Grocery Budget Tips, What worked for you?

to begin a budget, you need to fully understand where your money is going. Do you really know what you’re spending your money on? Once you have a grasp on that, it becomes easier to figure out where you can cut some of the spending. Try not going to the store as often, it does help...otherwise, like most of us, you end up picking more
impulse items that no one really needs.

Easy grocery shopping includes a little pre planning some meals. Think ahead for the week, and decide some meals. Can some of the meats & veggies be used in multiple ways? Meats like ground beef, chicken and pork are fairly inexpensive, and can go a long way. If you have freezer space, stocking up ahead on some items when they’re on sale is a good way to save, and cuts down on shopping time later.

Can any of your supplies be cheaper? Generally the more you buy, the cheaper per unit it is.

Again, I would start with figuring out what you’re really spending on, so you can see where your weaknesses are.

I want to reduce grocery spending as well. There are six of us and I spend about $1100-1200 a month. I do shop at Aldi and that helps, but I also need to get back to making that the first stop. I also need to shop my freezer more often, make a more thorough menu plan and stick with what is on my list. I generally shop once a week but do have to stop here and there for things I forgot or added. I’m also planning to make a list of meals that are inexpensive or use items that I already have in my pantry/freezer.

That is a lot of money, but in comparison to what I spend on DH and I, you are really doing pretty well! It's not cheap to feed four growing boys.

This is a work in progress for me as well, and I would like to reduce our food waste in the coming year. I always do better when I meal plan because then I’m going shopping with a specific purpose rather than grabbing whatever catches my fancy in the moment. I tend to buy frozen meat, as it is often cheaper. I will admit to needing to shop my freezer right now as well. I try to do meatless Mondays. We eat a fair amount of beans/lentils which are budget friendly but still healthy. I mostly buy produce that is in season unless it’s seriously on sale. I shop Aldi first, then fill in whatever I didn’t get there at Kroger. Shopping once a week helps too. Good luck- it sounds like many of us are in the same boat!

I’ve been thinking of trying this. Of course that requires me to have a full list ready to go.

Menu planning (and stick to it - think about the activities you have planned for the week and where you will have to have very quick meals or leftovers). Cook mostly from scratch and limit the amount of processed snacks you buy. Chips and cheetos are expensive and don't provide any nutrition. Also quit buying individual drinks like sodas and Gatorade.

I usually cook something on Sunday and Monday that will make good leftovers we can use for lunches or quick dinners. Package the leftovers in individual portions for easy use.

Finally, consider going meatless 1-2 nights per week. You can save a lot and it's healthier! If your family feels they can't live without meat, learn to cook cheaper cuts in a slow cooker or instant pot. It's easy and tasty, and much cheaper per serving than chicken breast or ground beef.

Here is what I do -

--separate what you are spending on cleaning, paper goods etc. first.
--meal plan for the entire week. I meal plan from Monday-Sunday.
--Because I like my meat and veggies fresh, I order online 2x a week. Once of Sunday (picked up Monday am) and again on Wednesday night (for Thursday AM pickup). DH picks up the groceries on his way home. Once he pulls up to the store, its less than 4 minuets before he has the food and can leave. Ordering online limits all the extras that get tossed in on impulse.
--shop the sale ad. Hamburger on sale? Pick up an extra pound or two and freeze it for later. I also  buy chicken and hamburger in bulk, but have the butcher re-wrap it in the sizes I need (for free).

I menu plan - sometimes meal get switched around or we have a lot of leftovers and one gets skipped (and goes on the next week's menu). I look at the calendar and see if there are nights when we need something quick or nights when not everyone will be home and plan accordingly.

Next week's menu is atypical because of New Years but...

Sat - BBQ chicken (I picked up boneless chicken breast for .99/lb and leg quarters for .39/lb a couple of weeks ago and pre-packaged in meal size portions); baked potatoes (the other half of last week's bag), acorn squash
Sun - tortellini casserole
Mon - appetisers (NYEve)
Tues - ham (on sale for .99/lb a couple of weeks ago), potatoes au gratin, cream corn, roasted veg (I overbought previous and am using up), pie
Wed - leftovers
Thurs - hashbrown egg casserole (with hasbrowns I got on markdown and leftover ham)
Fri - salmon, rice, broccoli

I'll freeze some of the leftover ham for use in coming weeks as well.

I stop at Aldi's first - and buy as much of the list as possible. Then I go across the street to Publix for the handful of things left. I do look at the aldi's ad when making my menu and I always look for markdowns or special buys on stuff we're going to use anyway.

as far as recipes - when I see something online that looks good - I bookmark it. I look through the bookmarks when menu planning and if we like it - I save it to my recipe file. If not, I delete the bookmark.

I try and make something on the weekend that'll have planned leftovers - either as a leftover meal (like next Wed) or to use in another meal (roast chicken---->chicken soup). I try and do fish on Fridays and at least one, usually two meatless meals during the week. I used to do salad as a main dish once a week and then serve the leftovers as a side dish until they were gone but all the recalls have me a bit gunshy. We always have fruit on the table - either fresh (in season) or applesauce/tinned fruit. I try and always have raw veggies on the table also.

Breakfasts - I'm the only one who eats breakfast at home so I usually just pick up some yoghurt or oatmeal. We have eggs on hand for weekend breakfasts (and quick dinners, lol)

Lunches - again, I'm the only one home - DH often takes leftovers, I often eat leftovers as well or grab some cheese and crackers (a staple here) so unless it's vacation and others are going to be home for lunch, I don't plan lunches.

Meal plan and grocery pick up. That way there aren't impulse buys and you know the total before you submit and can adjust accordingly.

Yes!

Physically seeing the running total is a huge help.

Meal planning, making a list and sticking to it as much as possible, and cheaper brands.

For some things, store brand stuff is just as good as name brand. I buy store brand chicken broth, beans, milk, etc. You don't need to go generic on everything but look into where something as basic as chicken broth or canned tomatoes is just as good and cheaper.

Plan your meals based on the ads. Is chicken breast or chicken thighs on sale? Are fresh green beans or corn on sale? We eat more oranges during the winter, more apples in the fall, and more strawberries in the spring/summer. Are you buying pre-made salads or whole heads of lettuce? Which gets wasted more?

Here are 4 things that helped me cut my grocery bill some...

1. Buy discounted meat. My store typically does this on Tuesday. Its meat that needs to be sold that day and used that day or frozen that day. I will grab several packages.

2. Shop sales and stock up. Look at what you typically use within a 2 week period. When whole chickens go on sale for 69 cents, I buy 4. I leave 2 whole, have one broken down, and one spatchcocked. I can get 2 meals and stock from 1 chicken. That is for 2 adults and a teen.

3. Limit the amount of snack food.

4. Use every bit of your food. I save the tops and ends of carrots and celery and throw them into a ziplock bag I keep in the freezer. With the chicken bones, I make stock. I use the left over celery and carrots. I also make vegetable stock.

Oh and a 5th, don't make protein the main part of the meal. Make it some of the meal so you can save money by buying less meat.

Have 2 vegetables and a starch or fruit.

Eta: I spend between $170-200 a week on just food. My bigg3st budget killer is water. Ds is on a medical formula and has to use pure bottled water and dd has pots and has to have 90 to 100 oz a day. That is about $40 a week. About $200 to $250 a month on other stuff like shampoo, conditioner, tp, paper toweling, ect.

Meal planning, making a list and sticking to it, making homemade meals from scratch, no waste (creating soup stock from leftovers etc)
I read here that many Peas use paper plates daily. I can't imagine! If you do, that would be a big money waster(and generally bad for the environment)