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When you’re on a tight budget, meal planning is the secret weapon to save money on groceries. Is this the way to improve our financial wellbeing? If you’ve ever had to live on a limited income or even if you’re just budget conscious, then chances are you know how expensive groceries can be. Add in the expense of eating out or ordering delivery frequently, and it becomes clear that staying within a certain amount of money for food is essential. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to save money on groceries. In this blog post, we’ll share our top tips for staying frugal while still eating healthy meals. It might take a little more time upfront, but if you follow these simple strategies, you can reduce your grocery bill by over 20%!
Commit to a Grocery Shopping Schedule
Whether you shop once a week or once a month, it’s important to have some kind of schedule for grocery shopping. If you don’t have a set schedule, you’ll be more likely to overspend when you’re at the store. Plus, you’ll also be more likely to impulse buy since you’re in the shopping mindset. If you want to save money on groceries, you need to be intentional about every item you put in your cart. This means you should have a set grocery shopping schedule. By putting a grocery shopping schedule in place, you can reduce the amount of money you spend on food.
Shop the Sale Ads and Don’t Be Afraid of Sales
When you’re grocery shopping, you can save a ton of money by using store flyers and sale ads. You can find these items in newspapers, on websites and in the grocery store itself. Once you’ve browsed these materials, you’ll know exactly what’s on sale at your local grocery stores. Then, you can create a meal plan based on these bargains. There’s no denying that shopping for sales is a frugal way to save money on groceries. The only question is how often you should wait for sales to buy your groceries. A recent study found that waiting for sales to buy groceries can save you up to 40% on groceries. But, there is a catch. The study found that you’d have to wait an average of 22 weeks between each grocery shopping trip. For some people, this may not be a feasible plan. Others may have a hard time resisting the urge to buy groceries even when they’re not on sale.
Don’t Buy in Bulk Unless You Have Room in Your Fridge
Another tip for shopping frugally is to avoid buying in bulk unless you have room in your fridge. By buying too much food at once, you’re likely to end up throwing away unused food. Not only will this cost you money, but it’ll also be a waste of resources. By shopping for just a few items at a time, you can avoid wasting food. Also, you’re less likely to buy food that you don’t actually need. And even if you do end up buying extra food you don’t need, it’s better to buy too much than too little. Plus, you can always freeze food that you don’t plan to eat right away.
Bottom Line
By committing to a grocery shopping schedule, shopping for sales and not buying in bulk unless you have room in your fridge, you can save a significant amount of money on groceries. In fact, a recent study found that these three practices alone can save you up to 20% on your grocery bill. Now that you know the best ways to save money on groceries, it’s up to you to put these tips into action. It may take a little extra time upfront to save money on groceries, but the long-term savings will be well worth it.
