6 Grocery Bill Hacks That Don’t Feel Like Budgeting
Grocery prices in the U.S. have skyrocketed 30.9% since the pandemic began, as noted by the Federal Reserve. That makes it harder than ever to leave the grocery store without feeling pinched.
Budgeting can certainly help, but often consumers abandon it because they run out of self-discipline or get sick of clipping coupons or giving up their favorite foods.
So how can you save money on groceries without solely relying on budgeting?
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Reverse Meal Planning
Most organized shoppers show up at the grocery store with a list, having done their meal planning. But as a counter-intuitive approach, consider leaving a little wiggle room on your list for the cheapest items on sale that day.
“Instead of planning meals first and then hunting down the ingredients, buy what’s on sale and plan your meals around that,” said Jessica Rice of Budget Bytes. “It feels more like a fun puzzle than a restriction.”
Empty Your Pantry
If you’re like most Americans, you’ve forgotten half the items buried at the back of your pantry and freezer. It’s one of the reasons the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that 30% to 40% of the food in the country goes to waste.
Pull everything out to take an inventory of what you have. Consider doing a “pantry challenge,” where you only buy perishable essentials like milk and eggs until you’ve eaten everything in your pantry. You can get help with new recipe ideas by uploading the entire list to an AI and asking it what you can make with those ingredients.
“This is the best way to save money at the grocery store, hands down,” Rice added. “Get elbows deep in that freezer and pantry to take stock before you hit the grocery store and plan meals around that first.”
Cut Out the 'Quick Trips'
Those midweek “quick trips” to the store cost you extra, because you inevitably end up buying more than the one or two items you intended. And if you make those trips to the convenience store instead of the full grocery store, expect much higher markups.
Cody Schuiteboer of Best Interest Financial urged shoppers to avoid these like the plague. “The little ‘quick trips’ average around $54 and rarely consist of ‘just a couple of things’. If you switch to pickup or weekly consolidated orders, you won't find the aisles tempting you anymore, so you can easily save $100 a month on groceries that were unnecessary.”
Stop Buying Prepared Foods
Sure, those pre-prepped ingredients and dishes are convenient. But they cost far more than buying the whole ingredients and making your meals from scratch.
“Pre-cut meats, fruits and veggies are the most expensive things on the shelves, costing two-three times as much as the regular food,” Schuiteboer added. Spend the extra five minutes doing the meal prep yourself for real savings.
Batch Cook
By cooking large batches at a time, you can create leftover lunches or dinners and reduce food waste from opened but unused ingredients.
Rice added that batch cooking saves both money and time, which is why restaurant kitchens do it. “Making a big pot of something on Sunday barely feels like work. For instance, cook up dry beans in the crockpot or a value pack of chicken breasts to become shredded chicken for meals all week.”
Research Cost-Saving Programs
Yes, you should of course sign up for the loyalty program at your favorite grocery store. But you might also qualify for government-provided debit cards for grocery spending.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides such debit cards, for cash-strapped households. Some older Americans also qualify for Medicare Advantage programs that provide a grocery allowance, also in the form of a debit card.
“For the millions of older Americans with qualifying chronic health issues, taking advantage of the grocery allowance offered by Medicare is a savvy way to save on nutritious food at the grocery store,” explained Whitney Stidom of eHealth.
You can also look up anti-waste initiatives like Too Good to Go, an app that connects consumers with local restaurants and grocery stores who sell “surprise bags” with leftover food at the end of the day for pennies on the dollar.
Budgeting works wonders — but it’s far from the only way to save money at the grocery store.
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This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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