How to Save Money on Groceries In Any Zip Code

I am wondering if there is a way to make my grocery money stretch in the small town where I live. I live one hour from the twin cities in Minnesota. In my town we have a Wal-Mart Super Center, a Target with very limited groceries, a Cash Wise (comparable to Cub Foods) and an Econo Foods. I would love to figure how to save on groceries without having to drive a hour. All help or suggestions would be great. -Sharon

How to Save Money on Groceries:

I’m sure many people share the same question as Sharon: “Sure, saving big on groceries works for other people, but how do I save money on groceries?” Food prices and grocery store chains vary around the country. Is it really possible to reduce your grocery bill no matter where you live? Although I asked the same question when I first began looking for ways to cut our food expenses, now know the answer: yes! Every family needs to decide for themselves what grocery budget will work for their needs, and some families will face more roadblocks than others in trying to stick to that budget, but I think it’s likely that the vast majority of households could cut their grocery budget by as much as 25 or 50% by using a combination of savings strategies no matter what the zip code. Here’s a list of simple strategies for cutting your grocery bill.

1. Create a weekly menu.

I believe that planning out your menu before you shop is the single most effective way to reduce your grocery bill. When you carefully create a weekly menu you can also reduce the number of trips you’ll need to make to the grocery store, saving yourself time and simplifying life immensely. You’ll also save yourself time and money at the grocery store when you have a complete shopping list and you buy only what you need. To maximize your savings, I suggest planning your meals around sale items at the grocery store and what’s already in your freezer, refrigerator and pantry. Some people find that creating a monthly menu works best or that keeping on hand the ingredients to their favorite meals is effective for their family. A monthly menu plan may be the best strategy for those who live far away from any kind of major grocery store chain as planning a menu once a month would allow for one major shopping trip. Check out my easy menu planning system here.

2. Set a weekly or monthly grocery budget and don’t spend a penny more.

I don’t recommend trying to cut your grocery bill in half the first week you make up your mind to begin saving on groceries, but I do think setting a realistic budget is helpful in controlling the impulse to buy items you don’t need at the grocery store. Setting aside a certain amount for groceries each week or month also encourages creativity which will only aid your savings. By forcing yourself to stick to a budget, you will become more skilled in savings and you can begin to challenge yourself to cut your budget again by $5, $10 or even $20 a week. You may be surprised by how much you can save when you put your mind to it.

3. Use a calculator as you shop to keep track of your running total.

This tip is especially important for those new to grocery savings and those learning to stick to a budget. I used to walk up to the check out with no idea how much my cart of groceries was going to end up costing. Sometimes I would cringe at the total. For others in that situation, I highly recommend using a calculator until you master keeping a running total in your head. To be quite honest, I no longer use a calculator to track my grocery total because I have a fairly good idea of what my total will work out to be before I even step foot in the grocery store. I do still keep a calculator on hand for figuring out the unit price to make sure I’m getting the best deal, but I find choosing groceries, handling coupons and a entertaining a toddler enough to keep my hands full at the store.

4. Keep a price book.

Figuring out whether an item is at its rock bottom price takes time because prices depend on the area of the country you live in, the season and what what coupons you have available. A price book allows you to keep a record of how much an item costs. Tracking the price of an item over a period of several weeks will help you become familiar with sales cycles and fluctuations in prices. I recommend focusing on the five or ten items you most frequently purchase. As you become familiar with good prices for those items, you can expand your price book to include more items. Some people keep their price book on paper and some keep it in their heads. I say do whatever works for you. For me personally, I have committed to memory a good price for several items I buy frequently (eg. $1.00 or less or $0.10/oz or less for a box of cereal, $1.00/lb or less for many fruits and vegetables, $1.00 or less for a bag of shredded cheese), but I keep a simple record of the prices of several other items I buy in a spreadsheet on my computer. I shop regularly at Aldi, a store I know is not available in every zip code, but if I can beat Aldi’s price then I know I probably found a pretty good deal. (If you do have an Aldi in your area, be aware that even prices at Aldi fluctuate.) Another good place to start your price book is by noting the price of generic products and looking for sales and coupon matches that allow you to buy a name brand product for less.

5. Reuse leftovers creatively.

Some people don’t mind eating the same thing over and over, but I’d guess that many more people don’t enjoy leftovers. However, the average American household wastes over 25% of consumable food and possibly even more than that, throwing it away to end up in a landfill. This equates to about a pound of food every day for every American. Using this food instead of throwing it away is not only an eco-friendly decision but also will shave several dollars off the grocery bill each week. With a little creatively, many leftovers can be reinvented into other meals. Another trick I use is to freeze meal-sized portions of leftovers for my husband to take to work as a lunch or for us to eat for another meal in future. Many recipes can also be divided in half easily, and sometimes I mix up the entire recipe but freeze half of it before I cook it.

Although it will take time to learn what rock-bottom prices for items in your area are, it’s safe to say that using a coupon in combination with a sale is going to result in a much lower price. Oftentimes coupons will be issued for items that will be on sale not immediately but within a few a weeks of the coupon’s release. The best money-saving strategy for using coupons is to hold onto them until they can be paired with a sale. You may notice that the generic brand will usually be priced lower than the cost of a regularly priced name brand item even if there is a coupon available. However, by combining coupons, sales and even store promotions, you can often purchase namebrand items for pennies on the dollar. Some stores double coupons every day and some offer special double or triple coupon days. If you are a coupon shopper, you may find it worth your while to shop at these stores or to hold onto your coupons until such a promotion.

8. Build a stockpile.

When you do find an item you regularly use at its rock bottom price, buy as many as you can afford and can use before the expiration date. This might seem like a contradiction to point number one where I encouraged you buy only what you need, but building a stockpile actually aids menu planning because by purchasing items at their rock bottom price for use in the future, you will reduce the cost of future meals. For example, instead of buying a single box of cereal when it is on sale with a coupon for $1.00 a box or less, buy as many boxes as you can afford while sticking to your grocery budget. Then, when you run out of cereal, you can pull another box out of your stockpile instead of running to the store to buy another at a higher price. To make the best use of your stockpile, I suggest you first consider what you have on hand when planning your menu.

9. Purchase clearance or marked down grocery store items.

Train your eyes to spot clearance stickers at the store. Marked down or clearance items also are called manager’s specials at some stores, and they may be in a designated area. Check out the clearance section of the grocery store for items close to their expiration date. Freeze them if you can’t use them immediately. You may also be able to purchase day old rotisserie chickens from the deli for a reduced price. Stores in my area sell them for at least $1 off the price of the hot chickens, but I have to ask at the deli counter as the day old chickens are kept in the back.

10. Rather than buying convenience foods, learn to make your own from scratch.

If you make a large batch ahead of time and freeze or store the extras in an airtight container, you will save yourself time and money. There are recipes available for homemade versions of just about every convenience food you could imagine.

Choosing to buy produce that is in season is not only an eco-friendly decision since seasonal produce has less distance to travel before it reaches your table, but it’s a frugal decision as well. Check out the list here to familiarize yourself with what produce items are in season. 

12. Consider eating a meatless meat once a week.

Perhaps more than any other tip, this is the one I find is met with the most resistance. Some people cannot imagine a dinner without meat. If that is the case in your household, you could try using less meat once or twice a week in the main dish by making a casserole, soup or pasta dish. You could also try stretching ground meat to make it go farther by adding ingredients such a oats or breadcrumbs.

13. Grow your own food.

Not everyone has the space for a full garden, but most people have room for at least a pot or two of tomatoes or bell peppers. The concept of square foot gardening is also popular among those with small outdoor spaces or you might consider sharing gardening duties with someone who does have a larger yard in exchange for a portion of the harvest.

14. Ditch the disposables.

Disposable goods come in many forms: paper plates, paper towels, paper napkins, bottled water bottles and diapers to name a few. Not only do these products contribute to landfill waste but they also take a chunk out of the household budget each month. Consider replacing one disposable product with a reusable version instead.

For the lowest grocery bill possible, combine all the savings strategies listed above. However, to avoid feeling overwhelmed, I suggest picking one or two new strategies each month until you feel you have them mastered. Then, add a new strategy or two and watch your grocery bill shrink even more.  Soon you’ll be accomplished in saving on groceries no matter where you live!

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