Yahoo Finance I’m a Shopping Expert: How To Cut Your Grocery Spend to $150 a Month
It seems like everyone is looking for ways to cut down on their grocery bills. The average American spends around $250-$550 per month on groceries. However, you can reduce this bill significantly. It’s possible to slash your grocery bill down to $150 a month per person.
See: 10 Aldi Items Frugal People Always Buy
Find Out: How To Get $340 Per Year in Cash Back on Gas and Other Things You Already Buy
We spoke with Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst at DealNews.com, to get her best tips on how to cut your grocery bill. Use her advice to start slashing your grocery bill.
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Embrace Generics
Most shoppers are loyal to certain name brands. However, switching from branded items to store-brand generics can net you major savings. Why pay more for essentially the same product?
“This is by far one of the easiest ways to cut back on your grocery spending,” Ramhold said. “In fact, in some cases, you can cut your expenses by 50% or even more depending on what’s on your list.”
Try out a few generic staple items first before ultimately making the switch across all applicable items if you’re satisfied with the quality.
Check Out: 6 Groceries Frugal People Buy in Winter
Meal Plan Around Sales
One of the most effective ways to cut your grocery bill is to plan your meals each week based on what’s on sale. Check the weekly circulars from your go-to grocery stores and plan recipes that incorporate discounted items.
“This is another way to easily cut back on your grocery bills, as you’re taking advantage of extra low prices to shop each week,” Ramhold said. “The savings will vary, but just by shopping the sales and planning around those, you’re setting yourself up for spending less overall, not to mention expanding your repertoire of recipes and potentially finding new favorites as well.”
With a well-planned, sale-focused grocery list, you can expect to shave at least $50 off your monthly bill.
Shop International
“This doesn’t mean literally trying to order online from overseas or anything like that, but if you happen to live near an international market, it’s worth seeing what you can find there for much less than what regular grocery store chains charge,” Ramhold said. “It can be especially good for specialty items, but also offer better prices and more options for things like tofu, spices, and condiments, too. In some cases, you could be spending 1/3 of what you would elsewhere, depending on your area.”
International grocery stores can offer big savings on many kitchen staples. You may be surprised at the deals and variety available. With some research, shopping at international stores could easily shave $20-$30 off your monthly grocery total.
Opt for More Meatless Meals
One simple and effective way to trim your grocery bill is to incorporate more meatless meals into your diet. Meat, especially beef and certain seafood, tends to be the most expensive part of any meal.
“If you’re open to changing things up, going beyond ‘Meatless Monday’ is a good way to cut grocery bills,” Ramhold said. “Meats tend to be fairly expensive, even when we aren’t still worried about inflation, but if you lean into meatless dishes, you may be surprised at how much you can save over time. Leaning into pantry staples like dried beans, rice, and pasta can help to make meals more filling and you can bulk up dishes with seasonal produce to ensure you still save while enjoying nutritious meals.”
Incorporating more vegetarian meals is one of the most impactful ways to reduce your grocery bill. Beans, lentils, tofu and seasonal veggies are very affordable protein and meal bases. Build meals around these plant-based staples. Getting creative with meatless dishes can easily shave $20-$30 off your monthly food budget. Going meatless just two to three nights per week can make a big dent in your grocery bill over time.
Buy in Bulk (When It Makes Sense)
Buying household items in bulk, like giant bags of rice or big boxes of detergent, can lead to serious savings. However, be selective about what you buy in bulk.
“There are some items that may make sense to purchase in bulk so if you have a warehouse club membership, it’s worth weighing your options,” Ramhold said. “If you have room to store excess, you can usually stock up on certain canned goods and pantry staples for a better unit price.”
Look carefully at the per ounce or per unit price when bulk shopping. Larger sizes are not always cheaper. Focus your bulk buys on versatile ingredients like grains, beans, nuts and dried fruit. And consider splitting larger packages with friends if you think it will go bad before you use it all.
“If you’re adept at planning, you can also lean into buying fresh produce in bulk,” Ramhold said. “As long as you can prep it and store it so that it doesn’t go off before you eat it, this can be a good way to save significantly over weekly grocery bills. It may have a bit of a learning curve to figure out what you can handle and store, but if you have the wiggle room to figure that out, it may be well worth your time. And when you do figure out what makes sense to purchase in bulk, there’s also a chance you can shop less frequently with enough planning, which will cut down on the risk of overspending.”
Buying fresh fruits and veggies in larger quantities can net big savings if you can properly store and use them up in time. Wash, chop, freeze and preserve excess fresh produce soon after purchasing to avoid spoilage.
Change Grocery Stores
One final way you may be able to dramatically cut your grocery spend is to change where you shop. Different grocery store chains can vary widely in their pricing, quality and savings opportunities. Don’t settle for just shopping at whatever store is most convenient.
“If you have a habit of shopping at a particular chain and you have the ability to, it may be worth looking for a new go-to grocery store,” Ramhold said. “Alternatively, if you can spread out your purchases to two stores instead of just one, you may be able to optimize your purchases to find the very best deals. Be careful when deciding which stores to add to your routine and how many you try to shop at overall; the more driving around you do the less likely the savings on groceries are going to translate. That said, if you can manage to shop at an affordable store like Walmart or Kroger, as well as a discount store like Aldi, you can generally save a good bit on groceries overall.”
Scope out a few different grocers in your area to compare prices on the most common items you purchase each trip. Take note of which store consistently offers the best deals on each item and switch your shopping trips accordingly. For instance, one might have the best prices on produce, but not-so-great prices in other departments. Plan your shopping trips strategically across retailers so you can maximize your savings.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I’m a Shopping Expert: How To Cut Your Grocery Spend to $150 a Month
