How to cut back your spending on groceries

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Do you find yourself spending so much on groceries despite cooking at home to save money? Here’s how to cut back your spending on groceries.

Expenses on groceries differ a great deal for everyone or household.

If you are trying to cut down your expenses significantly or live a little more frugal, one of the very common pieces of advice out there would be to make your meals at home and cut back on your frequency to restaurants.

This is an effective way to cut expenses, but if you happen to spend so much on groceries, you would not be saving as much as you would like, which defeats your purpose of not eating out to save money.

If you believe you spend too much on groceries and think you can cut that down significantly, this post is for you.

Here are some ways you can lower your expenses on groceries significantly while prioritizing the quality of your meals.

1. Meal planning

The first tip on how to cut back your spending on groceries is meal planning.

You might not be fond of the term meal planning if you are not much of a planner or you are a super spontaneous person.

However, meal planning is a very beneficial practice, especially when it comes to saving you time and money and the convenience of not having to worry about what to eat at the end of a long day.

To make it less daunting, I plan meals for only a week.

It’s unrealistic to do it for longer periods as your cravings change.

Also, planning for a week ensures you buy fresh goods and use them up before they go out.

You can pick a day or two of the week that is convenient for you to plan, buy groceries you would need for that week, and prepare, pack and refrigerate the meals.

It is also ok to plan meals without preparing them as well if that is your preference.

Instead, you can prepare the ingredients and pack them, so it is easier to make the meals when you are ready.

2. Proper meal storage

Learn the proper ways to store the food items you buy so they last you longer.

Some foods are not meant for the refrigerator, and putting them there would lower their life span.

Also, learn what food items belong in the different compartments of your refrigerator.

Proper storage is a great way to prevent waste and get more usage out of your groceries.

It is a painful feeling to purchase items and have to throw them away because they went bad.

3. Making a list and sticking to it

After planning what meals you will be having and figuring out what food items will be needed for the week, make a list before going to the grocery store and try your very best to stick to it.

If an item is not on the list, try to avoid buying it, no matter how enticing the sales you might come across, unless it is something you need.

Making a list also helps you not forget to get stuff.

Have you ever been to the store to pick up one item and ended up with a bunch of stuff but the actual thing you went in there for?

Yeah, me too!

An easy fix is to make a list always before you go to the store.

That way, you can get all you need in one go and not have to think of shopping for the rest of the week.

4. Try not to shop while hungry

Yes, I know this sounds so cliché, but going to the grocery store hungry would more than likely result in you getting lots of junk food or snacks.

When you are hungry, you are looking for something you can eat immediately or as soon as you get home, and the stores have an unlimited supply of those.

Also, when you are hungry and passing through the store aisle with assortments of snacks and fast food, there is a very high chance you end up with more food than you need to satisfy your hunger at that moment.

5. Repurpose leftovers

There are so many ways you can make a new meal from your leftovers, so don’t let them go to waste.

Just look in your kitchen and find ingredients that would complement your leftovers.

This is a great way to save money and reduce waste at the same time.

6. Separate refrigerator compartment

Sometimes it is hard to keep track of the food that’s about to go out if they are all packed together with fresh food.

A good tip is to keep a compartment in your refrigerator for foods that are about to go out, so you know to always take from that compartment first when getting food or making a meal.

This is great for maximizing the use of your food, and it would also help you significantly cut down on waste.

7. Take advantage of seasonal foods

Many food items are seasonal, where they are cheap in some seasons and expensive in others.

You can take advantage of these seasonal foods by planning meals with food items available in abundance in that season.

Because these food items are cheap when they are in season, you will be able to make really great and wholesome meals for very cheap.

This would lower your overall cost of food significantly.

Ready to save some money on groceries?

There you have it, seven things you can do to cut back your spending on groceries.

In addition to these tips that I have just talked about, you can always use coupons or cashback apps for good deals to save even more money.

Remember that spending less is a habit that might take a while to get the hang of, so don’t beat yourself up if you are still struggling.

Just make a consistent effort to cut back waste in whatever way you can and take advantage of cheaper food in that season.