15 Grocery Tips for Lowering Your Food Bill

         As grocery costs continue to rise, I thought I would do some research to discover tips to help my readers and myself, especially as our holidays quickly approach.

Some tips I found for lowering your weekly grocery bill are:

1. Redefine dinner. Dinner does not have to be a three-course meal with bread and dessert.  Try making an omelet, a salad, beans and rice, or a BLT.  My mother always told me that we needed some sort of vegetable at dinner.  So, what I did with my daughters when we had pizza night was offer them frozen peas to go along with the pizza.  They loved them!
2. Clean out the pantry. Make it a challenge to use things in your pantry for dinner instead of purchasing new groceries.
3. Make freezer meals. Use the weekend to make freezer meals to eat during the busy week.  In the past, I have called a friend to do this together.  We both had several freezer meals and had fun at the same time.
4. Calculate the food costs as you shop. If you need to stick to a budget, as you are shopping, use a calculator to add up items as you shop.  This will give you an idea of what you are spending as you put the item in your shopping cart.  Remember there will be tax added at checkout.
5. Know the right time to shop. Many experts state that Wednesday is the best day to grocery shop.  Stores do their restocking in the middle of the week, which often allows you to get last week’s discounts as well as the new week’s discounts.  They also say that the early bird has access to the clearance items before others, especially the meats.
6. Make a menu for the week. It is suggested to make a menu for the week and stick to it when grocery shopping.  Stores count on shoppers to impulse buy when they visit the store.  They purposefully set up their end-of-aisle deals to entice the shopper to pick up a couple of deals.
7. Bring your own bags. Some stores now charge $.5 to $.10 to use provided bags.  If we bring our own bags, we aren’t charged, and we don’t waste the bags.
8. Don’t shop when you’re hungry. I’ve known this rule for a long time and tried to follow it.  When hungry, the shopper will buy junk food items thinking they are a quick fix to their hunger.  You are purchasing wasted calories that migrate to parts of our bodies we would rather they not go.
9. Be careful when you see those deals or discounts. Now that my husband and I have downsized for retirement, we don’t have extra space to buy bulk from warehouse stores.  I also know it is more food than the two of us need, as it often goes to waste.
10. Meatless Mondays. Try one or two meals without meat each week.  There are many tasty recipes online to try.
11. Try the generic brand. Generic brands cost anywhere from 20% to 30% cheaper.  And according to Consumer Reports, most store brands hold up to the name brands in quality and taste.
12. Use what you buy. Don’t purchase something, and then just let it sit on your shelf.  That is like throwing your money out the window.
13. Shop the outside aisles of your store. You’ve probably heard this before.  The outer aisles are your staples – dairy, meat, bread, fruits, and vegetables.  The inside aisles are mainly processed foods that can quickly derail your budget.
14. Leave the spenders at home when shopping. Such as your spouse and children -who tend to want extra unhealthy foods not on your list.
15. Eat leftovers from dinner for your lunch. This habit will save you bunches each year and alleviate the frustration of locating something the following day when you head out the door.

You might also want to visit the following sites for more ideas and recipes:

• https://www.cnbc.com/select/how-to-save-on-groceries/
• https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/ways-to-save-money-on-food-groceries
• https://www.bonappetit.com/story/save-money-on-groceries
• https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/save-money/groceries-100/

I hope these tips will help in some small way—happy planning for the busy weeks ahead.

All my best,

Julie