Saving money each month is vital to finding financial freedom. If you can focus and save money grocery shopping it can have a big impact on your monthly budget. Grocery shopping takes more time and effort, true. But it’s also the only way you’ll have control over what types of food you feed your family. Learning to be a savvy food shopper is not only about the price tag (looking for freshness and food quality are also important), but, that being said, the more you can keep your grocery bill down, the better.
Here are a few tips to help you save on your grocery bill every month!
Commit to Cooking More Often
Lots of grocery stores have started selling prepared foods — think deli sandwiches, precut fruit platters, and those delicious rotisserie chickens. While delicious, these items are often just as full of salt, sugar and fat as anything you’d get at the drive-thru, and there’s no guarantee of freshness. You’re also paying extra for convenience. Sure, it’s not quite as much as eating out, but you’ll definitely save more money by cooking from scratch with regular ingredients — and you’ll have healthier meals to boot.
Use Less Meat & Pricey Ingredients
Consider a few meals in a week without meat. This will save you money. Also, when you have meals with meat consider proper portions sizes. It will help your meat go farther. When I buy large boneless skinless chicken breast, I cut it into thirds and each person gets just a one-third portion. Stick this idea and you can save money grocery shopping almost everytime.
Avoid Prepared and Packaged Goods
You are almost always going to pay more when the store does the work for you. Wash and cut your own veggies and you can save money most of the time.
Stop Wasting So Much Food
First, you’ll want to make sure your fridge is always kept cold enough — below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or 4 degrees Celsius. This will ensure food safety. Also, leave space in your refrigerator for cold air to circulate. If your refrigerator is too tightly packed, your food will spoil much faster.
Use Coupons and coupon codes
So boring – Right? Almost every frugally-minded person has already thought of this one on their own. But what you may not know is just how many places you can find coupons!