With grocery prices on the rise, and more big increases to come it’s a good time to come up with a game plan on how to cut down those grocery costs. Here are 10 super simple and easy things anyone can do to really lower their grocery bills.
1 – Pick up the loss leaders of the week. Every store has a few really hot deals every week in the flyers, items priced super low to get you in the store – when you’re driving by a store make sure to pop in and stock up on those if it’s not at your regular grocery store.
2 – Change your meat habits. Either cut down how much you eat or start buying it from a farm, or stock up when there’s a big sale. Find a store or butcher that you like their meat, and keep an eye out for sales.
3 – Eat what’s in season – or start buying more canned and frozen fruits and veggies. Most of them taste just as good, and as long as you’re not buying them packed in syrup or with added salt it’s the same as fresh.
4 – Eat locally – plan to plant a garden if you have the room – if not you can rent a plot from the city or get a garden box delivered in the summer. If none of those work for you, check out farmers markets and score some good deals on local produce.
5 – Meal plan. Sit down and figure out what your family likes, which nights it works for you and watch for sales on those items you’ll need. You can plan out just a few days a week, full weeks or monthly if that’s more your style. By knowing what you’re making and picking those up at discount, you’ll save a lot. And it’ll keep you from getting takeout or ready made items too.
6 – Stock up when you find a good deal. If your family eats a lot of cereal let’s say, and you find a crazy sale, calculate how many you’d eat and what room you have to store them and get several. Great idea for frozen food, canned items, bread, peanut butter etc. That way you won’t be picking those up for a while, and it spreads the savings out. Make sure to check the clearance bins at your local store, you never know what you’ll find in there! If it’s something your family will use, stock up!
7 – Take part in twitter deals and special promotions stores run. There is the Tuesday Twitter deal at Coop stores, and also daily deals at Safeway and Sobeys, and many other stores. Those savings can add up quickly. It all becomes part of your routine after a while, and doesn’t take more time than regular shopping.
8 – Wait to shop on 10% off days, especially for bigger shops or items that don’t go on sale as much.
9 – Use coupons! You don’t have to use many to make it worth it. Clip a few you see in the paper or inserts in your flyers, or check out your stores on facebook and get some quick savings that way.
10 – Eat what you have! Before doing another big shop or stocking up, go through the freezer and pantry and get creative! Don’t let anything go to waste – probably the biggest money saver there is!
What are your ways to cut costs on groceries? What’s your plan for all the hikes that are on the way? Do you plan on changing your eating, or your shopping habits?
I love shopping at the butcher, I pay less for my ground pork from there then any where else & it’s WAY fresher.
Sobey’s had lean ground beef for $2.99 a lb. We bought 9 packages altogether, then did the Food Saver thing into 16 1-lb packs, plus a VAT of spaghetti and lasagne sauce (every Wednesday is pasta day) plus 163 1-inch meatballs, rolled and pre-cooked in the over, then frozen. The sauce included Aylmer canned tomatoes from Superstore at $7.69 a case.