If you’re looking for ways to save money in the New Year, then looking over your grocery expenses is a great start. But don’t worry! Saving money on groceries doesn’t mean surviving on rice and beans for the rest of your life. It just means being strategic before, during, and after your weekly shopping trip.
Create A Weekly Budget
In order to save money, you have to budget. Creating a weekly allowance for grocery shopping will help you to determine how much you can put toward your meals for the week
Make A Menu & Shopping List
If you don’t determine what you need for the week BEFORE you get to the grocery store, it’ll be an uphill battle to stick to your budget and get the right ingredients. Plan your menu for the week, write your list of needs, and then go to the store.
Shop Your Pantry
It’s always a good idea to check over your pantry when you’re planning your menu and grocery list for the week. You may find you already have a few things you were planning to buy!
Calculate As You Go
As you shop, have the calculator app on your phone out so that you can keep tabs of your grocery bill in real time. This will prevent you from going over budget. You might also find some things on discount too(!), which will leave extra room in the budget to spend at your discretion.
Stick To The List
Only buy what’s on your shopping list! Unless you’ve scored some great deals that have lowered your expedited grocery bill for the week, it’s better to avoid impulse buys so your budget doesn’t balloon out.
Tamp Down on Food Waste
Do you find that certain items tend to go bad in your fridge before they can be used up? This can be the case for a lot of produce. Consider buying certain produce in a frozen or canned form to guarantee it gets used up and doesn’t go to waste.
Buy In-Season Produce
If you’re going to buy fresh produce, make sure that it’s in season! Not only will the produce taste better, but it will cost less.
Buy Generic
Generic brands often taste the same as name brands and a lot of generic brands are even made by the same manufacturers as the name brand! Skip the name brand products for the generic because every little bit adds up.
Plan Meals Based on What’s On Sale
Check out the weekly sales flyers when planning your meals for the week. It’s a good idea to take advantage of those deals if they work for your household!
Check the Unit Price
It’s not always the best decision to buy the larger version of a product. Always check the unit price which will help you determine which has more value for your dollar.
Buy in Bulk
You can snag some really great deals if you buy in bulk, but only when it makes sense. If you have the space and know you will use the product, then go for it!
Implementing all of the tips at once can be overwhelming. At first, pick out a few that you know you can stick to. Even employing a few of these tips into your weekly grocery trip will help you to trim down and keep your budget!
Visit our Banzai Courses on budgeting – Budgeting isn’t about restriction, it’s about freedom. The best way to avoid financial strain is to know where your money is going and plan ahead!