We have a large family. Seven people can eat through a fridge of food in no time flat. We spend more on groceries than anything else in our budget. Once upon a time, we shopped at Whole Foods almost exclusively. Have I mentioned how bad we were with our money? Don’t get me wrong, I love Whole Foods. But I think there are cheaper places to purchase organic produce and vegetarian products.
We typically spend about $700 -$800 per month on groceries. This number includes all groceries, toiletries, and household products – not just the food we eat. I know that number could be lower, but I am not willing to hunt down every deal available. I don’t have the time or energy to be an extreme couponer. I just want to spend my money wisely, while still enjoying our meals.
I am going to share some of my top tips to reduce your grocery budget.
1. Make a grocery trip every 2 weeks
Grocery shopping every week can get expensive fast. I feel like the more times I walk in a store, the more money I spend overall. My husband gets paid on the 15th and 30th of every month, so we coordinate our grocery shopping with payday. If we run out of an ingredient, I rarely make an extra trip to the store. I usually just substitute the missing ingredient with something we have on hand. It’s called “making do.” It’s our family motto.
2. Meal plan
The only way to make it possible to spread out grocery shopping trips is to make a meal plan. I typically sit down before a grocery trip and jot down enough meals to last us until the next payday. Then I go through our cupboard and refrigerator to see what we have and what we need to make each meal. It typically takes no more than 20 minutes to complete.
3. Shop discount stores first
We are big Aldi fans. We always begin our grocery trip buying as much as we can at Aldi. We usually purchase organic when it’s available, so we aren’t always getting the rock bottom price. But we still save a significant amount of money compared to our days of shopping at Whole Foods. Basically, don’t be afraid of discount grocers, even if you have dietary restrictions or just dietary preferences.
4. Stop using so many paper products
We stopped using paper towels years ago. This is one of the easiest ways to cut an expense from your grocery shopping list. Paper towels really are a waste of money, because you can easily use old rags instead. We literally haven’t bought paper towels in a decade. Think of all the money we have saved!
5. Eat your leftovers!
This seems like common sense. Don’t waste the food in your fridge. I know many people dislike leftovers – my kids for example. They whine and complain whenever I serve leftovers. That doesn’t stop me though. We are not going to throw our money away.
6. Go vegetarian for a few meals
Meat is expensive. Dried beans are not. I know most people love having chicken or beef at every meal, but skipping the meat once or twice a week can save you cash. Substitute the beef in your chili with extra bean. Or try a veggie burrito instead of your typical chicken.
Whittling down your grocery bill doesn’t have to mean sacrificing everything you love. Give some of these tips a shot, and hopefully you’ll start saving money this month!