They’re also one of the most unpredictable expenses — you might feed your household for about $64 a week, or end up spending $1,000 a month at upscale markets like Whole Paycheck Foods.
So trimming your supermarket bills can produce substantial savings. But what are the best ways to do that?
Find Simple Ways to Cut Costs
You don’t need to become a coupon fanatic to reduce what you spend on food!
The easiest strategies are the best — they become routine and let the savings add up with minimal effort.
Trent over at The Simple Dollar shares several useful grocery tips, and one is so straightforward I wondered why it didn’t occur to me earlier:
Grab a basket instead of pushing a cart.
Unless you’re shopping for bulky items like toilet paper or paper towels (which, ideally, you’re buying in larger quantities anyway), most purchases will fit neatly in a handheld basket.
Trent notes this trick has prevented many impulse purchases that often happen when you wander the aisles with a cart. Using a basket and sticking mostly to the store’s perimeter for fresh perishables such as eggs and produce will save money and encourage healthier eating.
But how do you handle boxed cereals and other pantry staples?
Split Your Shopping: Why Separate Trips Can Work Better
Trent’s family separates shopping into different types of outings: a larger trip every few weeks for non-perishables and bulk goods, and shorter weekly runs for items that spoil quickly, like milk and bread.
Additionally, many fresh products come from their garden or a local CSA, which cuts down on weekly grocery costs.
With a bit of upfront effort, you can save a lot by identifying which shops offer your most-used items at the lowest prices. Trent explains:
“Essentially, we listed the staples we buy most often — eggs, spinach, tortillas, and so forth — and checked prices for those items at several nearby stores, then totaled them. The place with the smallest overall bill became our primary grocery stop.”
You can also plan which days to visit particular stores based on their sales cycles.
Cut Waste by Staying Organized
A key piece of saving on groceries is actually using the food you purchase. Anyone who’s discovered a soup can labeled three years old at the back of the pantry knows how easy it is to lose track!
Trent suggests emptying your pantry and freezer, then moving items that are easy to forget to the front so they’re visible. You can even create meal plans centered on those items for the next few days.
Using what you already have reduces what you need to buy on subsequent trips, so your savings build naturally. That’s a clear win.
Ashley Monroe is a junior writer at Savinly and a native Floridian. She loves reading, exploring new recipes, chocolate, and finding practical ways to enjoy life without breaking the bank.
