Money Saving Tips as Grocery Bills Climb

With the prices of grocery bills continuing to climb and rippling effects of inflation, you can’t help but laugh a bit at this image because it feels very accurate.

Want to further your grocery bills? Here are some tips to help you save money as you shop:

• Shop Sales – One way to maximize your wallet is to check out what’s on sale before you hit the store and then shop those. Whether it’s shopping for this week’s meals, honing in on seasonal produce or restocking pantry essentials, utilize the sales to prioritize what you need.
• Meal Plan – Meal planning requires planning and effort, but if you put in the work, it makes food shopping and cooking even easier and less wasteful. If you’ve never meal planned before, start by looking at what you have at home first, planning out one set of meals for the week (I’m looking at you, dinner) and then shop accordingly. Bonus points for using foods on sale!
• Make a List – Now that you’ve checked out the sales and (maybe) meal planned, make a list of what you need and (try to) stick to it! This can be the most challenging, but will help you stay on track! Plus, remembering the EWG’s Dirty Dozen/Clean Fifteen lists are always helpful when prioritizing produce spends, too.
• Know Your Stores – It can be hard to get everything you need at one store, so pay attention to which stores carry what you need and their prices. I know for me personally, I tend to shop at three or four stores to get everything I need, but I try – keyword try – to shop strategically to minimize unnecessary trips and spends.
• Take Advantage of Money Saving Apps – Do you use apps like Ibotta or Rakuten to save some sweet moolah? If not, consider joining today, as you simply need to redeem offers or shop through their links/linked stores and that’s it – nothing beats free money 😉
• Online Sites FTW – While I definitely shop for dry goods/pantry essentials in-stores, many times I utilize websites like Vitacost and Amazon, to name two, for my restocks. Not only do sales/deals happen frequently, you can further your purchase with Subscribe & Save/autoship and taking advantage of double cash back days on Rakuten.

Happy shopping!