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Food expense is one of the foundations of anyone’s budget and a necessary expense. However, it’s one of the essential expenses that you can easily control. Saving money on food, even grocery shopping, is doable for pretty much anyone.

For background, let’s make note that this line item includes groceries and eating out. To clarify, groceries are necessary but eating out is not. However, eating out should be factored into your budget if you do it. Don’t demonize it but watch HOW much you do it and its costs to you. Also, buying prepared meals at the grocery store tends to be cheaper than getting your dinner at a restaurant.

The Easiest Way to Save on Groceries

Shop in your pantry and fridge BEFORE heading to the store. I can’t tell you how often I’ve bought items at the store that I already had at home. Or threw out food because I forgot I had them in the house and it went bad. Money in the garbage essentially.

So to save money on groceries, plan your meals around what you already have at home. Then you only have to buy the ingredients you need to complete the meals you were planning.

Before the trip to the Grocery Store

Now that you have planned your trip, the next step is to download your grocery store’s app. Hopefully, you already have their savings card. If you don’t, get it by applying in-store or online if they have that capability.

If you have your grocery store’s app, check out their circular for sales and their coupons. I personally usually do my grocery shopping at Shoprite. Its proximity and pricing make it perfect for me. Every week on Sunday, I open the app and check out their new coupons. If there’s something I might buy, I “clip” the coupon which adds the coupon to my rewards card.

Now, this doesn’t mean that since I clipped the coupon, I am going to buy that item. I just add it in case I buy the item during my routine run. For example, I sent my husband to the grocery store for eggs and he also decides to get cereal. He’s a good student so he only got it because it was on sale but I had a digital coupon associated with the store card used saving me an extra dollar without a second thought. Easy, mindless savings!

At the Grocery Store

Shop sale items to save money on your groceries. Your store’s circular is very helpful in figuring that out so use it to plan your meals for the week. Also, if you’re eating with the goal of being healthy, then buying vegetables in season will save you money. How do you know what’s in season? Often the items on sale in the produce section are in season since the supply is so high. Also, you can google what’s in season in your area or check out the USDA’s recommendation.

Frozen veggies are also a great way to stock up on vegetables and they last a long time. Some people give frozen veggies a bad rap. Despite some textural changes that may bother some, the nutritional composition is the same. Throw those veggies in a soup or stir-fry and you’ll be none the wiser.

If you use credit cards responsibly, then you should have one that gives you cashback, especially for groceries. I personally use and love American Express‘s* Blue Cash Preferred card. It has an annual fee of $95 but it pays for itself easily. If you use my referral link, you can get up to $250 in statement credits. Free cash if you use the card responsibly. There are other cards that provide cashback that might work better for you without annual fees. Happy saving!

*Referral links are marked with an asterisk. Using it doesn’t cost you anything but may lead to us both receiving referral bonuses.

After the Grocery Store

Rebates! That’s a way to save money on your groceries after the fact. Guess what my favorite app is? Fetch*! (referral code: NU5YR so you can get 2,000 bonus points that you can redeem for gift cards, magazines, electronics, etc). The reason I love it is the ease of use. You can upload ANY grocery receipt and get points. You don’t have to redeem specific offers for rebates. If there are bonus offers, you get those bonuses automatically when you upload your receipt. Soooo easy! This year, they also let you upload home improvement receipts and can check your email for receipts there too. Another great personal finance feature is you can track your grocery spending here really quickly.

The one you probably thought I was going to claim as my favorite app is Ibotta* (referral code: jdfahq). It’s a great app but the offers are very brand-specific. So out of 10 shopping trips a month, I could maybe redeem once or twice a month. I don’t feel you should conform your shopping to aim for these rebates because you might wind up spending more unnecessarily. I will never endorse that. Also, you have to activate each and every offer prior to uploading your receipt. They have a lot more offers available than Fetch though. Also the rewards are in cash, not points, so it’s more relatable.

To-Do List

• If you eat out often, try to eat out less by making dinner one of those nights. Or bring your lunch to work an extra day instead of buying it.
• Check your pantry and plan your meals for the week before going to the grocery store.
• Clip your digital coupons on your grocery store’s app or website every week.
• Check your store’s circular to plan your meals for the week.
• If you have a cash-back credit card, use it.
• Use a rebate app for cashback.

What are your tips and tricks for saving money on groceries?

Before you leave, check out tips on how to save money on Amazon. There’s also a video I’ll link below from The Deal Guy on YouTube.