5 Must-Know Tips on How to Save Money on Groceries
Welcome to this guide where I will give you tips on how to save money on groceries.
Why should you care about saving money on groceries?
I have two reasons for you.
One, economics studies show that the cost of living has risen by over 4.8% since the coronavirus pandemic.
Two, a study by Esri show that the average American spends over $5000 a year and close to $500 a month on groceries.
If you use the five save money on groceries tips below you can easily bring that spending to less than $200 every month.
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5 Tips On How To Save Money On Groceries
#1 Commit to a Save Money Challenge
There are many save money challenges, which can help you to commit to the discipline of saving money on groceries such as;
Shopping List
Budgeting and saving always go hand in hand.
A shopping list will keep you from buying beyond or under your budget.
It will also help you to become more intentional about what you shop because it’s easy to track habits when they are written down.
I know writing a shopping list can be tedious. You can download and print this Grocery Shopping List Printable in PDF or JPEG files.
No Spend
For example, in this No Spend Challenge Printable, you shall get two challenges;
One is a general no spend challenge tracker where you shall earn points every time you don’t spend money on luxuries like eating out.
You can play this challenge with friends to become more accountable. The person who gets the highest points should receive some sort of reward to make the no spend challenge fun and long-lasting.
Two, you get a no spend month challenge like the no spends October calendar, which you can use to commit to monthly goals of spend and no-spend days.
100 Envelopes
For instance, in this 100-Envelope Challenge Printable you shall get three templates;
One is the $5000 100 envelope challenge where you shall be able to save the one-dollar day for 100 days and 100 dollars weekly.
Two is the $10,000 100 envelope challenge where you shall be able to save two dollars every day and 200 dollars weekly.
Three is the $30,000 100 envelope challenge where you shall be able to save 6 dollars daily and 600 dollars weekly.
52 weeks Tracker
For example, in this 52-Week Savings Challenge Printable you shall get three templates;
A $1000 diamond box Savings Challenge will help you to save one dollar daily bringing the total to $1,378 after 52 weeks.
A $300 Kawaii Gumball Saving challenge made up of balls with different colors valued from $2 to $10.
A $3000 Savings Challenge tick checklist in table form where you shall be able to save two dollars daily bringing it to a total of $2,786 after 52 weeks.
#2 Adopt These Shopping Habits
During the in-store shopping process, there are several mindsets you can adopt or change to cultivate a saving culture;
Sale Items
Every grocery store has locations known as prominent promotion areas mostly found at the entrances, lift areas, near paying counters, or end of aisles.
Those are the areas where the “sale items” are usually displayed.
Such items are usually sold at discounted prices when compared to those found on the shopping counters.
Therefore, be more attentive in your next shopping to avoid missing deals on the sale items.
Whole Items
There is a high rise of a “microwave generation”, which is always looking for instant fixes that are convenient and ready to use.
These are the people that go for pre-shredded cheese, and pre-cut vegetables among other pre-packaged or prepared groceries.
Those are convenient options, but they always come at an extra cost when compared to whole items.
Therefore, in your next grocery shopping, consider buying frozen veggies over the pre-cut ones or the block cheese instead of the pre-shredded ones.
Price Comparison
I know some of us are loyal shoppers or consumers who only shop for groceries from a specific store.
However, we must remember that a saving lifestyle requires a flexible mindset.
Before you shop from any stores near you, make sure you do a price comparison analysis to make sure that you are getting your groceries at the best prices.
The Eye-Level brands
Most grocery stores arrange their items in three horizontal rows, which means there are items displayed on the middle row, upper row, and bottom row.
The middle row is usually at eye level, and this is where the most common and prominent brand items are usually displayed.
On the bottom and upper rows, you shall always find similar products from new or generic brands.
In most cases, the products of such brands are usually discounted and lower than those of eye-level brands.
Therefore, train your eye to look past the middle row to discover other cheaper options.
Reusable Shopping bags
In most cases when you go grocery shopping, you will always need a shopping bag.
Instead of buying a new one every week or month you go grocery shopping and choose those options which are durable and allow for reusability.
In fact, some grocery stores are beginning to encourage this trend more. For example, you shall get a 10 cents discount at Whole Foods Market Store every time you come with a reusable shopping bag.
#3 Use the Right Form of Payment
Instead of paying with cash or with your regular credit card, try paying with the options below to get discounted prices and cash back.
Grocery Rewards Cards
Grocery rewards cards give shoppers and consumers three types of benefits- points, cash back, and miles.
All these rewards can end up reducing your price by 2% to 20% on groceries.
Clip Coupons
Coupon Clipping is the process of cutting out a piece of paper from periodical publications like newspapers or magazines.
That piece that is cut out usually has a coupon code, which is scanned by your grocery store to give you a discount on your purchases.
Apart from using traditional media and mail, you can also get digital coupons by downloading your grocery store mobile app and then loading available coupons to your digital loyalty card.
#4 Accumulate Savings on The Go
This is ideal for people who have consistent shopping habits like shopping from one grocery store all the time.
Join Loyalty Programs
Grocery Loyalty Programs will give you access to special deals and flash sale discounts.
You can learn more about this from Starbucks Rewards Programs, which is probably the world’s most popular.
Join Wholesale Clubs
If you have a large family, joining a wholesale club is a great idea for saving on groceries.
However, you must remember that wholesale clubs are only ideal for bulk buyers.
In addition, most wholesale clubs are not free to join. You must pay a membership fee.
For example, at the Costco Wholesale Club, the cost for the Gold Star package is $60, while that for Gold Star Executive is $120.
These membership clubs will also help you increase your savings by giving you a credit card, which will give you discounted prices at your grocery store.
#5 Use Rebate & Cashback Shopping Apps
There are so many rebate and cashback apps, which will give you points or miles for every amount you spend on your grocery shopping.
After gathering enough points, you can exchange them for a direct bank deposit or PayPal cash, gift cards, E-vouchers, or free merchandise among other rewards.
Below are some of the best shopping apps;
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a get paid to rewards website.
Get paid to sites (GPTs) are internet opportunities where you complete certain activities, such as playing games, completing surveys, reading emails, and shopping online then you get paid.
Every time you shop online, these GPTs will give you points, which you can redeem into cash, shopping vouchers, and merchandise among other rewards.
For example, you get 5points on Sawbucks for every $1 you spend on shopping.
Swagbucks App Alternatives: InboxDollars, KashKick, and Ysense.
Shopkick
Shopkick offers users rewards called “kicks” for doing both in-stores and online shopping activities.
Store walk-ins, barcode scanning, paying with a linked credit card, submitting shopping receipts, watching videos and signing up new users are some ways to earn kicks with this app.
After gathering enough kicks, there are two reward types available: Gift cards and PayPal cash.
Rakuten
The Rakuten shopping app will help you to;
Get up to 40% cash back from your favorite stores.
Earn a $10 free sign-up bonus.
Apply for coupons and discount offers from stores you shop in.
Use their price magic feature to compare prices at different stores so that you can buy at the lowest prices.
Refer someone and earn $25 for every successful referral.
Ibotta
Ibotta app will help you to get the best cashback offers, coupons, and discount codes from your favorite stores.
It will also help you to find stores which owe you money when prices go down. After they find the store, they will refund the excess amount.
Wrapping It Up
Now those are the tips on how to save money on groceries by doing the following;
One, commit to a save-money challenge that will keep you accountable to the process.
Two, shop with a saving mindset geared to go for choices that are economical like buying whole groceries instead of the pre-packaged ones.
Three, look for cost-saving payment methods like clip coupons, grocery rewards cards, or wholesale clubs.
Four, use rebate shopping apps, which will help you to earn cashback, discounts, and other sale deals.
Remember To…
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5 Tips on How to Save Money on Groceries
