It’s super easy to overspend on groceries. If you don’t have my freebie, Ultimate Guide to Meal Planning, be sure to snag it. Planning your meals will help you save money by preventing food waste and buying excess groceries you don’t need. Here are some frugal ways to save on groceries.
Implementing these five things, with a weekly menu, can help you save money on your grocery budget!
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5 Ways to Save Money on Groceries with Meal Planning
1. SHOP YOUR PANTRY FIRST
Before starting your meal planning, shop your pantry first. Look for ingredients to recipes you can make for the week. For instance, if you stocked up on beans during Chili season, make a bean salad or bean soup. Sick of spaghetti? Try a spaghetti carbonara, which is an easy delicious way to mix it up.
2. SHOP YOUR SALES AD NEXT
After you know what you have on hand, checkout your weekly store ad. Checkout deals on meat. This is another great jumping off point. If ground beef is on sale, plan for hamburgers, nachos, burritos, chili, shepherds pie, etc. Ground beef is one of those ingredients you can cook up in a big batch and use it for endless meals.
3. DOWNLOAD YOUR STORE’S APP AND DOWNLOAD ANY DIGITAL COUPONS
Forget grannie’s old method of clipping coupons from the Sunday paper. I mean you can, and occasionally, I still do, but most stores have digital coupons. These are easy and awesome. Perfect for people who don’t like coupons.
Download your store’s app and store them to your card or the app. It just takes a few minutes and they will stay on your card until they expire. Stores will often offer incentive bonuses and coupons tailored to your spending.
Related Post: How I Save a Ton “Couponing”
4. USE IBOTTA FOR CASH BACK ON GROCERIES
Ibotta is an app that allows you to earn cash back on groceries. Sign-up for the app and get a free $10.00 bonus on your first qualifying rebate(s). I especially like the rebates for beer and wine. It’s an easy way to get a few bucks back here and there.
5. PLAN MEALS THAT CAN BE MADE IN BATCHES OR FROZEN FOR A LATER DATE
Plan for meals that can be doubled and batched. Casseroles and crockpot meals can be prepared in bulk and depending on the ingredients, often freeze well. It’s cheaper per unit to buy items like onions and carrots in bulk. Use bulk items for stews, soups, freezer meals and crockpot meals.
For more money saving tips read my post 49 Ways To Save Money On Groceries & Food.
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I’m Chanele. Housewife, Mama, and Chief of Household Management. I love charm, simplicity, and getting organized.
I‘m always on the hunt for inspiration
and love the creative process. All of the tips I share are for busy moms managing a household and family.
Please join me in making magic, molding memories & managing a household.
