Have you ever wondered, “Why is my grocery bill so high?” Come on! I can’t be the only one. Sometimes I wonder where all our food goes! Cutting the food budget can be difficult, especially if you have picky children or children with allergies. I’ve found some easy ways to cut your grocery budget. I have used them at my home and am enjoying the savings! You can always use that extra money to pamper yourself. Or pay bills. But the last option isn’t as much fun. Use these tips to add variety to meals with leftovers and creative cooking strategies.
Easy Ways to Cut Your Grocery Budget
1. Making fresh omelets
If you look in your fridge and see there aren’t enough leftovers to make a full meal; make omelets. Have a few pieces of ham, a chunk of cheese, a couple of eggs? How about some chopped veggies? There is no need to go to the store and buy more food. Bonus: each meal will be slightly different, since you are using different ingredients, giving you lots of variety. Since omelets are custom made, it’s easy to add more of each kid’s favorite ingredients too.
2. Shop food stores or Farmer’s Markets at closing time
Going to a market or independently owned food store near the end of the day can mean deals of up to fifty percent or more. With lots of fresh food, fruit, vegetables and breads,especially, it needs to be used soon. This means that in the last half an hour of selling time the owners of the stalls will be more likely to get rid of any remaining product. They save money by not having to throw it out. As a buyer, you’ll be able to pick up expensive varieties of food much cheaper. I used the strategy at our farmer’s market and found bags of gourmet mushrooms, regularly priced at $8.99 a pound, marked down to $1.99 for a large bag.
3. Homemade soup
Another great way to use left overs is by making soup. All it takes is a few spare vegetables, carrots or potatoes and a few pantry staples. All you need to do is chop them up, add some stock and seasonings, plus more liquid till it is to your liking. If you have leftover meat, it can be added is well. Not only can it be a lovely lunch on a cold day or an impressive starter but it will also be cheaper than anything that can be bought in stores.
4. Cheap meat
When going to a large store or a butcher shop, there is often a large variety of meat on display, much of which, many people are not aware of what it is. Some of this can be the cheaper ranges of meat, which some may see as lower quality than steak. However the fattier meats, often considerably cheaper than prime cuts, can be great if used in the right way. The best way to use this meat is in casseroles, or any other type of slow cook recipe. It’s much cheaper. Love steak but want to get it cheaper? Ask your local grocer what time they mark meat down. (The stores in our area usually do this very early in the morning.) It’s then I grab my boneless, skinless chicken breasts, steaks and roast.
5. Store brand items
Large Grocery chains often have their own brand products. Although some products are lower quality than the established brands, some have essentially no difference in quality. Canned goods like beans or carrots, usually taste the same. Since not all store brand food is the same quality, try several different brands to find a preferred choice.
What are your easy tips for cutting the grocery budget?
We do a lot of these. I have never thought about shopping farmer’s markets at closing time. What a great idea. I usually shop early in the morning for the best selection, but I am willing to see if changing my shopping time saves me a little money.
Ha! I practice all of these methods : ) homemade soups are great, I grew up on homemade soups! During the Summer months with the farmers markets I always try to go towards the closing times because they want to get rid of veggies and fruits, so they give major discounts and I’m a happy camper : ) your list is spot on, good work!
I purchase some store brand items, I also use coupons, that is a big help for me. I need to visit the Farmers Market more often.
Great tips! Groceries can definitely get really expensive if you don’t keep track!
thank you so much for this. it actually came right on time. i have looking for ways to cut back.
This past week, I was in the soup making mood so I made two different soups two days in a row. I will follow your tip about the omelet.
These are great tips for cutting your grocery budget. Sometimes brand name is no different than an unknown name but still as good too. I look for sales and than stock up on items. Thanks for shairng the tips.
I’m really horrible with my spending so I usually get my hubby to shop for the grocery! He’s good at spotting good deals on meats and other things.
I just love your money saving tips. I always visit Farmer’s Markets right before they close to get the best deals…and I’m all about generic brands for basic things like pasta, rice, etc.
These are really great tips. I never would think of hitting up the stores close to closing time. Thats a really great tip I can start to utilize!
These are all great tips. The closing time discounts are the best. We used to have a bakery near our house that sells their breads and cookies at half price 30 minutes before closing. The tip on homemade soup is a money saver!
I could eat soup every day during the winter. I always look for seasonal items. They tend to be less expensive than items out of season.
This is great advice. It’s totally easy to save money on groceries when you shop smart. I always stick with store brand, unless the brand name is having a great sale. thanks for these tips!
My husband and I have been horrible lately – we’ve been tossing a lot more food than we should. I’m ashamed to say!
I do all of these except the closing farmers markets. That is a great idea if the timing works out! I never thought of that one!
I’m always trying to find ways to save money at the grocery store. I love the idea of going to the farmers market at closing time. What a great way to try to save on fresh fruits and vegetables.
I’ll buy store brands once I’ve found they are good. Can’t hurt to save that extra money! I have a farmers market near my new hometown, but haven’t been there yet. Think I may have to take a trip over to see what they have available. It’s an amish run farmers market (I live in Amish Country PA :)).
This time of year soups and stews are a great money stretcher. Don’t always need meat in soups and stews.
I know that I would save so much on my groceries if I would just think ahead to what I was going to make. Sharing ingredients in recipes is also a huge helper.
I’m trying to reduce mine somehow
Great read, I can clearly see the differences and eventually it helps me decide which ones are worth it. Cheap meat’s not that bad, but the real quality ones can be saved for an occasion or two.
The first half of this school year was so hectic, we found ourselves eating out far too often. I am committed to making more meals at home. These tips will definitely help save.
Cheap meat for sure. When buying chicken, so much cheaper to buy skin on- bone in and then peal off the skin and debone yourself.
I love shopping at the farmers market. I like your idea of going before closing not only for saving money but by my house, it would probably less crowded by then too!
Great tips! I really would like to cut down on our food budget. I always feel like we do pretty good but we need to save more money.
Great tips. We are always looking for ways to cut back our grocery bill. Buying for 8 soon to be 9 can get so very expensive. So these are wonderful, helpful tips!
these are such great tips! Yes to soup and farmer’s markets. Loving your ideas and feeling like this year I may just be able to cut our family’s grocery bill in half!
You listed some great tips here – food is such a budget variable expense!
I like the omelet idea.
I also had no idea about farmer’s markets near closing time could produce such savings.
Wow! Those are all very useful. It’s nice to make sure that we make the most out of the food that we buy so as not to waste any. These are great ideas and will really help you with your budget.
Amazing tips! One of my goals this year is to save more! This will surely help me with my goal!
These are so helpful! Definitely trying these to cut back on groceries. Worth sharing!
All your ideas for saving money at the grocery store are excellent. Cooking with fresh ingredients and making as much as I can homemade, especially with lesser expensive cuts of meat and discounted produce, are definitely among my own fave strategies.
We often times buy the store brand items. Not just because it’s cheaper, but also because, a lot of the times, they taste better than the name brands.
I think these are all great ideas. I love to save money as much as I can. Being able to save on groceries is always great.
These are great ways to save on your grocery bills. I always stock up on stuff when it goes on sale.
I am always looking for ways to save money on groceries. I use coupons and price match. Making my own soup stock is always a money saver.
I always look for the store brand products. They are usually almost identical to the name brand product and a great way to save money.
I love using the leftover hodgepodge in the fridge to make soups with. It really is a great way to stretch the food budget and get delicious meals all rolled into one!
I am really bad about eating out or buying store prepared foods. I really need to start making my own meals and with these tips I think that I could definitely succeed.
I have been trying to make more things from scratch and it actually is cheaper. These are great tips!
I need to get better about using smaller food scraps to make things like omelets. I am bad at being as lean as I can in the kitchen.
These are all great suggestions! We have been making more soups now that the cold weather is here, and we stock up as much as possible during a good sale.
I should really work on these things. Making more things with my own ingredients would be fun and it could help me save!
Yes! Totally agree: homemade soup is the way to go when it comes to cutting down on grocery bills. Also, stews are budget friendly and easy to make!
These are all great tips and ideas. I love making soup especially in the winter.
My grocery bill would be a lot lower if I planned more. I know this! But yet, I hardly ever do it! These are great tips!
Great tips. I am a HUGE fan of the soup idea and the cheap meat. In fact, when you combine them, it’s even better. You get yummy soup with meat that is so tender because you cook it all day.