A SELF-DESCRIBED grocery addict has revealed the ways she’s able to save up to $100 a week on groceries, and these are tips that anyone can employ to boost their savings.
Ashley Schuering is the blogger behind Confessions of a Grocery Addict, a website dedicated to helping readers eat healthy on a budget.
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Ashley, who lives in Nashville, regularly keeps her grocery budget at $125 a week for herself and her husband.
This means she keeps to $9 per person per day, including eating out and other household supplies.
In all, Ashley has 11 tips to get you started on your way to grocery shopping success and savings.
Overall, the tips have helped the duo reduce their weekly grocery bill from $225 by $100.
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1. Start with a list
Before you even enter the grocery store, it’s important to do a scan of your fridge, freezer and pantry.
Make a note of what you’re out of as well as any foods that can be strewn together for meals with a few additional items, Ashley said.
Once you’re at the store, have a list organized by the aisle so you don’t have to wander around too much, thereby preventing impulse buys.
2. Seasonality is key
Ashley said in-season fruits, vegetables and even meats will be cheaper than that out-of-season.
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You can also typically look for the special deals each store is offering by signing up for a customer rewards card.
By signing up for store circulars, you can plan your meals around what is on sale during a given week and restock your pantry at the same time.
3. Frozen, frozen, frozen
The frozen foods aisle is often overlooked in favor of fresh fruits and vegetables.
However, their frozen counterparts are just as healthy as the fresh ones and usually at a fraction of the price, Ashley said.
Plus, frozen fruits and vegetables are pre-prepped, making your cooking experience easier.
Ashley said most seafood at stores was previously frozen, so buying from the fresh fish counter just means they’ve defrosted it.
4. Don’t go to the store hungry
Perhaps the wisest piece of advice Ashley will ever say to her fellow shoppers concerns your mental state when you enter those grocery store doors: never go to the store hungry.
“I am a hungry, hungry hippo,” Ashley said.
“If I go to the store hungry, then I'm always going to make impulse buy decisions because everything looks good.”
Ashley keeps a huge box of granola bars and water in the car with her at all times to prevent this very problem.
If she’s feeling hungry at the store, she’ll grab one before she heads in.
5. Shop around
Sometimes brand loyalty can set you back in the budget department.
Ashley recommends shoppers to fully take in their options: hit more than one store every month because each has different strengths.
Costco might be a go-to for bulk purchases, regularly offering huge discounts for those with space in their pantry.
Aldi, meanwhile, offers some of the lowest prices on pantry items, fruits, vegetables and meats, Ashley said.
Even Publix and Kroger have their selling points, like terrific coupons and buy-one-get-one sales.
6. Look for expiration dates
Ashley said she’s been incredibly lucky at Aldi, Kroger and Publix because she consistently gets 50 percent off meat, seafood and salad kits that were going to expire soon.
Once you have these products, just toss them into the freezer, and you’ll be set to use them whenever it’s convenient for you.
And the less conventional looking fruits and vegetables are also often on discount, but they still have the same great taste, Ashley said.
7. Ditch the cart
One rarely discussed tactic in saving money at the grocery store is to only get what you can carry.
By just bringing a shopping bag into each store and filling it with everything you need first, you’ll have less room for impulse buys.
8. Keep an easy meal on hand
Another thing that could save you in times of trouble is to have an easy cheat in your pantry, Ashley said.
“Having something on hand that you can just toss in the oven without much thought or toss together in a bowl without much thought prevents me from calling Postmates,” Ashley said.
While a frozen pizza and salad kit might not be the cheapest or healthiest meal she can make, it’s much more affordable than ordering takeout when she’s too tired to make a home-cooked meal.
9. Go meatless
Next up on Ashley’s tips is to consider a more flexitarian diet. That means ditching the meat and going plant-based most of the time.
“Eating primarily plant-based foods isn't just better for your health and the environment, it's also a lot cheaper,” Ashley said.
“If you don't want to go totally plant-based, reach for high-flavor-impact ingredients like bacon.”
Ashley said a few slices can add tons of flavor without hitting your pocketbook too hard.
10. Go on an off day
Weekends are not necessarily the best times to go shopping if you want to have sufficient time and space to explore the best deals.
“Grocery shopping on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning or early afternoon is less busy, meaning I don't feel rushed to get out of the way,” Ashley said.
“Price comparison is easier when you have space and time.”
Plus, since bargain retailer Aldi restocks products on Wednesdays, some of the older items are nearly always marked down on Tuesdays.
11. Mind your waste
Each year, 108billion pounds of food is wasted in the United States.
Ashley works to not be a part of that statistic, and it also saves her money in the long run.
“The thing that has helped me save my budget the most is being really mindful of not throwing things away,” Ashley said.
That means tossing some extra carrots into a smoothie and being realistic about what you’re actually going to eat.
Avoid the aspirational buys, Ashley said, and keep your kitchen scraps in a Ziploc bag in your freezer.
You never know when they might come in handy and create the perfect vegetable broth for your next dish.
For those that are curious, this is what a sample grocery list looks like in Ashley’s household:
- Heavy cream
- Organic whole milk or oat milk
- Organic plain Greek yogurt
- Organic eggs
- Ciabatta, sourdough or brioche
- Canned beans
- Canned whole tomatoes
- Canned fish, especially tuna in olive oil, anchovies and sardines
- Dried rice, grains or pasta
- In season veggies
- Cilantro
- Green onions
- Peeled garlic
- Onions
- Arugula
- Bananas
- A "complete cheat" meal - (like a bagged salad kit and a frozen pizza, or a box of mac and cheese and some frozen broccoli)
- Avocados
- Fresh fruit (preferably in season or on sale)
- Various cheeses - (Ashley always has parmesan, cheddar, goat and ricotta on hand)
- Organic meat/chicken (but only if it is on sale)
- Sustainably caught seafood (fresh or frozen, on sale only)
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