14 inventive grocery budgeting ideas

The cost of food is growing. Although costs are going up everywhere, it seems like our grocery budgets are being impacted the most yet! We provide solutions to help you reduce your food expenses.

This article provides We have everything covered” and recommendations to help them make the most of their shopping money. Now let’s get going!

What is the appropriate amount to spend on groceries?

The size of your household is the primary factor that determines how much you spend on food each month. Larger families will obviously spend more, but your budget is also influenced by other things.

Food prices vary around the nation, and therefore, your dietary requirements and preferences will also have a significant impact.

There isn’t a budget figure that works for everyone. However, we may refer to the USDA food planning for some broad parameters. These are official government reports that provide a variety of prices for a well-balanced home-cooked meal.

According to USDA standards, a family of four (two adults aged 20 to 50, one kid aged 6 to 8, and one child aged 9 to 11) should budget the following amounts:

• $10,979.40 a month for the economical plan
• $1,048.70 a month for the budget-friendly plan
• $1,305.10 a month for the plan with moderate costs
• $1,576.10 for the liberal plan each month

This information comes from the USDA food reports for February 2023, however fresh reports are released every month and prices are going up because of inflation.

In summary, a family of four may budget as little as $980 per month, or as much as $1,576 per month, if they choose a diet that uses more costly components.

Many households are searching for methods to save expenditures on food due to the rising cost of goods. We’ve got you covered.

14 suggestions on how to save costs on food 

Do you want to pay less on groceries? There are a few strategies you may use, such as purchasing in-season and in large quantities or adhering to your shopping plan and resisting impulsive buys. The finest grocery money-saving advice will be covered here.

1. Establish a food budget and begin monitoring your expenses 💲

Knowing how much you now spend on groceries can help you create a food budget for your family and, hopefully, begin to reduce expenses. It’s possible that a large number of us are unaware of the potential financial burden that food may be placing on us.

You have three options for this step: utilize a budgeting tool, check your credit card statement, or start saving receipts. Adding a food budget to your personal finance routine may be a terrific way to expose your children to this important financial literacy issue. Budgeting can be a great addition to any financial practice.

2. Look at the deals 📰

Weekly sales cycles on popular food goods are virtually usually observed by local grocery shops, and the majority of them also send out sales fliers to homes. Examining the supermarket costs on these fliers and sales circulars is a smart idea, especially for the goods that are prominently promoted.

These highlighted products are often so-called “loss leaders,” which the grocery shop is really selling at a loss in order to attract consumers. This implies that you may be able to get certain things for less money than the grocery store paid for them if you shop carefully!

3. Make use of retailer loyalty schemes 👱

The majority of grocery retailers offer loyalty or rewards programs. Large supermarket companies have their own applications, including Walmart, Target, Kroger, and others. Enrolling in these programs is a smart idea if you often purchase at any retailer.

Programs for loyalty may operate in a variety of ways. Some could return a portion of your earnings, while others might get you exclusive offers or discounts. Find out more about the programs offered by your preferred grocery shop!

4. Apply retail vouchers 🤑

Additionally, a lot of shops provide their own promo codes and discounts, often via a mobile app. These coupons often need you to “save” them to your account before you can use them, but once you do, as long as you use your shop loyalty card, they ought to apply automatically.

Once again, every shop is a little bit different from the others, and some don’t even give store coupons. However, it’s certainly worth the effort to preserve any coupons you could find useful if your preferred neighborhood supermarket does provide them.

5. Follow the shopping list 📜

Everyone has gone grocery shopping and found themselves with a cart full of items that weren’t on their list! While some impulsive purchases are unavoidable, this is one area that needs attention given the increasing cost of food and the growing number of families attempting to reduce their grocery expenditures.

Before you go grocery shopping, it’s a good idea to develop a precise list to avoid unnecessary purchases and off-list products. To have a better sense of what you’ll need to buy, you may even plan your meals for the next week.

6. Discover inexpensive dinner ideas 🧑‍🍳

You may reduce shopping prices by altering the foods you make and the way you cook them. There are many excellent recipe websites available, some of which target frugal consumers and steer clear of pricey products in order to help their readers save money.

7. Cut down on food waste ♻️

Nearly 40% of food is wasted in America as a whole. Much of it happens at the industrial/retailer level, but a significant amount of fresh food is also thrown away by many families on a monthly basis.

There are many tactics you may apply to decrease food waste in your home:

• Find out how expiry dates on food operate. (For example, you can comprehend the “best by” date.)
• Purchase fresh vegetables in smaller amounts and as required.
• Think about frozen vegetables and fruits.
• Preserve food by freezing it before it spoils.
• Think about preparing meals.
• Make shorter, more regular journeys to the food shop.

8. Utilize manufacturer/third-party coupons ✂

You could get more use out of clipping coupons from other sources in addition to store coupons. Manufacturer coupons may sometimes be found directly on the manufacturer’s website, as well as on websites like Coupons.com and The Krazy Coupon Lady. To find out how the coupon works and potential locations for acceptance, be sure to read the small print.

9. Purchase retail brands 🙒

Common home necessities are available at many retailers under generic labels. These are often offered for much less money than famous brands, and in some instances, the only difference in the product’s quality is its packaging.

10. Use apps to get cashback 🤳

A few smartphone applications from third parties provide incentives or cashback on certain purchases. In order to use these rebate applications, you must snap photos of your receipts and submit them to the app. If any of the goods you upload match those that are eligible for a refund, you may get additional compensation. Ibotta and Fetch Rewards are two popular applications for rebates.

Utilize a credit card with incentives 💳

Certain credit cards provide rewards in the form of cash back or other points. Thus, when you purchase groceries, you may be able to get some cash back. If you spend $1,000 a month on groceries, many credit cards provide 1%–2% back in rewards, which translates to an additional $10–$20 in rewards per month.

Just remember to pay off the whole balance on your credit card each month. You will pay interest on an outstanding debt, negating the benefits you get. Use a debit card instead of a credit card if your credit is bad or you’d rather not use credit cards (most debit cards don’t earn points).

Parents: You may earn up to 3% limitless cash back* on every dollar you spend with the Greenlight Family Cash Card. There are no purchasing categories to monitor. The amount of cash back you may earn has no upper limit. And you won’t ever again have to juggle many credit cards.

12. Buy in season 🥕

In-season food, fresh produce (and even frozen, to some degree), is usually less expensive. Purchasing out of season is often much more expensive. 

As a classic illustration, consider fresh berries. The cost of a fresh strawberry box during the winter months might be double that of a package during the lat,spring or summer months. This is due to the fact that the berries need to be farmed and transported by air freight. 

13. Comparative shopping

It pays to search around for the greatest deals on supermarket basics. This may be accomplished in-person, online, or by comparing regional sales fliers. While national retailers like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and Target often provide reasonable prices on necessities, don’t forget to check out smaller, regional businesses as well.

14. Possibly purchase in bulk 🙍️

Lastly, think about shopping at warehouse clubs like Sam’s Club or Costco. There is a membership charge for these shops. Sam’s Club memberships start at $50 per year as of May 2023, whereas Costco memberships start at $60; nonetheless, the cost reductions usually exceed the membership price.

Fresh groceries, canned products, and other home essentials are often available at these warehouse shops for far less money per unit. Make sure you can really consume perishable items before they spoil, however, before purchasing them in large quantities.

Knowing is power when it comes to budgeting.

You can save more money the more you know! You may start making improvements by examining your present expenditures to establish a solid foundation. From there, get the most of your food budget by using bulk buying, store brands, comparison shopping, and the other advice covered above.

Desire to get the most out of every dollar? See the Greenlight Blog for further information on personal finance. Additionally, you need to be aware of the Greenlight app if you are a parent. For children and teenagers, Greenlight is an app that manages money and debit cards. We’ll give you a free month of Greenlight.

*Get paid 3% for spending at least $4,000, 2% for spending at least $1,000 but less than $4,000, and 1% for spending less than $1,000 in a billing cycle. Details on earning, redeeming, expiring, and forfeiting points are included in the Credit Card Rewards Terms & Conditions.