I’m interested in what habits genuinely help people keep grocery spending down without making life miserable.
Do you meal plan, batch cook, shop from your pantry first, avoid certain aisles, use a price book, buy frozen, share meals, or do something else?
I’m especially curious about the difference between things that sound frugal in theory and things that actually work when you’re busy, tired, or feeding other people.
What grocery habits actually save you money long-term?
byu/TelephxneTh0t inFrugal
Posted by TelephxneTh0t
27 Comments
I am very forgetful. So I make my list of things to buy based on recipes that I want to make, but FIRST, I check my pantry and fridge right before I leave
The amount of times that I realize that I already some canned vegetables for recipes, or proteins hiding in the freezer… It’s nuts dude
Reducing waste (can be done by planning, focusing on using up things before they expire, batch prep, or similar), cooking by myself (cheaper than premade stuff), not buying meat
Shopping at Aldi.
Where we live Walmart is the only. grocery store available within reasonable driving distance. We buy their store brands. Work just fine. Chips? Store brand! Etc. I plan a menu then shop online for delivery so no spur of the moment purchases. I buy food to cook no bakery stuff. If we want cake I can make one healthier and less expensive. No pop at all. Maybe the store brand for special occasions. It has saved us lots of money and helped our family a lot.
i buy precut frozen veggies or fruits
more expensive in the short term VS fresh whole veggies
less expensive in the long run because i know myself 💀
Shopping by what’s on sale. If I know I want to make a protein that week, I’ll see if anything is on sale. I’ve been surprised by pork loin, family packs of chicken thighs, rump roasts. Even better if it’s something massive and I can freeze it.
Making a list & shopping alone.
Do not go in there hungry. In fact it’s best to shop when you’re well-fed and fully rested so you’re making smart choices and not giving into impulse buys because you’re tired and cranky.
Replacing beef with pork and chicken.
Meal plan & often make double batches and freeze half. I keep a list of what’s in my freezer on my phone so I can refer to it prior to planning the next weeks menu. We eat leftovers for lunches.
I always shop my pantry and fridge before I go to the store. I make a full list of everything I have and plan meals around it. Then I fill in what I need to buy. I make a list and I stick to it like I have blinders on.
Also, I’m fine with eating the same things on repeat. I have several go to meals that are fairly inexpensive (curry, rice/bean/veggie bowls, lentil and veggie soup). I don’t eat meat either so that definitely helps cut costs.
We order meat from ButcherBox which comes monthly, do one large Aldi shop each month for pantry/freezer stuff, and then walk to the local food co-op once a week for produce, dairy, etc. It isn’t the cheapest method but it significantly decreased the mental load with enough stuff to keep the menu interesting.
Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry. If you do you will spend twice as much.
The nerdy side of me has an excel spreadsheet of our current inventory so I don’t overbuy items.
I also load up my online app’s grocery cart and wait until items are on sale, unless it’s fresh fruit and vegetables in season
Meal planning, making a list and sticking to it.
Meal planning means you can plan meals around what you buy like cooking a gammon joint on Sunday and using leftover gammon in a ham and bean spicy stew. This reduces food waste and means you don’t buy more than you need as you already listed everything you need on your list.
I buy my staple ingredients at a wholesaler that usually sells to restaurant. Things like buckets of cream sauce base for alfredos, or the industrial size flour and sugar. There are a lot of “cheats” that you can find at restaurant suppliers that are significantly less than elsewhere.
Buy markdown meat and produce. Figure out your grocery store‘s markdown schedule.
I look up the sales online of the shops I go to. Mainly looking for proteins that are in sale and then build menu around that.
We converted a broom closet into a pantry, bought a deep freezer, and shifted most of our food purchases to restaurant suppliers.
I skipped buying fresh berries for frozen instead. I just defrost before adding to my cereal or yogurt. I get more rice, nuts, grains from bins.
I put more food in jars so I can see them and not overbuy or just try to use more often.
Cook meals, avoid processed foods.
Make a list.
Shop on line.
Have it delivered
Really cuts down on impulse buying.
Resolving to spend less only really starts when you discipline your food choices. Oatmeal for breakfast every morning is healthy and frugal.
Glad you posted this. My groceries are getting out of hand. I’ve already cut sparkling water, one of the few low-cal indulgences I enjoy. Sigh
Make a shopping list. Shop from your list. You will finish quickly and buy things you need.
Fresh vegetables need to be used with a mind to what spoils fastest… I use delicate vegetables immediately then use the broccoli and last the cabbage.
I meal plan, batch cook, and shop my pantry/fridge.
The first thing I do is see what I have in my freezer for protein options and plan meals around those first. I have a well stocked pantry and only buy spices when they run out, so I can typically ignore that portion of a recipe.
When I cook, I cook 8(ish) servings depending on the recipe. We eat the same dinner 2 nights then portion and freeze the rest for lunches later.
I always have a list of what I’m making and I stick to it. When I call an audible, it is usually just shifting what I’m making so tonight is easier.
The newest thing is making every other meal vegetarian. My grocery prices have gone down drastically because I’m not buying as much meat.
The less processed, generally the better cost to value ratio since you’re not paying for other people’s labour or equipment. But the trade off is time and flexibility. Like baking a loaf of bread costs 50 cents in ingredients compared to $3 for a ready to eat loaf, but it takes hours to make.
Avoiding any of the premade goods aisles and most of the frozen section is probably the biggest improvement you can make for your wallet. Also, the premade stuff supposedly has more additives to enhance flavour, which gets your body hooked to so regular food tastes bland by comparison and it becomes hard to make decent tasting meals to yourself from fresh ingredients.
One of the better balances are canned ingredients like beans and corn or other vegetables. You still pay a premium, but it’s not as bad and most are precooked so save you time. They have a decent shelf life and fewer to no additives. The main dish I like to make from canned goods lately is succotash – beans, corn, then I chop up fresh carrots, onion and garlic and that’s it. I typically get 3 meals worth out of $3 of ingredients.
Rice is probably the most cost-effective grain, but adding in some barley helps with variety in terms of flavour and texture.