How to Save Money on Groceries

Compare the fliers of the grocery stores in your area. You can usually have them delivered free in the mail by signing up on the store’s website. Some stores have the fliers directly on their websites and will even email them to you. 

Looking at the fliers is easy, and a quick ten minutes sitting your own home can save you a lot of money. If the stores aren’t too far away, then it’s often worth it to go two or three stores, and organize your shopping list to hit the best sales for certain items. 

Sales on brand-name products are often lower than normal prices for generic products – check the fliers, and you can get better quality for less money!

Know the normal, average prices for items you buy frequently – then you will know a good sale when you see one. Consider a price-comparison trip to figure out what store in your area has the cheapest non-sale prices for various stock items (butter, chicken breasts, milk, etc.), and then compare sales at other stores to those prices.

Some “sales” that look exciting are actually more expensive than the normal price at another store; don’t be fooled!

Put your freezer to work. Meat is usually the most expensive item on my shopping list, but it’s also the easiest place to pinch pennies (actually, multiple dollars!). If you only buy sales, buy more than you are going to use immediately, and freeze the extras, then you can cut your meat budget in half (withouth sacrificing quality).

In my area, chicken usually costs $5 to $7 a pound, but once a month or so I find it for <$2/lb, and I stock up. If I check the fliers, I can usually also find occasional sales for ground beef for <$2/lb, pork tenderloin for <$3/lb, salmon for <$4/lb, and fine cuts of steak for <$3/lb. (Of course prices vary based on location, but this is in comparison to normal area prices of $5+/lb for ground beef, $8+/lb for pork tenderloin, $11+/lb for salmon, and $10+/lb for steak.)Frozen meat keeps safely for a year or more.

Buy in bulk – but divide into smaller portions before storing. Bulk items are often inconvenient and harder to store, but a few minutes’ work can significantly lessen the burden, and often make it even more convenient than before you bought in bulk.

Examples: I buy bulk ground beef (half the price of non-bulk!), but then divide it up into one-pound portions in plastic freezer bags. It’s easier to store and easier to use than if I hadn’t bought in bulk. Need two pounds for that meatloaf recipe? Just grab two bags.

I buy multiple cantalopes when they go on sale for 99 cents per melon, then chop them up into bite-size pieces and freeze them in plastic baggies. It’s easy to grab a baggie on your way out to door to eat with your lunch at work, and they’re also fantastic in smoothies instead of ice.

(Note: make sure to check the unit price. Not all bulk sizes are actually cheaper.)

Bottom line: By instituting these ideas, I shaved 1/3 off of my average monthly grocery bill – without switching to generic or giving up important items.