How often do you go out to buy a few groceries only to suffer a minor panic attack when you look at the final bill? If this happens to you regularly, it might be time to adjust your grocery habits. There are plenty of practical ways to reduce the amount you spend on groceries per trip, and it all starts with one technique at a time.
Buying in Bulk
When you’re cooking for the entire family, buying ingredients on a meal-to-meal basis can become tedious and expensive. An entire goose hunt through the store can easily be negated after a single night’s dinner! Instead, buying your groceries in a bulk amount can save you the hassle of needing to replenish ingredients and also cut down the cost tremendously when you begin to do so for a majority of your shopping list. Planning to cook chicken for a night or two next week? Buying the biggest quantity you can and freezing what you don’t plan to cook will save you an additional trip to the supermarket and reduce the cost. The same goes for just about anything else you might need, grocery or otherwise, such as toiletries or cleaning supplies.
Using Rewards
It can be easy to simply brush off signing up for a rewards program at your local supermarket; you just got done shopping and you’re ready to get home, not spend another five minutes giving out your email for promos and offers. However, doing so can actually save you a decent chunk of change in the long run. These programs build up points and benefits each time you shop, and who doesn’t like getting free groceries? Do yourself a favor and sign up the next time you go shopping, but do it before you grab your cart, otherwise, you’re bound to skip on it.
Planning Your Trip
Before you actually enter the store, it’s a good rule of thumb to come prepared with a list of everything you will need. This will prevent you from stuffing your cart with items that you don’t need but have a way of catching your eye as you stroll from aisle to aisle. Create a list of all the ingredients you’ll need for a certain dish, basics like bread, milk, and eggs, and little snacks like yogurt or lemonade. What you don’t want to happen is to deviate from your list like you’re stocking up for the apocalypse, grabbing bags of chips and an unprecedented amount of frozen pizzas just because they look good. Having a bit of willpower will keep you on a budget and save you green in the process.
Saving for All
By using these resources, you’ll be able to save more money than ever before during your weekly shopping excursions. You might even need to install more cabinet space from a company like Cabinet IQ to hold all your bulk purchases. If you’re ready to begin cutting your grocery bill in half, these are all excellent ways to start.