One of the most important part of a household budget are groceries and they can even be regarded as the most frugal. It is mandatory to shop in order to survive and it does not have to take over your budget and leave you devoid of your other financial goals. You can save big on your grocery budget and leave more room in your finances to enjoy other areas of life if you have the right information, tools and balance. Below are steps to take to save more on your groceries.
Get your mind right
Before you can be successful in making something work, it has to start with making some mental shifts and decisions for you and your family and this is also applicable to purchasing groceries. It is important for you to prioritize instead of seeing all groceries as being equal and a part of a necessary grocery budget. Your creativity should be shown in what you actually need against what is a luxury and convenience which you can do without. Your focus should be on foods that are multipurpose, will get used up and don’t function as snacks or foods that have little nutritional value or added benefit when you are seriously strapped on cash.
In other words, swap the potato chips for veggies and hummus. Get the most bang for your buck by buying groceries that will fill you up, contribute to your health, and cost less per snack or meal after you get all the servings out of the package. A bag of chips may run you 3-$4 and you can eat it in a couple of sittings without getting full or nourished. Instead, grab a bag of carrots and a container of hummus and get a 3-4 serving of healthful snacks that fill you up instead for the same price. If you repeat this process regularly, you can save half based on greater serving quantities and satiety alone.
Buy preservable foods in bulk when they go on a great sale
Buy large quantities of meat when they go on sale and spread out their use by keeping the meat in the freezer and using/thawing it when you need it instead of buying meat or other items that you can freeze and keep for longer periods of time weekly regardless of pricing. This would help you in saving about half of your normal spending.
Look for store specific apps and coupons to increase your savings
Download the store app and start clipping those extra savings and exclusive deals provided the store you shop from has an app. Items such as meat and others that you can freeze should be your priority. More cash can be saved through the app.
Use apps like Ibotta and Checkout51 to increase savings
Ibotta). There are even coupons for items without needing to buy specific brands. For example, they may run coupons for $.25 off of any bananas, crackers, milk, eggs, etc. Once you save $20 in the app, you can have the money sent directly to your PayPal or other method and get paid. You can even work in teams with people you know or refer in order to boost extra savings. These can also be used in addition to any physical coupons, store sales and clearances, and digital coupons you find. Apps like these can be a great ally in your fight against the grocery spending black hole.
Don’t shop hungry or with people that don’t have self-control
This has always been said, but it is a good advice. You would find it difficult to buy multipurpose foods when you shop hungry. What you will be looking for would be something to quench your hunger immediately such as junk food which has higher sugar content. These foods are usually more expensive.
On top of these practical solutions, always make sure you shop with a core list. By deciding ahead of time what your family needs, you can plan your budget and meals and hedge extra spending and impulse buys- a budgeters worst nightmare.