How to reasonably cut down your grocery budget?

By Carmen Flores

Nov 19, 2022

Level: General

Reading time: 4 min

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Do not assume that saving on groceries is the prerogative of those who do not earn enough. It`s a delusion because the rational consumption of products is important for caring for the environment. And, as a rule, this also has a positive effect on your spending: by optimizing purchases, people stop buying what they are more likely not to eat or throw away products due to expiration.

We’ve put together five great tips to help you figure out how to cut down the grocery budget and save money!

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Plan the meals

The very first step to how to cut down a grocery budget is to never go to the grocery store with no purpose. First of all, you will need to plan what you will cook for a certain period of time (for example, for 3 days or I will put it on), depending on how often you can visit the store.

Next, break down the dishes into ingredients to understand what you need to buy. Don’t forget snacks and drinks. Once you have listed the ingredients, research which brands make them and whether it is possible to replace the hype expensive brands with something budget, but no less quality. To do this, you will have to carefully study the market, compare prices, read reviews on certain brands, and then find out which brands you can find in the nearest supermarkets. However, after conducting such an analysis, you greatly optimize your budget.

Plus, try to replace exclusive ingredients with a local alternative: for example, if the recipe contains salmon, then you can always purchase fish Rod instead, and so on.

Always make grocery lists

What is the 50/30/20 budget rule?

Going to the store without a shopping list is irrational, because there is a temptation to buy unnecessary things that will allow you to snack, but will not be part of a nutritious full meal. With shopping lists, you can achieve thorough planning and see what products you buy regularly.

Additionally, there are tons of great apps out there that will make list making easier. Be sure to try TickTick; AnyList; Our Groceries Shopping List and similar addons.

No impulse purchases

Avoiding impulse buying is impossible without the first two tips. In a fit of unexpected desire or a seemingly attractive promotion, you can buy some unusual product or a lot of snacks that will only pull your dollars.

Fun fact: according to statistics, most impulsive purchases are made by people being hungry. So, try to go to the supermarket only when you are full and the insidious brain will not force you to buy something completely useless.

Shop at local market

And if you want to understand how to cut down the grocery budget and save, then you should sometimes visit local bazaars, and not just be only a supermarket customer. And there are several reasons for this:

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local merchants need to cut prices to be competitive with supermarkets;
in the market, you can always bargain a little, reducing the initial price by 10-20% on average;
the quality of farm products is usually higher than what you can find in the supermarket.

Thus, if there is a good local market within walking distance from you, then be sure to go there from time to time. There you can find a lot of seasonal quality and fresh products at a very nice price.

Explore store`s promotions and sales

Another splendid life hack on how to cut down the grocery budget and still eat healthy is to pay attention to the promotions of chain stores. For example, some supermarkets release promotional materials every month, send various personalized discount coupons to customer emails, and offer other marketing gimmicks to grab your attention — so why not take advantage of them?

In addition, never refuse to issue discount cards, especially if they not only give discounts, but also allow you to accumulate points that can later be converted into money and spent on goods in the store!

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