Yusra3
VIP Contributor
Saving money on food is important for most households. Food is typically one of the largest expenses in a home budget. Fortunately, there are many creative and practical ways to cut down the grocery bill without sacrificing nutrition or variety.
1. Make a meal plan for the week before you go grocery shopping and stick to it. Planning your meals ahead of time prevents you from impulse buying and wasting food. This can cut your grocery bill by as much as 30%.
2. Buy generic or store-brand groceries for non-perishable items like canned beans, pasta, rice, and frozen vegetables. Generic brands cost 20% to 50% less on average but have the same quality as name brands.
3. Check the weekly flyers, sales, and coupons to maximize savings. Buy what's on sale and use digital or paper coupons for extra discounts. Stock up during sales if it's a non-perishable item.
4. Buy in bulk for long shelf-life products like rice, beans, pasta, canned tomatoes and other non-perishables. Buying these in family-size packs saves about 20% compared to smaller sizes. Split them into smaller portions at home for easy use.
5. Shop at discount grocery stores like Aldi and Lidl which can save 30% compared to traditional supermarkets on staple items like milk, bread, eggs and produce. The quality is often the same.
6. Freeze fresh produce like berries and sliced vegetables right away if you know you won't use it all. Frozen fruits and veggies retain nutrients well and won't spoil. Plus you can batch cook using frozen ingredients.
7. Join loyalty programs of the grocery stores in your area. You can load digital coupons and promotional discounts directly to your store card or app. Ibotta and Fetch Rewards also provide cash back offers.
8. Buy whole chickens and larger slabs of meat to slice and freeze yourself. This can cost 70% less per pound compared to buying sliced chicken breasts or other smaller portions. Plus you control the portion sizes.
9. Cook at home to save about 75% compared to dining out, and pack your lunch rather than buying lunch during workdays. Making coffee and meals at home are easy ways to save $2,000+ per year.
10. Eat less meat overall, using it more as a flavoring and focusing on less expensive proteins like eggs, beans, lentils and tofu. Going meatless just a couple days per week can chop your food bill significantly.
1. Make a meal plan for the week before you go grocery shopping and stick to it. Planning your meals ahead of time prevents you from impulse buying and wasting food. This can cut your grocery bill by as much as 30%.
2. Buy generic or store-brand groceries for non-perishable items like canned beans, pasta, rice, and frozen vegetables. Generic brands cost 20% to 50% less on average but have the same quality as name brands.
3. Check the weekly flyers, sales, and coupons to maximize savings. Buy what's on sale and use digital or paper coupons for extra discounts. Stock up during sales if it's a non-perishable item.
4. Buy in bulk for long shelf-life products like rice, beans, pasta, canned tomatoes and other non-perishables. Buying these in family-size packs saves about 20% compared to smaller sizes. Split them into smaller portions at home for easy use.
5. Shop at discount grocery stores like Aldi and Lidl which can save 30% compared to traditional supermarkets on staple items like milk, bread, eggs and produce. The quality is often the same.
6. Freeze fresh produce like berries and sliced vegetables right away if you know you won't use it all. Frozen fruits and veggies retain nutrients well and won't spoil. Plus you can batch cook using frozen ingredients.
7. Join loyalty programs of the grocery stores in your area. You can load digital coupons and promotional discounts directly to your store card or app. Ibotta and Fetch Rewards also provide cash back offers.
8. Buy whole chickens and larger slabs of meat to slice and freeze yourself. This can cost 70% less per pound compared to buying sliced chicken breasts or other smaller portions. Plus you control the portion sizes.
9. Cook at home to save about 75% compared to dining out, and pack your lunch rather than buying lunch during workdays. Making coffee and meals at home are easy ways to save $2,000+ per year.
10. Eat less meat overall, using it more as a flavoring and focusing on less expensive proteins like eggs, beans, lentils and tofu. Going meatless just a couple days per week can chop your food bill significantly.
