The price of groceries is skyrocketing. Inflation continues to erode purchasing power. With a few careful tactics, it’s possible to save money at the grocery store. If you’re diligent, you can save well over $1,000 per year annually.
Grocery shopping is a struggle. The job of the store is to get you to willingly trade your money for their food items. Your job is to get what you want and need while spending as little money as possible.
Every dollar saved at the grocery store can be saved, invested, used to pay down debt, or generously given. Cavalier spending at the supermarket is terrible stewardship.
Here are ten ways to save money at the grocery store. It’s possible to save at least $1,000 per year.
#1 Pray
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
#2 Make A List and Stick To It
Marketers are brilliant. They know how to push all of our emotional and primal buttons. Grocery stores spend well over $1 billion each year on marketing (Statista). Their reconnaissance work is not in vain. Americans spend about $1.7 trillion on food and food-related items each year (USDA).
Each time you enter a store without a plan you lose.
Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Make a menu for the upcoming week. What items are needed to prepare each meal? Take an inventory of what’s on hand.
What is needed? Write down what is needed and nothing more. Buy only what is on the list.
It’s estimated that consumers spend over $300 per month on impulse purchases.
#3 Eat Before You Go
Going to the grocery store when hungry is a recipe for disaster. Before you go eat something. It could be a piece of toast or an apple or anything.
When hungry, everything looks good and smells good and sounds good. Your list will take a backseat to hunger pangs.
It’s going to happen on occasion. Just don’t make a habit of it. Develop a strategy of eating before you go to the grocery store.
#4 Leave Your Kids At Home
You can save money at the grocery store by leaving your kids at home. Not everyone has that luxury, though. If you can do it then do it.
Children don’t know how budgets operate. They always want more of everything. Lists mean nothing to them. Tossing unplanned items into your cart is their specialty. Kids love to publicly test boundaries.
Children can be a grocery shopper’s worst nightmare. Leave them at home if at all possible.
What if that is impossible?
#5 Join The 21st Century
Spending countless hours in the grocery store can be a thing of the past. Large stores like Wal-Mart, Kroger, and Publix offer online shopping at no cost (at least for now).
If your local grocer doesn’t offer it there is still another way. Instacart or Shipt is another option. These have an extra cost component. However, the savings can easily outweigh the fees.
My local grocer offers online shopping through its app. I open the app and select the items that I want. Payment is made inside the app and I pick up the groceries at the scheduled time.
Temptations are minimized. Shopping while hungry is not a problem either.
One drawback is fresh fruits and vegetables. Not everyone knows when an avocado is ripe.
The biggest caveat is apathy. It’s possible for shoppers to be lulled to sleep while shopping online.
Don’t let your guard down! The battle is still being waged for your dollars and cents.
#6 Meatless Monday
Meat is becoming prohibitively expensive. There is no end in sight to the rising prices, either.
So what’s one to do?
Make one meal per week meatless. There are many ways to cook meals without meat. Here are a few ideas to prime the pump.
- Arrabbiata Pasta
- Veggie Fajitas
- Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens
- Grilled PB&Js and Tomato Soup
- Veggie Fried Rice
#7 Fall In Love With Aldi & Trader Joe’s
I’ve been shopping at Aldi before it was a hipster thing to do. You really must learn to purchase at least a portion of your groceries at Aldi.
Isn’t their stuff second-rate? Nope, not even close.
We buy a large quantity of our food from Aldi. What kind of items?
Here’s a brief list of the items that we normally purchase at Aldi:
- Almond milk
- Orange juice
- Fresh spinach
- Romaine lettuce
- Salad dressings
- Oatmeal
- Maple Syrup
- Eggs
- Ziploc style bags
- Almonds, pistachios, walnuts
- Olives, artichoke hearts
- Sugar, flour, oils, chia seeds,
- Spices
If you are overly bougie and Aldi is not your jam then visit Trader Joe’s. Similar savings but not as extreme.
#8 Strategically Use Credit Cards
If you responsibly use credit cards keep reading.
Some credit cards have increased reward rates at grocery stores. There will be some limitations so proceed with your eyes wide open.
Only those who practice responsible credit card use should proceed. If you have any unpaid credit card debt this option is not for you.
It’s possible to earn around $500 per year in cash back opportunities in this manner.
#9 Choose Store Brands
Store brands have come a long way over the years. Wal-Mart, Kroger, and Albertson’s have the purchasing power to push around food companies.
My local grocery, Meijer, has high-quality store brands. Many Meijer brand items are less expensive than some items at Aldi.
Test the food. If you simply can’t abide by the local brand then skip it. We all have certain tastes that we’re unwilling to sacrifice. I only buy one brand of peanut butter. Store brands are awful in comparison.
Using store brands can save you hundreds of dollars each year.
#10 Only Buy What Is Needed
Unless you’re a full-blown prepper overstocking groceries is unnecessary. Take stock of what is in your cabinets and freezer. Resist purchasing things that are “nice to have” or buying just because something is on sale.
Strategically stocking up on something is perfectly understandable. Buying a dozen cans of hominy or succotash because of a sale is a horse of a different color.
#11 Leverage Store Coupons and Rewards
Grocers love to capture marketing data. If you’re fearful of handing over your personal data then feel free to skip to the end of the article.
I’ve signed up for a special “perks” program at my local grocer. Yes, they understand my purchasing habits. In exchange, I get coupons for items on a regular basis that I’m already intending to buy.
The coupons are generally worth about $5 every other week. Annually, I’m getting between $100 — $125 in coupons for things I’m already buying.
They also give me an $8.00 rebate for every $400 I spend at the store.
I’m getting about $200 per year in rebates or coupons.
That’s fine with me.
Save Money At The Grocery Store
Consumers spend trillions of dollars at grocery stores each year in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spend about $5,000 per year on groceries. Others are spending way more, unnecessarily.
How can you cut that bill down by 5%, 10%, or more?
Would an extra $500 — $1,000 per year be helpful?
What could you do with an extra five or ten Benjamins?