6 Tips and Tricks For Slashing Your Monthly Food Bill
When you’re having a hard time finding ways to pay for groceries each month, it can feel like you’re never going to be able to make ends meet. Cutting down your monthly food bill is hard, especially when feeding a family, and sometimes you might not be sure where to cut back.
Using these tips and tricks to organize and prepare your monthly food shopping should help. With these budgetary hacks, you can make the most of what you have to spend without going without the food you and your family need.
#1: Plan Your Trip In Advance
One of the best things that you can do to revolutionize how you shop is to start planning your trip in advance. You might currently head to the shop with a general list in hand, but being even more strict with your shopping planning helps save you money.
When it comes to saving money on groceries, think through a few specifics while planning:
- What meals are you shopping for?
- What is a must-have for those meals?
- What is on sale?
- Which store has the most items on sale?
- What are the extra pantry items that you need?
Plan your list, and stick to it! It’s easy to get distracted once you’re in the store, so you want to focus on being diligent with your list. If you’re familiar with your grocery store, list things in an order that makes sense so you can shop efficiently. After all, your time is money, too!
#2: Use A Small Basket For Quick Trips
When you’re stopping into the store just to grab some produce or a few quick items to complete the weekend’s meals, don’t take a shopping cart. Instead, pick up a small basket or use a mini cart.
The smaller the shopping basket, the less you can fit in it! It’s tempting to grab items that you don’t need when you have a larger shopping cart. Keep the basket small, and keep the basket’s size limitation.
#3: Skip The Grocery Store Fanfare
Modern grocery stores offer many services and conveniences. Did you know that many of those extra conveniences actually cost more than they’re worth?
There’s something to be said about being able to order your groceries for delivery or curbside pick-up when you need to save time, but many grocery services end up costing you more in the long run.
Before taking part in any of these services, make sure that the savings will improve your situation. Is that packaged meal worth the cost? Does the grocery delivery fee balance out? Do the shoppers get fresh items? Consider all of this as you decide what to use, and skip the rest of the grocery store fanfare.
#4: Bulk Up On The Right Goods
Buying in bulk is one of the most frequently given tips about saving money while shopping. The simple fact of the matter, however, is that not everyone can buy in bulk. Whether you don’t have the money to purchase items up-front or don’t have the space to store it, bulk won’t always work out.
Similar to bundling insurance, buying in bulk can indeed save you money, so your goal should be buying in bulk when it makes the most sense.
Think about the items you could buy in bulk that you use most frequently, like granola, rice, and spices. These items are significantly cheaper when bought in bulk, and they’re usually easy to find packaged this way.
#5: Have Meatless Days
Meat’s often expensive at the grocery store, and skipping meat a few days a week can mean big savings! By replacing meat with other proteins like tofu and beans, your grocery bill for the month is sure to go down.
Of course, you don’t need to replace meat altogether right away. Find some meatless recipes that you’re curious to try, and start there. Over time, you can build up a collection of meatless recipes to enjoy.
#6: Take Advantage Of Rewards
There are a few different ways that grocery stores offer rewards, and some of them might be worth the time investment! If your local grocery store has a free membership program, sign up. Not only will this usually offer exclusive savings on items you always buy, but some also offer percentage discounts that you can earn over time.
The points will add up for shopping that you are doing regardless of your cardholder status, so take advantage of the deals offered.
Your Plan Is Your Strength
The fact that you have sat down and thought about how you can save money on your groceries is a testament to your commitment to savings. Saving money isn’t easy, but these are some simple ways that you can save money over time. Your plan is going to give you the strength to cut back on your grocery bills starting this week!
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