I know grocery prices have been on everyone's mind lately, & I get it! We have seen prices of things from dairy to produce to margarine (up 55% in the past 4 years!!!) increase. And here's a sad but honest truth - THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT HOW MUCH GROCERIES COST...
I know, that's harsh & it also SUCKS! But if we don't face reality, we get stuck feeling stressed over the wrong things & aren't focusing on the things we can control.
So can you control the price of eggs & soda? NOPE! But you can control a couple of things in relation to the cost of your grocery bills? YES! Below are 4 things you CAN control to help with savings at the grocery store:
WHERE YOU SHOP
The cost of groceries are absolutely higher at some stores than others.
If you love your local market, consider buying only a few things there, like meat & produce, & buying your canned food & other similar items at a lower cost store.
Price out stores like Costco; does it make sense for you to join; do you have the storage available? We recently joined & I saved $250 on eye glasses (yes, unrelated to groceries but still a huge savings!).
Aldi has been a lifesaver for us - we save a lot compared to Giant Eagle prices.
WHAT YOU BUY
Shop your cupboards before you go to the store! Can you make something with food you already have? Search recipes for items already in your house.
Consider at least one vegetarian meal each week (beans are WAY cheaper than meat).
Eat more rice! Rice is a great side dish because it's affordable & also allows you to get creative with spices & ways to use it.
Cut out (or down) on soda consumption. I know this can be tough, but think about the fact that carbonated beverages are up 32% in the last 5 years!
Buy in bulk when you can; not always (pay attention to the prices) but often buying larger quantities is less expensive than smaller ones.
Dried pasta & dried beans are also very affordable & have a ton of options regarding how to make them.
MEAL PLAN
I know this feels like a pain for so many people, but it doesn't have to be!
Get the whole family involved!
Shop your cupboards first to see if any meals can be made from food you already have
Create recipes for each day of the week (make larger ones to have leftovers!)
Make a list of just the items you actually NEED from the store & stick to your list!
There is some upfront work involved, but it takes the guess work of day to day decisions out because you have already decided what meals you will be having!
This helps you stick with going to the grocery store just once a week!
So yes, it may be more work up front, but WAY LESS work during the week.
LIMIT HOW OFTEN YOU ORDER OUT
This includes take out & eating at an establishment.
No matter how much food has increased at the grocery store, it is always (& will always be) more expensive to eat out.
Start by cutting back your eating out by once per week (so if you normally go out/order take out 3 times per week, cut it back to 2).
Track your savings - literally add up how much a dinner would have cost if you had went out compared to what it cost to eat what you made at home.
Do you have other recommendations on ways to save money at the grocery store? I would love to hear them! Email me at rachel@effortlessbudgeting.com.
