Need to trim your grocery budget even more? Here are 12 simple ways to save on groceries that you can use to save money without breaking a sweat.
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Ways to Save Money on Groceries
Whenever I look at ways to trim our budget, my thoughts turn to groceries first. It always seems like no matter how many times you set a food budget, after a few months it tends to disintegrate. It’s just way to easy to go to the store and add a few extra things to your cart here and there.
This isn’t going to be a list of ways to save money at the grocery store that you can find anywhere else because I already know that my readers know those tips. Grating your own cheese, skipping the pre-packaged foods, buying dried beans, grocery shopping without children when possible, skipping the shopping when you are hungry, buying generic brands instead of brand name…yeah, you already know those!
Even when you think you are a total pro at saving money on groceries, you probably haven’t tried all of the tips that I’m about to share with you. And if you have…awesome! Please email me if you want to write the follow-up article to this post on even MORE ways to save on your grocery bill!
We’ve used these methods in our own household to keep our food budget down to $400 a month for 5 of us. (This does not include beef which we raise ourselves and have a separate fund for.) It’s been a challenge each month to keep our bills down at this level since the cost of groceries here can be high and we are all on various diets for allergies. But I wanted to share these tips with you so you can feel encouraged…it can be done!
Tip: Find even more tips on How to Deal With Food Allergies On a Budget.
1. Shop Only in One Part of the Store
You really only need to shop in one section of the grocery store, the outside perimeter. There, you will find dairy, meat, and produce. You may occasionally stray to the middle aisles for baking supplies and spices, but that should be it. When you are on a tight budget, you don’t have room in it for “fancy extras” like pre-packaged snacks and whatever else they sell in those middle aisles (I honestly wouldn’t know; during the summer I rarely step a foot into a grocery store and in the winter it’s just to buy produce since we purchase meat in bulk!).
Desserts are a luxury and don’t need to be included in your diet when there isn’t money to spare. Bread can be made at home for pennies. Beverages (other than water) are almost never necessary. The trouble is that we get so used to eating certain things, or buying certain brands, or even making certain recipes, that we hesitate to move outside of our comfort zone and we don’t really even think in terms of what makes the most sense financially. To truly save money on groceries, we have to get outside of our safety net and expand our horizons.
2. Always, Always Have a Plan
And what goes along with this is always shopping with a list…no matter what.
Don’t be suckered into buying something on sale just because it’s on sale. On occasion, I will look at a grocery store flyer to see if what I need is on sale, but otherwise, I stick with my grocery list. Not because my list is made up of ideal recipes that I need to find the ingredients for, but because it’s filled with frugal staples that I know I can make stretch in many different ways.
Tip: Looking for ideas? 14 Cheap Meals to Make When You’re At The End Of Your Budget
3. Buy Your Meat in Bulk
I love that I don’t have to include meat in my regular grocery budget, it takes a huge stress off of our family each month and I know that I always have great meat in the freezer.
I’ve already mentioned that we raise our own beef. I currently get chicken from my mom or we grow our own.
Tip: I cover the topic of buying meat in bulk extensively here.
4. Use Savings Apps, Rewards Cards, and Extras
I’m new to the smartphone world so this is a new way for me to save money on groceries. While I don’t feel like HUGE savings can be achieved with apps, there is some money to be saved which makes it something to look at.
I’ve used the iBottaapp to load cashback for both Hyvee and Walmart. We don’t usually buy many of the products advertised, but I have been able to find cashback in small amounts for any kind of produce or even a little cash back on any purchase at all. As I said, it doesn’t add up to much…$0.25 here and there, but it’s still something. They are now offering a $10 welcome bonus when you start using their app. Remember, iBotta is more of a rebate app so instead of a discount you eventually get an amount back. It’s better than not having anything at all though if you shop at the stores they have!
There are also loyalty programs or store discounts. These are extra coupons that you can load from your smartphone onto your phone number to be able to get a discount on certain items. I’ve found the most luck with this with Safeway and Target.
5. Utilize a Bulk Coop
I truly believe in the power of buying in bulk and have been doing it for many years now. Some items don’t make sense to buy in bulk, but many baking staples can be found at a fraction of the cost when you are willing to take more than a small package at a time. If you don’t have a bulk foods coop nearby, you could try Sam’s Club or Costco, but neither has the same deals as you would get in a typical coop and keep in mind that each has an annual fee or membership fee that you will have to pay to shop.
I won’t go into detail here on all the pros and cons of buying in bulk but I highly recommend that you check out my article on Buying from a Bulk Coop and the whole page of articles on Buying in Bulk here.
6. Use Subscribe and Save
I’ve been using Subscribe and Save on Amazon to save money on groceries and other household items for several years now. Not only can I save a significant amount off of what I would have to pay at the store, but I also don’t have to go anywhere to do it, it comes right to my door!
When you purchase any item on the Subscribe and Save program, you will save 5% off the price, and it will ship to your home on a certain day each month. You can leave the subscription so you get the item every month or cancel (or skip) it to only get what you need. If you get 5 or more items on your monthly subscription, your savings go up to 15% off. On top of that, coupons are offered each month for additional savings (usually 5-35%) on top of the regular discount. This is where the real deals come into play!
My favorite items to order with Subscribe and Save are toilet paper, some snack foods, tea-making supplies, vitamins, and things for the kids.
7. Find a Good Dent n’ Bent Store
Not all discount grocery stores or “dent n’ bent” stores have a good selection, but when you find one that does, it can be a major resource! Discount grocery stores offer products that are dented, close to an expiration date, or unable to be sold in a regular grocery store for some other reason. The products are usually offered at a huge discount off the regular price
Tip: Learn all about Discount Grocery Stores and how to shop them here.
If you do not have a Dent and Bent store nearby, check your local grocery stores for sections in them that have a shelf or a rack of discount products. Even our Safeway store has this in a hidden nook in the back. I don’t usually find much there but it’s worth checking!
8. Have a Price Book
How would you know whether or not to buy that bag of rice that is on sale for $1/lb if you don’t know what the regular price is? Or what you paid for it last month when another store had it on sale?
Having a price book can be one of the best things that you can do for your grocery budget. In it, you can keep track of all of the items that you regularly buy. You will also want to write down what your “buy” price would be and what your “stock up” price would be. Don’t write the regular price of the item…that’s not helpful; you need to know what you’ve purchased that item for before when it was actually a good deal and what would be such a good price on it that you need to stock up beyond what your family can use right now.
I used a little tiny notebook for my price book with different sections for fruits, veggies, baking products, etc. I can keep the price book in my purse so where ever I go, I will know what a good deal is, whether that’s at home shopping for groceries online or in the store.
If you aren’t sure how to get started, you can use this simple price book printable I made a few years ago.
9. Eat from the Pantry
How much food do you have in your freezer right now? In your pantry? I bet there is more available to you right in your own home than you would think.
Having a “pantry challenge” can be a great way to save money on groceries, but also a great way to eat up foods that you’ve already spent good money on and have probably forgotten about.
Tip: See what a real-life Eat from the Pantry Challenge looks like here and here and get inspired to do your own challenge here.
10. Consider a Drastic Eating Change
This tip isn’t for everyone, but it can save you a significant amount off your grocery bill each month. Have you ever considered seriously changing your diet to something that would be much more frugal? We tend to get caught up with our “comfort foods” so this can be a hard concept for everyone to grasp but it’s worth thinking about.
A year ago, I decided to go off dairy for health reasons. My oldest is already allergic to dairy and my youngest boy is lactose intolerant so when I went off dairy it was just my husband left eating dairy products. We stopped buying cheese, milk, etc, and noticed a HUGE savings on our monthly grocery bill. Now I’m able to put some of that money towards vegetables which are probably healthier for us anyway! It’s been a big lifestyle change, especially for me (I’m a cheese lover!) but it’s been worth it for us in more ways than one so it’s not a decision we regret.
Is there something in your food budget that you are eating now that may not be necessary…maybe even good for your health to cut it out?
11. Grow It
Of course, this is one of my favorite tips! If you want to save money on groceries, you can grow your own. I believe that anyone can have some kind of garden no matter where you live. Even if you live in a city apartment, you can grow lettuce on your window sill. Just about any type of food that you can grow at home can save money on groceries. Yes, there are some costs involved with having a garden, but there are also some simple ways to save money on gardening.
And if you can’t start a garden right now in the season we are in, have you considered foraging? There are some great books out there, depending on the area you are in.
12. Make a Swap
If you are on a very limited budget and don’t even have enough to buy what you need to get by, this can be a great option. If you can find someone near to you that grows or raises their own food and has extras, consider asking them if they would swap with you. Perhaps you have a skill that they can use…plumbing, sewing, or maybe even pulling weeds! Ask if they would trade what you have for something they have.
Unless someone is obviously giving something away for free, don’t simply ask for a handout. They may have something extra they are willing to part with but they still put the time and effort into growing that or raising that food and they deserve to have a fair trade. If you aren’t sure who to ask, try one of the sellers at your local farmers market and see if they need any help in exchange for food.
Hear more about Saving Money on Groceries on this episode of
The Little House Living Show Podcast!
Any of these methods can help you save even more on your grocery bill each month. Even if you don’t feel like you have any other way to save money on groceries, there is always something that can be done.
Follow-up time! After writing this blog post several years ago, I have some questions that I always seem to get about saving money on groceries. I wanted to add the questions and answers to this blog post to round it out a little more. Hopefully, this is helpful to you!
How much per month should I spend on groceries?
I don’t think there is a *should* answer to this. Each family is going to be different based on what they can afford and where they live. You might live in an area where you can grow most of your own food, and then your grocery bill *should* be less than the average. You might also live in an area where groceries are expensive, and things might cost a little more per month. Figure out what you have to spend on groceries per month and then find the best places and ways to do that.
How can I buy groceries for a whole month?
Buy in bulk and meal plan! If you plan out your month of meals and know exactly what you need, you can then buy everything you need for the entire month at one time, saving you from extra shopping and impulse buys. Our family personally gets our groceries once every 3 weeks because that’s how often our bulk foods coop delivers.
What grocery store saves you the most money?
Any store that offers the best prices! For some, that might be the grocery store that offers the best loss leaders, or for others, that might be Walmart. It completely depends on where you live.
How can I drastically lower my grocery bill?
In addition to the basic rules about grocery shopping like shopping sales, buying store brand, avoid impulse purchases, use a shopping list, etc, follow the tips that I’ve shown above. The biggest ways to save on groceries will definitely be to barter, to grow your own, and to consider lifestyle changes. Here are more ideas on How to Get Free Groceries.
How can I live off $25 a week for groceries?
$25 per week for groceries would be $1.19 per meal per person or $4.76 per meal for a family of 4 ($100 per week). I think this would be hard but still doable, even with today’s groceries prices, if you had to do it. Check out this list of the Cheapest Food at the Grocery Store for ideas.
How can I cut my grocery bill and still eat healthy?
Our diet is mostly fruits, vegetables, meats, and some grains. We rarely buy packaged products unless they are on a super sale and I’m needing some travel snacks or something like that. Not buying pre-packaged foods saves us so much money and helps us to eat healthier! Does it take more time to cook from scratch? Yes. But we believe that the payoff is worth it.
How much does a normal person spend a month on food?
According to US Money News, for a thrifty budget for a family of four, you would spend $216.90 a week or $939.90 a month. That is for the “thifty plan” and the amounts just go up from there. If we were buying all of our groceries outright (we own a bulk foods coop so this is a little different for us), our family of 5 would be spending about $600 a month on groceries.
Share your best tips! What are some ways that you save money on groceries? Did you already know (and do) all of these tips and have even better ones for those who want to go further? Email me at [emailprotected]; I’d happily pay you to write an article on those tips to share with our community!
Merissa Alink
Merissa has been blogging about andliving the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from theContact Page.
This post on Ways to Save Money on Groceries was originally published on Little House Living in October 2017. It has been updated as of March 2024.
