8 Easy Ways to Save Money on Groceries

Grocery shopping on a budget doesn’t have to be a chore, and it can save a lot of money that can be put towards your bills or even used to set up an emergency savings fund. Plus, saving money on food just means being smart about grocery shopping. Here are our top nine grocery shopping tips that can save you a bundle.

1. Keep and follow a grocery list

This may seem like a no-brainer, but many of us shop without any clear direction, grabbing items as we see them and falling prey to those end-of-aisle deals that catch our attention at the store. A grocery list helps ensure you only pick up items you actually need. You can keep a physical list writing down items you need to pick up throughout the week, or if you’re more technically-inclined, there are apps you can use to create an ongoing grocery list that you can add to as you discover more items that you need. You can also share your grocery list with other members of your household if multiple people do the grocery shopping at home. And when you are in the store, you need to walk down the aisles as if you have blinders on, with laser focus on getting your list items only.

2. Leave the kids at home

It’s not always possible, but when you can, it’s best to leave the kids at home when you're going to go grocery shopping. They’re likely to ask for items you don’t need, and they're suckers for junk at the checkout line. That’s where grocery stores put items designed to get you or your kids to tack on an additional purchase that probably isn’t necessary. Also, many stores will place certain products at children’s eye-level. (Ever notice how children's cereal is always on the lower shelves while “adult” cereals are on the higher shelves.)

3. Buy generic

Most of us are trained to grab brand names that we know and love, but it can wind up costing a small fortune over time. And let’s face it—generic and store brands really don’t taste much different. If you check their labels, you’ll usually find that the ingredients are exactly the same, and often times they are the exact same product but just in different packaging. Wondering how much money you can save on food by switching to generic brands?

4. Buy in bulk

Stocking up by buying in bulk is a great way to save money, especially on non-perishable items such as toiletries. It also helps you save on food items, but you need to be careful. You don’t want to buy large quantities of a perishable item and run the risk of it reaching its expiration date before you’ve had a chance to use it. One option is to ask neighbours, friends and/or family to do a grocery store run or Costco run together. You can purchase items in bulk that you both need, and then split the bill and savings.

5. Check expiration dates

Speaking of expiration dates, smart grocery shopping means always keeping a close eye on these so you don’t overbuy an item that’s going to go bad in a few days. Even for ridiculously cheap groceries on sale, you need to be realistic. If you’re not going to be able to incorporate it into your weekly menu before it goes bad, there’s no sense in buying it. Also, remember that stores rotate products as they come in, putting those with the shortest expiration dates in the front. By looking at the items in the back of the row, you can often find ones with an expiration date that’s significantly later.

6. Shop on a full stomach

It’s a fact; when we’re hungry, we buy more. But some researchers have found that this hunger-spending phenomenon applies to both food and non-food items. So say for example you go to the Dollar Store to pick up some snacks, and while you’re there you also need to pick up some hair clips and stationary. But you’re also hungry. Research shows that not only are you more likely to overspend on the snacks if you go shopping hungry, but you’re also more likely to overspend on the other items too, so instead of buying just one pack of hair clips you actually buy a couple, and you load up on the stationary too. So, before you fill up your shopping cart, fill up your belly.

7. Shop discount stores

You may want to go to your favorite supermarket for meats and produce, but shopping at a discount store for toiletries, kitchen wares, canned items, and more can save you a bundle versus even the cheapest grocery store.

8. Pay with cash

It’s easy to buy things we don’t need when we’re using our credit cards, because the only thing stopping us is our credit limit. But in most cases (if not all), our credit limit is in no way related to our actual monthly budgets, and goes way beyond how much we can safely spend without going into debt. Instead, use cash. Not only does it psychologically hurt more to use cash versus credit cards (so you end up spending less), but you also become much more aware of your spending and your monthly budget. That means you’re more likely to be conscious of what you’re buying and think about whether it’s really necessary.