Holy cow. Let’s just get out all the commiserating and shock and horror of the uptick in grocery prices. For sure my own grocery bill has increased a good $50 per week since this time last year . . . or even six months ago.
These sustained price increases directly impact many families’ overall budgets. It is forcing us to rethink what’s on the list and how we can trim that food line item in the ledger.
Our Fort Worth Moms team has been talking about this a lot! In fact, we even dedicated an entire episode of Momfessions Podcast to it. Take a listen here: “Taming the Grocery Budget.”
These are tried and true ways real life moms on our team are adjusting to make the grocery bill more manageable.
1. Food Support
I’m starting with this one. Read this nice and slow and imagine I’m using my “mother” voice: There is zero shame and completely no failure at all . . . AT ALL . . . in leaning on your community for food support. Food banks. Food drives. Food stamps. WIC. Food support. All of this is meant to help.
If you are comfortable going to the store to buy food, you can be comfortable going to other places to get food for free. If you are in the middle of trying to figure out how to make the ends meet, worrying about which bills to forego to pay for groceries, or whatever challenge impacting you right now, please, please, please, let these food support services support you. Let them take the burden of buying food off your plate (pun completely intended.)
2. Shop Sales
This may seem like a no brainer, but it is time to pay attention to the sales. Create your meal plan and snack storehouse around what is on sale each week. If it’s not on sale, we ain’t buying it, kids. This mantra especially applies to meat for our family. The sale meat often determines our meals.
>> RELATED READ :: Simplify Dinner :: {FREE} Meal Planning Template <<
3. Buy In-Season
My kids like fruit – a lot – but I’m finding the out-of-season prices are too hard to swallow. So, we are switching to buying the fruits and veggies that are in-season. The prices are always more affordable!
4. Research
Shopping sales and buying in-season requires research . . . dare I say, requires work. To get what you need and what you want, you will likely have to source several stores to find the best deals or the selection you want. Many on our team utilize multiple stores for their grocery needs. You have to weigh, though, the extra cost of gas and the extra time of driving to make this work.
5. Coupons
You can still snag paper coupons, but we also have digital coupons at our fingertips. I personally am a fan of Kroger and use at least one digital coupon every time I shop there. Coupons can be great to bring down the prices of items not on sale or in season. Sometimes a coupon can make the cost of a name-brand item less expensive than the generic. It’s also a high when you hit the jackpot: The item is on sale AND you have a coupon.
6. Meal Planning
Meal planning has reduced my grocery bill more than anything else. It’s true. Now, do I love meal planning? No, no I do not. It is work and effort and honestly takes me about an hour every Sunday. However, the meal plan for breakfast and dinners helps me narrow my grocery list and forces me to better utilize foods I have already purchased.
7. Bulk Stores
Hello, Costco and Sam’s Club. If you have the ability to afford the yearly membership and the upfront costs of the larger items, these box bulk stores can provide cost-savings in the long run. They also mean less trips to the store, which saves time and money. You do, though, have to be careful to research if the bulk option really is less per unit than a non-bulk item. Again, research.
RELATED READ :: Never Without :: 50 Costco Must-Haves <<
8. Discount Stores
Stores such as Town Talk or Aldi are solid spots to find grocery items on the cheap. The only challenge may be selection. But again, you can create your meal plan around what you are able to score at these discount stores.
9. Gardening
Gardening is a great way to cut the cost of grocery bills! Currently, in our garden we have tomatoes, peppers, okra, cucumbers, black beans, onions, garlic, red potatoes, a variety of greens, strawberries, and carrots. From May to November we are harvesting something. You don’t have to jump all in with multiple raised beds, etc. You can start with one pot, one bucket filled with dirt and a tomato plant. Start small and add a new plant each year.
10. Freezers!
For your harvest and sale shopping and bulk purchases a deep freeze can be a goldmine. A deep freeze allows you to store food you’ve grown or bought on discount but won’t be able to consume before it goes bad. It will help decrease your food costs in a future. Think of it as a food savings plan.
11. Co-Op Shopping
Whether it is buying in bulk at big box discount stores or going in together to split a produce box or purchasing a whole animal from a local butcher, splitting the costs with other families can be a budget booster. These types of food sources can sometimes be cost prohibitive and frankly too much to store or consume for a small family. But if we split that bulk toilet paper purchase from Costco or half the produce box or divide the meat from the butcher, you can save price per unit.
12. Trim the List and the Delivery
These increased food prices may mean we need to trim the grocery lists: What foods could you cut from the list? I think snacks fall into this category often. What snacks are less per unit and last longer? Also, it may be time to say goodbye to food delivery services.
13. Just Pay More
Here is a fact: Your grocery bill will grow as your kids grow. Our larger grocery total is partially due to this reason. Our kids are just eating more than they were last year. So, sometimes, money has to come from other parts of your budget to make room for a larger food budget.
What money saving and grocery bill tips have a I missed? Comment below with your ideas and suggestions!
