How I Cut My Grocery Bill by $100 a Month Without Giving Up Convenience
Grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do, but that doesn’t mean I like to spend more money than I have to.
While I keep my grocery budget as low as possible, I also try to do it without giving up much convenience. Making small adjustments, however, can lower your grocery budget, giving you more room for savings, fun or other expenses.
Here's how I cut my grocery bill by $100 a month without sacrificing convenience.
Check Out: 5 Low-Cost Grocery Staples You Should Always Buy in Bulk
See Next: Start Growing Your Net Worth With Smarter Tracking
Compare Store Prices
If you want to cut your grocery bill by $100 or more each month, it may only mean changing your grocery store. To see which grocery store was the least expensive, Allrecipes created a grocery list and then compared prices across eight stores. Aldi took first place for the lowest total price for that particular list. I’ve found this to be the case when I head out to the store. While I haven’t done a side-by-side comparison with other stores, I can typically get a week’s worth of groceries for my family of five for $150 or less (this doesn’t include meat prices because we buy meat in bulk). At other stores, that total typically climbs quite a bit.
Switch To Store Brands
Back in middle school, a friend did a project on which pancake mix was the best and compared a few name brands and store brands. The store brands won out and I’ve never forgotten it. Today’s store brands are often just as good or better than name brands and have lost much of any stigma attached to reaching for the cheaper product. In the case of Costco’s Kirkland Signature and Target’s Good & Gather brands, some store brands have reached their own type of “name brand” status. Plus, these goods are sometimes made by the same manufacturers that make store brands and Consumer Reports said that you can save between 25% and 30% on store brand products.
Pay Attention to Meat Prices and Buy in Bulk If Possible
Rather than buying meat during each trip to the store, we buy in bulk — typically 1/4 beef, a whole hog and 50 whole chickens. We have a lot of freezer space and stagger these purchases throughout the year to accommodate the meat. We spend around $1,700 per year, which breaks down to about $142 per month.
While not everyone has freezer space or the upfront budget to pay for meat in bulk, you can look for sales and freeze it for later or choose lower priced cuts or types of meat. Pork, for instance, is typically less expensive than beef. Costco even has whole chickens for a little over $1 per pound.
Make Snack Packs Instead of Buying Them
At Costco, a 26-ounce bag of Power Up Trail Mix is $9.80 while the snack pack version is $16.79 for 24 1.5-ounce packs. That’s a difference of 11 cents per ounce. While that may not seem like a lot, cents add up to dollars quickly. True, the prepackaged version is more convenient, but you can buy the bag version and make your own snack packs by dividing the trail mix up into containers or storage bags. It will take a little extra effort, but you’ll still have the convenience of smaller portions to grab when you’re feeling hungry and getting in the habit of buying the less expensive option can add up.
Editor’s note: Pricing and availability are subject to change.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
More From MoneyLion: