Grocery shopping on a tight budget can be difficult. Whether you're tightening your grocery budget out of necessity or tightening to save money to pay down debt or to help with other expenses, cutting your grocery budget can be a great way to stay on track financially.
When my husband and I were starting out, we had a mountain of school loan debt and we went through periods of unemployment and underemployment while starting a family. It all put a big strain on our finances!
Getting our grocery budget pared way down really helped us to navigate that period, and grocery shopping on a tight budget is still something that I do when we need to cut expenses. Here are some tips that we've used.
Meal plan
Before you ever head to the grocery store, you need to have a plan! Making a meal plan with a grocery list (and sticking to it) can help you save money, reduce food waste, and help you feel less stressed about meals.
Meal planning looks different for everyone, but you can find more information about meal planning here.
Plan your leftovers
One of the best ways to stretch your food budget is to use all of the food you buy. When I took a good look at our food budget, I found that we had quite a bit of food waste because we weren't eating our leftovers before they went bad.
Whether you choose to use your leftovers for dinner the next night, lunch the next day, or use the leftovers in a new way, having a plan for your leftovers will save you time and money.
Make basic meals
Basic doesn't have to mean boring! We eat beans at least once a week, and there are so many ways to use them that we never get sick of beans. Rice and vegetables are also easy, inexpensive staples that can be used in different ways to make a variety of meals.
Cooking at home is always going to save you money, so get creative with how you use your basic grocery staples to make delicious, filling meals without blowing your grocery budget.
Shop sales
Take a few minutes before you begin your meal plan to find out what main items are the best price at your local stores. If you're making meat-based meals, look for the best prices on meats that week and plan accordingly.
If you're making vegetarian meals, look for the best prices on items like eggs, beans, and produce to plan your meals around.
Stock up when you can
It's difficult to stock up on a tight budget, but it's still doable! When there's a good sale on a certain nonperishable item that you use a lot (items like pasta sauce, pasta, beans), try to set aside a portion of your budget, like $5 or $10, to add items to your stockpile.
As you build your stockpile, it will help to ease some of your grocery spending because you will be relying on your sale items instead of having to purchase full-priced items each week.
Pick a protein
Choose one or two proteins, and purchase larger packages of those proteins to help stretch your grocery budget.
For example, I can purchase a larger package of ground beef at Sam's Club or Costco for about half the price per pound of my local grocery stores' ground beef. Those savings really add up!
Meatless meals
Meatless meals can be a great way to stretch your grocery budget! There are great non-meat protein sources like eggs or beans that you can use to make hearty meals for less.
Try new brands
Purchasing lower-cost or store brands in an easy way to save money! Many store brands have come a long way!
Many generic brands are just as good as name-brand items, and we've found that we actually prefer a number of store brand products.
Use coupons and apps
Paper coupons can save you money, but many stores now offer e-coupons or other loyalty rewards. Check out your local store's site to see whether you can load e-coupons onto your shopper loyalty card before you buy.
There are also a number of apps, like Ibotta, that give you cash back on certain purchases. Just take a minute to check to see whether buying that specific brand is a better deal with their offers than purchasing a different brand without the offer.
Grocery pickup
One way to stay on track is to stay out of the store. Going grocery shopping, especially when you're hungry, can tank your budget.
When you make your meal plan, write your grocery list at the same time. Then, when you're ready to put in your pickup order, you'll have your list ready to go.
Learn to DIY
Certain items, like cake flour and buttermilk, have gotten to be pretty expensive. There are a number of items like cake flour and buttermilk that can easily be made with less expensive ingredients that you probably already have on-hand.
These money-saving tips can help to make grocery shopping on a tight budget less difficult and frustrating. With a bit of time, planning, and creativity, you'll find that grocery shopping is easier, less stressful, and more affordable!
Looking for more budget-friendly grocery tips? Check out our post on "Tips to Stretch Your Grocery Budget."
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