Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bills Without Coupons or Chasing Sales

10/1/2022

The price of food keeps climbing. For most people, that's a hardship. We feel that hardship. 

The Wall Street Journal had an article on rising food costs and how people are coping. For most people, it's a challenge. They interviewed people coming out of the grocery store and examined their receipts.

There were two types of shoppers: Those that buy mostly prepared foods and those that buy ingredients.  It was evident that ingredient shoppers get more food for the buck.  It costs less to eat at home. Cooking and baking from scratch costs less than eating prepared foods.

Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bills

Without Coupons or Chasing Sales

Now there’s nothing wrong with clipping coupons or chasing sales. You’ll save money. But they take time. And we’re busy. We want ways to save money that are less demanding.

Look at these.

1. Make fewer trips to the grocery store. Stores live off impulse buys. Displays and packaging, even the store’s layout, screams “buy me” and the professionals that put those together are good. But how do you do that?
   Plan your trips carefully so that you don’t miss something that you need to go back and buy. Always use a list.
   Shop online. Sometimes it’s cheaper, especially if its free local pickup. Besides, there’s no rush at your computer and you have more time to think through your purchase. Instead of buying ground beef, you can try ground chicken for that casserole.
2. Shop from a menu. Plan your meals for the week, then shop. It’s a proven way to save money.
3. Use it up; don’t throw it out. Americans, on average throw away 30 to 40% of their food. Cut that in half for big savings.
   Create a “use me first” shelf at eye level in your refrigerator. Put leftovers on that shelf. Put dated food on that shelf. Check it and use it.
   Consider “Fresh Bags.” They will extend the life of your product by a week or so.
   Freeze some of your food. When I take a loaf of bread home, which is often, I slice the loaf and freeze half of it. I put waxed paper squares between the slices. To thaw it, put a slice or two in the toaster. There are other foods you can freeze, especially meats.
4. Use self-checkout. This may be the easiest of all. For some reason, we spend less when we check ourselves out.