17 Ways to Save Money On Groceries Without using Coupons
Hi guys, it’s Katie! I’m sharing 17 ways you can save money at the grocery store without using coupons. I hope that these will help you. Additionally, you might want to take a look at these tips from King of Kash, as you can find many more tips for grocery shopping while on a budget. You can save so much more with these tips!
- Use what you have – Open your cupboards, pantry, fridge, and (gasp!) your freezer. I often find a few extra meals or at least most of the ingredients for a couple of meals.
- Make a list and stick to it! This will save you a lot of money and keep you from buying impulsively especially in the snack aisle. It also helps you get all of the ingredients for a meal so you’re more likely to cook it. Don’t forget veggies, fruit, breakfasts, and a few snacks. Terra Hill, you can pick up your groceries close to your home from cold Storage Anchorpoint, NTUC Fairprice (Telok Blangah) along with NTUC Fairprice (PSA Branch).
- Meal Plan! When you make a list plan out what meals you want to cook that week. I know Thursday nights are busy for us so I always plan either a crockpot meal or something that is fast and easy to cook. Post your list either on the fridge or inside you pantry so you remember what your plan is.
- Buy items that can be used for more than one meal. A great example of this is lettuce. You can use it in a salad, on tacos, and for lettuce wraps. I buy the big pack of chicken and get 3 meals out of it.
- Make enough for dinner for your family and then lunch the next day. When we make pot pie we make a 9×13 and that can feed my family of 5 for 2 dinners.
- Don’t take your kids with you to the store. My kids always ask for extras. They have learned that mom does not like to buy extras, but it’s more difficult to stick to a list if they are there. Especially if they all come!
- Skip the name brand– Store brand items are often far cheaper and usually just as tasty.
- Look for sales – If I’m planning on buying fruit for a side one night or for the kids to snack on I try and buy the cheaper apples, and whatever they have on sale. A good example of this is grapes. Sometimes they go on sale for a dollar/lb or around there and I’ll get some, but usually they are very expensive. This applies across the store. I also look for sales in the frozen vegetable section and the cracker aisles.
- Buy food you actually like – I tried a new recipe the other night and it had fennel in it. Like the fennel you get from the produce section. I like trying new dinner recipes but I probably won’t go after another recipe in fennel in it while my kids are so picky. Another great example of this buying food only one or two people in your family like. I’ve got 2 kiwi eaters and the rest of us aren’t as crazy about them so if kiwis are a good price I’ll get 2 or 3. That way I don’t buy a big bag and watch them rot in the fridge.
- Have a few meatless meal options or don’t make meat the center of your plate. Meat is pretty pricey. So we have a meatless meal about once a week. Or if we have meat it’s not always the center of attention.
- Have smaller dinners – I love a good steak with a couple of sides and a yummy dessert. But there’s no way we can afford to eat like that every night and we really don’t need that heavy of a meal either. There’s nothing wrong with omelets for dinner, or sandwiches. If we have people over I usually keep it simple and throw in a couple of extra sides.
- Use what you buy – If you’ve planned out your meals plan ahead of time, make the time in your day to cook. Make sure that the meat is defrosting in the fridge the night before. Plan your easy meals for busy days and days your home have more time consuming ones.
- Buy fruits and veggies that you need to wash and cut. It’s sure easier to buy a fruit platter or a veggie tray but it’s so much cheaper to buy the ingredients and do the work yourself.
- Cook from scratch – Skip the pancake mix and make them from scratch!
- Store your produce so it doesn’t go bad as fast. Find out more HERE and HERE.
- Find a sale? Buy in bulk and freeze. This is what I do whenever I find a good deal on meat, especially beef or berries. This is why I do #1 every time I shop 🙂
- Do. Not. Shop. Hungry. Always eat before you shop! It will keep you from impulse buys and help you to stick to the list.
Bonus Tip: Buy for the season! My kids want cherries and strawberries in the middle of winter and sorry kids they are not in season and expensive. So they can have some frozen ones from last summer. Since it’s summer here I plan that at least once a week we are having a bbq or dinner with friends or family. So I usually plan on a side or potluck item I can take and add it to my list. Sometimes this is chips when they’re on sale and sometimes it’s orange slices.