Groceries are a huge part of our budget as they are for most households. I really try and stay diligent and keep our grocery budget to around $400 a month (for a family of 4). There was a time when we were spending close to $700 a month and a lot of food was going to waste and we knew that we really needed to cut back. So, here are some things that I have done (and continue to do) to tame my grocery budget:
- Coupons – I buy the Sunday newspapers every week and clip out the coupons from the Red Plum and Smart Source inserts. I then go on Coupons.com and clip all of the coupons I use and print them out as well. I have my coupons organized in a little file folder from the Dollar Tree and I carry them with me wherever I go (I put a picture of something similar to what I use). As I make a list of the items I need I see if I have a coupon and mark it on my list and put the coupon in a special compartment labelled “ready to buy”.
- Shop the circulars – When it comes down to what I am going to buy – a lot of what ends up in my cart depends on what meat and things are on sale that particular week. If I know that it’s going to be a busy week and I am working late on several nights, I plan for a bunch of crock pot meals and look for the meat on sale that would go with that plan. Since Winter is upon us I also buy fruits and veggies that are on sale to help save money. If there aren’t really any good deals, I do buy frozen bagged veggies or canned veggies when necessary. A lot of times you can get awesome deals on canned veggies pairing them with a coupon when they go on sale.
- Use the IBotta App
– This app basically pays you to shop for the normal things you are buying. Anything from diapers, food, alcohol – you name it, you can probably find it on the app and receive a rebate for it. Last week when I went to Walmart for groceries – I bought bananas, milk, bread, and waffles – all things that I needed and were on my list – but they also happened to be some of the rebates on Ibotta that I got to redeem. I made $7 off of my normal purchases and it was super easy to do. All you have to do is sign in, click on the deals you want/purchased, upload your receipt and then wait for your money to be put into your account. Easy Peasy! You can use my referral code (xwhdype) for a $10 welcome bonus. Sign up at ibotta.com! (Disclaimer: I do get a small incentive for anyone that uses this referral code). - Don’t Shop Hungry – Definitely eat before you go shopping – otherwise – everything sounds good and more things end up in your cart than necessary. Especially snacks that can mysteriously open and be munched on while perusing the aisles. Not that I’v
e ever done that 😛 If you have your kids with you, make sure you pack snacks so that you’re not tempted to buy Oreos or other kid friendly snacks to help “occupy” your kids. Not that I’ve ever done that, either. lol. - Make a List – When you are browsing your circulars, make a list of the things you are going to buy and stick to that list. List making is a lot easier with this pad I purchased from TJ Maxx (for like $4) and whenever we are out of something, I check it off on this list.
- Have a Price Book – When I first started to try and get my grocery budget down, I started keeping track of how much I was spending on certain items – especially sale prices – so that way I know what would be a good price to pay for certain things. If it is way over the price of what I paid in the past (and not something that is really necessary, I try to see if there are other options). I will also use my price book to price out my list and make sure that with the sale prices in the circulars that I keep myself on budget. This can be done really easily by taking a cheap notebook and recording prices in it with your receipts. That way every time you shop you can look back at the prices and you will know a good deal when you see it!
So these are just a few ways that I try to save money on groceries. So far it has saved me lots of money on groceries nd none of these tips take a ton of time to do. Let me know in the comments if you have any other tips or tricks for saving money on groceries.
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