipp, it’s available to US and Canadian users and is free to install.
You can use the app to browse flyers, search for a specific product or clip coupons to print.
It also shows you ad match-ups where there is an offer and a coupon to match so all the hard work is done for you.
2. Start Meal Planning
This goes hand in hand with the grocery store flyers.
You can either work out the week’s meals in advance then search the Flipp app for deals or do the reverse and search the flyers to see what is on sale then meal plan around the best deals.
I tend to meal plan around what we already have in the freezer or pantry and then use the flyers to fill in the gaps.
Since I started meal planning, I have saved so much money because I no longer just grab anything at the store.
3. Use Coupons
You either love or hate coupons. I’m no extreme couponer but there is definitely a place for some money off in my grocery list!
I mainly use coupons from the Flipp app and the ones that come free with the store flyers. I tend to use 2 or 3 each week so nothing too time-consuming.
Make sure to sign up forSampleSourceto get free product coupons and samples in the mail.
4. Price Match
Price matching is the number 1 thing that has transformed my grocery budget. If you have never done it, try it next week!
Price matching policies vary between stores so you will need to check the website or flyer but my local store will price match any competitor.
I can even price match bulk fruits and vegetables!
The way I do it is, if I have apples on my list, I scour the flyers or Flipp for the best deal and note down the store, price, and variety on my list.
That way, I’m ready with the flyer at the checkout.
Price matching works best if you are somewhat flexible with your brands and flavors.
If gala apples are $0.88 a pound, I buy them instead of my preferred Red Delicious at $1.49 a pound.
To be honest, I was a bit wary and nervous to price match at first as I didn’t want to hold up the line and I got all flustered with the various paper flyers, I find it is much quicker if you use the app as all your chosen offers will be on one page.
5. Use Cashback apps
These are a newer addition to my grocery store arsenal but to be honest, they might be becoming the most lucrative.
The way they work is so easy:
- Download the app and create an account
- Flip through the week’s offers and do your regular shopping
- When you get home, take a photo of your receipt, upload it to the app and select the items you bought
- Collect cash back on your eligible purchases!
It’s so easy! I got back over $140 in my first 3 months using Checkout 51!
You can even combine the cash back with coupons and price matching for a trifecta of savings.
There are quite a few different shopping apps available and you can use them all on one shopping trip for multiple savings.
This post has a list of the most popular shopping apps.
I’ve actually got products for free or even got paid to shop thanks to shopping apps if you can find the product for cheaper than the cash back, that’s money in your pocket!
The other great thing is that you can use the same receipt on more than one app to multiply your savings.
If you want even more ways to cut your grocery bill, check out this listof 30 tips from extreme frugal savers
Even More Ways to Save Money:
10 Things I Stopped Buying to Save Money
30 Tips For Saving on Groceries
Easy Ways to Save Money When Eating Out
10 Frugal Ways to Keep Warm This Winter
31 ways to save money and live better
Old school thrift for cleaning and housekeeping
