Grocery budgets are usually the biggest discretionary expense in your budget. Figuring out ways to cut expenses and still eat well is something that many families try to achieve.
I’ve been trying to get our grocery budget lower for months. In order to do that I’ve come up with 5 tips that save you big money on groceries.
Top 5 Tips That Save You Big Money On Groceries
Meal Prepping
Meal prepping is a great way to save money on your grocery budget. Prepping all of your lunches for the week makes it easier to stick to your meal plan and reduces the chance that you’ll eat out.
I bought these meal prep containers from Amazon and I like to use them for our lunches.
I also like to get breakfast food prepped and ready to go. The last thing I want to do when I wake up is to make breakfast. So this has saved me time and allows me to meet my goal of eating healthy.
Prep your meals on Sunday and then have lunch for the rest of the week!
Make Food From Scratch
I know, I know you barely have time to meal plan, shop and get meals on the table so how are you going to have time to make meals from scratch?
By meal prepping of course! 😉 When you do have time, make up your meals and freeze them. I personally think pancakes, waffles, etc taste better when made from scratch.
If you don’t have enough time to have a meal prepping day then you could just double everything you make. Let’s say you make pancakes for Saturday breakfast, double the recipe and put the extra in the freezer for another day.
That way you’ve saved money by not buying store-bought and made it from scratch.
Have you ever tried making your own bread? It taste so good! I follow Jenna Fisher ( Pam from the office :)) on Instagram and she started making her own bread and honestly it looked like so much fun!
I actually bought the book she uses Bread Baking for Beginners so that I could make bread with my kids. I figured it was a good way to spend quality time with my kids, make food from scratch and save money!
Eating Leftovers
Eating leftovers can really help you save money. It cuts down on overall food waste.
I try to come up with ways to use leftovers differently so that we’re not eating the same thing again. For example; I’ll use the leftover meat for a salad or if I make a roast, the next day I’ll turn the leftovers into a BBQ beef sandwich.
Sometimes I just don’t feel like eating the same meal again. So in those cases, I freeze the leftovers. That way it doesn’t go to waste.
Check Fridge
Check your refrigerator every week to make sure there is no food that is pushed to the back of the refrigerator. Forgotten food that expires is a blow to the grocery budget.
Is there something in your refrigerator that is about to expire or go bad? In my experience, it’s usually fruit or vegetables that get thrown out so I check those first. Then I try to come up with a way to use them up.
Or I freeze it. But I make sure it gets used up.
Do A No Shopping Challenge For One Week
Save money by not going to the grocery store for one week out of the month. Try to come up with creative meals with what you have in the pantry, fridge, and freezer!
I first got this idea from Sarah Titus in her blog post One Weird Trick Saves Me $125/M In Groceries.
Think of it as a “chopped” challenge to make it fun. Get the kids involved and see what creative things they can come up with.
Related Post: How To Eat Healthy And Save Money
You can save money on groceries and still eat good, healthy meals. It takes a little bit of planning ahead but worth it in the long run.
Do you have any tips that save you big money on your groceries?
