Shop Smart for Groceries

Rising prices are hitting supermarkets across the U.S. If the increased food costs worry you, here are some smart shopper tips.

Set a Budget

Set an amount to spend weekly on groceries to stop impulse purchases or overspending. Decide how much you want to spend ahead of time, and then make sure you stay within the budget. If you are concerned, you will go over and use your phone’s calculator to keep track of the grocery tab while shopping.

Check The Kitchen

Take a thorough inventory of the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. What items do you already have in your cupboard, fridge, and freezer that you can turn into a meal? Then, plan recipes around those ingredients so you can use what you already have rather than spending money on more food.

Check Store Specials

Most supermarkets come out with a new weekly circular with new sales and deals. Many even post it on their website. Before shopping, look through it to see what you should buy for the week.

Plan Meals

Plan at least five dinner meals you would like to prepare, along with various breakfast and lunch options. Write down exactly how much you will need to make them. You will shop faster if you organize the food list into categories such as produce, dairy, meat, frozen items, etc., or the order in which you will find the foods in the store.

Shop Weekly

Shop once a week. The less you go to the store, the less you will spend. If you run out of something, then consider substituting or going without it until your next planned shopping trip.

Avoid Pre-Packaged Items

Pre-packaged items like shredded cheese, premade salads, and veggie trays cut down the amount of preparation and increase the price. Chopped-up vegetables and fruits sell for as much as three times more than when you buy them whole and cut them up at home.

Shop In Season

Seasonal produce tends to be cheaper. Research recipes that use food that’s in season so you can spend less when you go shopping.

Compare Costs

You might be loyal to specific brands for certain products, but it is worth trying out store brands to find comparable ones. To compare similar products and determine which is the best deal, you can use unit pricing. Instead of focusing on the overall price, with unit pricing, you calculate the cost of a “unit” of that product, which could be per serving, ounce, or pound.

Use Cheaper Cuts Of Meat

Save money on your monthly grocery bill by choosing cheaper cuts of meat. Also, instead of serving whole pieces of meat like steaks or chops, serve casseroles, stews, and other dishes with chopped, crumbled, or shredded meat.

Stock Up

Stock up on-sale items you will use regularly. Most items go on sale every 6-8 weeks, so it is wise to buy enough to last that long. Although it costs more money to stock up on-sale items at the outset, you will save money.

Buy Bulk

Items also tend to get cheaper per ounce when you buy larger quantities. More often than not, buying the larger package may cost more upfront but will save you money in the long run.

Additional Savings

Technology can be extremely helpful when you want to stretch your grocery dollar. Sign up for reward cards or loyalty programs. Collect coupons or use coupon apps. Try a rebate app.

Pay With Cash

Did you know that people who pay with cash tend to spend less than those who use a card? Using a credit or debit card makes it easy to spend too much. However, nothing keeps the grocery bill down like watching hard-earned cash leave your hands.

Love Leftovers

Not letting food go to waste is another excellent way to save money. Use leftovers to make a new dish. For example, turn last night’s roast chicken into tomorrow’s soup or casserole. Date the leftovers and use them within four days. For longer storage, freeze food.

Store Food Properly

Another essential step in reducing food waste is checking how you store your ingredients. Ensuring items are stored properly will stop them from going bad before their time. For safe storage and handling of information on various foods, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recommends using the FoodKeeper app, which offers storage advice on more than 650 food and beverage items.

You must have a strategy when you are looking to lower your grocery bill. Let these money-saving tips trim your grocery budget in ways that add up to savings.

(Sources: foodsafety.gov; http://www.myplate.gov; usda.gov)