How to Save Money On Groceries In 2024

A year ago, going to the grocery store was the most stressful thing that happened all week. In the past, food prices have gone up about 2% a year, but from 2021 to 2022, they went up 11%.1. We could feel that change in our wallets.

The rise has slowed down, which is good news. It is still going up, though. In the current market, food prices are about 2.4% higher than they were a year ago. Since prices were already so high, you are likely still feeling the pinch in the checkout queue.

There is some good news here, though. We can not change the rate of inflation, but you have a lot more power over how much you spend than you think.

With these grocery shopping tips, you will be able to start shopping with a lot less stress, even if you get a cart with a noisy wheel. I feel like they all have squeaky wheels sometimes.

How much do people spend every month on food?

Let us start by talking about how much this spending line usually gets spent. It costs between $242 and $303 a month for one adult on the thrifty plan to buy food. For a family of four, the average monthly grocery price is about $975.3.

You might think those values are too low, too high, or just right. A lot of things play a role here, like where you live or how many special food needs you have. But no matter what, you can still plan and save more money on food. Now let us talk about those tips!

How to Get Food for Less Money

Even though food prices are high, here are 12 ways to save money and still fill your carts, fridges, pantries, and stomachs.

1: Change what food means.

If the thought of dinner makes you think of a big home-cooked meal with a hot pot roast, two sides of fresh vegetables from the farmers market, a warm piece of French bread, and a huge chocolate cake made from scratch, it is time to take a break. It is not 1952, so dinner does not need to be a big, complicated mess.

Serve. Easy. Food. Cook pancakes, eggs, and fruit for dinner. Your kids will enjoy it. Have a night of soup and grilled cheese. To reduce your stress and your food bill, choose easy, low-cost meals.

2: Do some maths while you shop.

Use your phone’s calculator to keep track of what you have put in the cart. Do not be surprised by any bad prices when you get to the checkout station. Keep track of how much food you are buying as you go. Do not forget the sales tax or your final numbers will be very wrong.

3: Add up how much you think groceries will cost.

If you want to save money on food the next time, try this: Round up the price of each item as you walk around with your calculator. You can buy a banana for $2 instead of $1.49, a bag of coffee beans for $8 instead of $7.75, and so on.

You will still have a good idea of how much you are spending if you do this for everything in your cart, but you will be in for a fun treat when the total is less!

4: Go through your cupboards.

Take a moment to look through your pantry or fridge and think of what meals you can make with the things you already have. There are good chicken legs in the back of the freezer and a couple of cans of black beans and salsa that have not been opened yet. Who says you need to buy more food?

5: Think about what you want to buy before you buy a lot of it.

There are times when buying in bulk does save you money. When you buy in bulk at discount stores, do not instantly think that it is cheaper. For cheap food shopping, you should look at the price per unit or ounce. Sometimes the bigger shampoo bottle is not the best deal!

Do not buy more than you need, either, even if it is easy to do so. This is especially true for things that go bad quickly. It does not save you any money to throw away half of your big bag of oranges because they went bad in your fruit box.

6: Know when to buy things.

Time is very important when it comes to getting a good deal. Find out if the food store you usually shop at has a day of the week when they have deals. Also, know how long sales processes are. Not all grocery shops release their new weekly deals on Sunday. Some do it on any day of the week!

7: Put meals away and freeze them now.

Want to quickly find a way to save money on food? Welcome to frozen food. These are great because they let you plan and have great meals during the week with less stress.

Find great recipes online and prepare food for most of the week in just a few hours. Then, every night, just take something out of the freezer and eat it without thinking that the ingredients will go bad before you can use them.

It will save you time. It will save you cash. You will feel less stressed. You can safely refuse those drive-thru meals because you know you have an easy dinner ready at home. For budgeters who are short on time, this tip is gold.

8: Use cash to pay.

People, I tell you all the time: cash is king! Pay for your groceries with cash if you want to stick to your plan.

Set up a cash envelope method for this budget line and any others that are tough to stick to. You know how much you can spend when you go to the store with cash in hand—once the cash runs out, that is it.

9: Plan your meals.

These are some of my favourite grocery shopping tips that will save you money. Are you all set? Plan your meals and list the things you need to buy before you leave. As you make your plans, check to see what you already have in the fridge, closet and freezer. Make a plan based on the sales ad and any freebies you have. This way you can be sure you are getting the best deals everywhere.

10: Do not go off the list when you go shopping.

Okay, the first step is to use your meal plan to make a shopping list. Follow the list when you go to the store. I mean it! Do not make purchases on a whim that end up being useless. This will help you avoid making purchases that seem like a good idea but end up adding to your debt. If you stick to that list, you will save a lot of money.

11: Ask for pickup at the curb.

If you get distracted while shopping in person, you can order your groceries to be picked up at the curb. Let us face it: the food pictures on your screen are not nearly as appealing as that freshly baked coffee cake that grabs your attention as you reach for the pizza dough that you know you should be eating.

If you shop online, it is also simple to check out sales and compare prices between brands. You can also see the total right away, without having to use a computer. You will also save time because you will not have to walk around the store.

Remember that many shops will do this for free. But even if there is a small fee, this way might save you money in the long run. Do the math and see for yourself.

12: Buy things that are in season.

If you are trying to save money on groceries, it is very important to buy food that is in season. In January, it will cost a lot more to buy fresh mangoes, and they might not even taste good. So, only buy fruits and vegetables when they are in season and make those mango salsa recipes in the summer.

You do not have to spend a lot of money to get groceries.

You can stick to your budget, save money, and reach your money goals faster if you make a few changes to the way you do things. You can use the extra money to pay off debt, save for something fun, or even get a babysitter and a nice meal out where someone else cooks and cleans up!

Also, I keep talking about making a budget. You need to check out EveryDollar. This app helps my family make budgets for everything from food to other things we buy. You can get EveryDollar for free right now!