s/o Tips and Tricks to keep the cost of groceries down?

[lavenderblue]

As I'm about to refinance my mortgage from 3.0% to 7.0%, I'm looking to save costs wherever I can, and obviously food costs are out of hand right now. I know I need to get back to doing the majority of my shopping at Aldi. I try to stock up on household items when they are on sale. But what are some of the other things we can do? Does meal planning really make a difference? Any tips or tricks you can share? 

[VillainV]

I think meal planning does make a big difference, as it limits the amount that we eat out. I also batch cook some recipes so there’s always something in the freezer.

Online grocery shopping with curbside pickup (not delivery or instacart) has also really reduced by grocery bill because it limits impulse buys. If you use the same grocery store every week and use their loyalty program and coupons, you can further cut costs. Some grocery stores have tie-ins with gas stations where you can also earn fuel points, so that could help you save on your gas budget as well.

[followyourarrow]

For me, meal planning is a big money saver. We eat out less and there's less food waste. Ideally meal plan around the sales. I also keep a couple super easy meals on hand for when I just can't cook, or something bad happens, like the pork shoulder not cooking on time last week.

[scout8]

I'm not a vegetarian, but I don't cook any meat at home. That saves a lot of money.

[dochas]

I rarely plan out the meals for the week ahead of time, but I only buy what's on sale and keep track of what's in the freezer. We always have a stash of frozen vegetables, rice, potatoes and Mac and cheese. So there's always the makings of a meal with the meat that was purchased on sale.

I've started focusing on things to have when we just don't want to cook. When chicken breast is on sale I buy a large pack and put it right in the crockpot either for pulled chicken, or chicken taco meat. Then I portion it out and freeze it and that's dinners or protein for lunches. I always have taco shells in the house and make my own seasoni g so I don't have to waste my time with little packages and can cut down the salt.

I've started keeping some prepared foods from Costco in the freezer for those times as well. It's more expensive than ingredients, but way better than take out. In the freezer I keep those teriyaki pineapple meatballs, salmon and Ramen bowls. I also have Jimmy Dean egg white and sausage biscuits which we can grab for an emergency lunch or breakfast. This would be $$$ if we just ate it all immediately but we really leave it for the just in case or a treat, so it saves over buying food outside.

I do most of my shopping in Aldi, sales at the grocery store and only very specific items at Costco. I never buy anything like produce there to avoid a trip to Aldi. Their prices in so many things are outrageous. Some of Aldi's prices have climbed too so now I'm making a note of prices on some things to see who has things cheaper. I'm annoyed that I have to do this, but it helps. Costco is cheaper for real maple syrup, bread crumb and broth but I could never remember until I started writing it down.

[atarianna]

Meal planning helps me in two major ways; cost and time. Many of our favorite but more complex meals I make in bulk and freeze to pull out during busy nights. This way I go through all the ingredients instead of having stuff left over that I either toss or need to plan another meal around.

I think cutting meat out of at least one meal a week can help lower over all food costs a little bit too.

Limiting alcohol purchases and consumption and help too.

Also doing grocery pickup instead of shopping myself often helps me because I have less impulse buys.

May I ask if there is a way to NOT refi into 7% that sounds awful!

[lavenderblue]

Feb 23, 2024 10:26:30 GMT -5 atarianna said:

May I ask if there is a way to NOT refi into 7% that sounds awful!

I wish I had a choice, but I just got divorced and need to buy out my exH and refinance the mortgage in to my name only. I keep telling myself it's only temporary until the rates (hopefully) go down again, but still. 

[gardengal]

Dramatically reducing meat consumption. I’m also not vegetarian but eat meat only rarely at home & then usually chicken. I started mostly for health numbers but also environmental impact of meat. TVP (textured vegetable protein) is a favorite. It’s cheap, it’s got good protein & no saturated fat (unlike stuff like Beyond Meat), it works great in things like chili, tomato sauce or American-style tacos & it’s not a bunch of weird ingredients. My kids usually just assume it’s ground turkey. And it’s never going to go bad in your fridge or stink up your garbage!

Otherwise yes to meal planning & also have a few meals on hand (freezer, pantry) that are easier than take out for night when You Can’t Even & just wanna order pizza. Maybe it’s a stash of frozen pizzas. For me, it’s a jar of Rao’s pasta sauce (which I get on sale but is still a huge splurge) & my favorite pasta. It’s cheaper than take out & I get the kids to do the dishes that night!

[donutsmakemegonuts]

Feb 23, 2024 10:34:03 GMT -5 lavenderblue said:

Feb 23, 2024 10:26:30 GMT -5 atarianna said:

May I ask if there is a way to NOT refi into 7% that sounds awful!

I wish I had a choice, but I just got divorced and need to buy out my exH and refinance the mortgage in to my name only. I keep telling myself it's only temporary until the rates (hopefully) go down again, but still. 

Ah, I was wondering who would do this, but this makes sense.  That is crap, so I also hope it is temporary for you!

[mrsd2006]

I buy most meat at Costco and vacuum seal into smaller portions for the two of us. Meal planning would help a lot but I just don't have the mental bandwith for that most of the time.

[carmenere]

Meal planning also helps to take advantage of what’s on sale. I’m big on comparison shopping, which is easier than ever now that most stores have an app (even Instacart can provide a price for reference). I love Aldi but it isn’t necessarily the cheapest source for everything we buy, especially if there’s a Publix BOGO or Target Circle deal. So if you take some time each week to look at what’s on sale where and plan your meals accordingly, that will help.

[silva]

I downloaded the app called Supercook. You take inventory of the food you have in your pantry, freezer, and fridge and it provides countless meals you can make based on what you have for food. That way, if you have a lot of random ingredients you can make a point to use them before they go to waste.

[ssmjlm]

Meal planning and comparison shopping.

I know what’s worth buying at Kroger vs. Aldi.

I also will compare pricing on pantry items between Kroger and Target, since I can just do a Target pick up to avoid temptation. Target seems to have lower pricing on things like cereal and snack foods like cheez-its. Kroger is better if it’s on sale. But having your phone right there to compare is nice.

Also, Kroger does a ton of gift card to fuel point promos. I will buy target or eating out gift cards to get 4x the fuel points since I know we will use them. I have noticed not all gift cards can be done via pick up though.

[plutosmoon]

It's really hard. I don't eat a lot of meat, but when I do I stick to 3-4 ounces and add veggies and a grain/potato. Big servings of veggies help fill me up. I mostly stopped buying snacks other than a big box of goldfish or cheezits, we've cut back on desserts too. I only shop every 7-10 days, we make do if something runs out.

I always make a list ahead of time, and try to base my list and menu off sales. I stock up when favorites are on sale, although if it's a tight budget week, I wait and don't stock up. I meal plan, but try to do it on a Thursday or Friday, when I'm tired, even if I'm not shopping until Sunday or Monday. I find I get too ambitious if I meal plan when I'm well rested on a Sunday and then don't follow through. I buy stuff like pasta every week even if it's not in the meal plan, that way I can make an easy dinner if I'm not feeling like cooking. Work lunches have always been a challenge for me, so I try to include a lunch plan in my meal plan as well.

[kadams767]

The biggest money saver for me is just not wasting food. This means I underbuy a little bit, rather than buying too much and having to toss something or it sits for weeks and weeks in the freezer or cupboard. A big part of this, again at least for me, is not to shop aspirationally. We all have good intentions when we meal plan and grocery shop, but being realistic is a money-saver. It's great to think you are going to eat all kinds of healthy food, but if you buy too much of it, you are throwing money away. Start by tracking what you really eat during the time period between shops. If you find you are running out of things early that you really want, you can always up the quantity next time - but you can't buy less once it's in your home and going bad.

[definitelyO]

it definitely takes time and comparing the ads for the best pricing and then meal planning around that. I also pick up and freeze meat on sale - we make meatballs from ground pork and it was onsale the other day for $3/lb - so I bought 3# and froze it. pork loins were buy 1 get 1 - same - bought 2 and froze 1.

our largest costs are: I know the areas I can be impacted.
1) food waste
I will meal plan and buy food for meals - then a late work meeting comes up or DS isn't home for dinner or DH wants to order pizza, etc....
2) name brands.
DH likes tostitos chips - they're now $7/bag by me. I would eat generic corn chips if it were up to me. The boars head lunch meat increased from $9/lb to $15/lb.
3) eating out
this is really just me with lunches during the work day. DH is great about eating leftovers or a sandwich.

[leahcar]

I order my groceries online and pick them up. Seeing that total add up has a natural impact of curbing unnecessary purchases.

My grocery store has an online coupon section. I start my meal planning there when the new sales start (Wednesdays). I add what is a good deal and we'd be willing to eat. Then I back track that into making the meal plan for the week. Generally- I get 2-3 meals planned from the sales and coupons. Then I supplement with "regular price" stuff that I need to round out the meals. I generally finish my online cart by sometime Friday and pick up my groceries every Sunday morning.

I used to plan only 4 meals per week. I plan for 5 meals + a night of leftovers/fend for yourself now and do leave one day (usually Friday or Saturday) that we can eat something from outside the house. We plan for breakfast and lunch to be food from home daily unless it's a special occasion.

[NewGirlNic]

Meal planning definitely helps, as much as I despise it, LOL. 
I typically look at what we have on hand in the fridge, freezer and pantry and try and build a meal plan around that. Creating at least a couple meals based on what we have, then look at what is on sale and grocery shop accordingly. 
Like other have said, doing order pickup helps save me money, due to no impulse purchases. I do mostly Aldi (they charge a flat $1.99 fee, so I do a big shop every couple weeks there) and Target (no fees, and there are so many Circle deals in the app that are pickup/online exclusive). Both stores have the same price as instore shopping. I'll do an instacart (pickup) order on the rare occasion they send me a good offer. Like $40 off an order of $75 or $100. That makes the higher per item cost worth it. 

We don't have any memberships to Sam/BJ's/Costco, but I buy most of my meat in bulk and/or on sale and freeze. (we have a vacuum sealer)

I try to not buy a lot of bottled dressing/marinades etc. I can make most for "free" with what I have on hand. The cost of a bottle of salad dressing is outrageous. 

When I make things like soups, sauces etc, I double or even triple the recipe and freeze extras for quick dinners when I don't feel like cooking. 

We tend to have at least 1 night of leftovers/fend for yourself type nights to eat up what's on hand. Last night DS ate leftover chicken cutlets with some Kraft mac & cheese and cucumbers, H made a burrito bowl with leftover steak and I had a turkey and brie cheese sandwich with a salad. 

I've been trying to have more of a "use what we have" mindset. Like, instead of buying a package of fresh herbs for $4, I'll use the dried stuff we have in the spice cabinet. 

[cjcouple]

Meal planning makes a huge difference in my life. I just suggest ensure your plan uses items you are buying. So, I might buy tzaiziki for greek chicken bowls one week and buy veggies to dip as snacks that week, and I plan chicken salad for lunch and use the tzaiziki in place of mayo. this way my $5 tzaiziki is not wasted. Hope this makes sense.

Shop in season produce for meals, use store brand for things liked diced tomatoes, beans, etc because they taste just as good IMO.

I also try to do meatless meals in the mix because that's a decent savings.

I found shopping between a couple stores is a little more time consuming BUT saves me money because they each have better prices on specific items and I make one loop, 2 stops. So I do the bulk of my shopping at Walmart, but I swing by the grocery store for meat/fish and sale items and any items walmart ran out of that week.

It takes more planning but helps me save in the long run.

[loira]

I don't know but I'm routinely spending $100 on a single bag of groceries these days and I swear I'm not buying name brand or organic. It's brutal.

We do a pantry dinner once a week - usually tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches or pasta and jar sauce. I started doing these on nights when I previously would have just ordered takeout, so not only am I saving grocery money by eating cheap food we already have, I'm stopping myself spending even more money on takeout.

[lolalolalola]

We do breakfast for dinner at least twice a week when we are pressed for time. We don’t eat a tonne of meat but when I see marked down meat I buy it all and freeze it- my regular store will mark down meat by 50% on its best before date. I am planning to start baking bread again. I buys frozen berries (and mango) for the most part.

[thebreakfastclub]

Meal planning to me is the cornerstone of saving money, because it doesn't matter how cheap it was if you have to throw it away.

I like to shop at Aldi and Costco, and supplement with Kroger's targeted coupons, which get me various free things that I do buy.

I will check out Big Lots & Ollie's every 6 weeks or so for their closeouts - coffee, condiments, snacks, other random stuff. Just have to check dates, but buying a package of cookies with a 2 week date is fine when I'm paying $2.59 instead of $4.99 and we'll finish them in a week anyway.

ETA: At the regular grocery store, I do shop Sundays to get the markdown / almost expiring price on meat and produce.  I also go to the rack where they put discounted bakery items first before buying regular bakery cookies or bread.  

[Velar Fricative]

I don't plan my meals, I plan my ingredients. I always batch cook things like brown rice, eggs, etc. so I can grab and go for breakfast and lunch (I work out of the house five days a week as does DH, plus we have two school-age kids). I make a lot of bowls for lunch but as long as I have prepared ingredients on hand I can make a different bowl each day and I save $$$ from takeout. We keep dinners simple, like chicken and vegetables from the freezer or something.

I eat a lot less meat for both $$$ and environmental reasons and recently went dairy-free when I realized how sensitive I have been with dairy. Things like beans and rice are always cheap and filling. Bonus - lack of dairy has really helped with the acne I've had since I was a teenager. Coincidence? Maybe. But I'm now saving money not spending on supposed miracle cures for my acne.

[cheeseplease]

Meal planning works for sure, just make sure whatever you need isn't already in the pantry! 

Reducing waste is my biggest focus lately. If I throw something in the trash, I say out loud how many dollars I just threw away. I am freezing leftovers more. I might make taco meat, have a few servings left over so  I throw it in the freezer to make a quick lunch later. 

I reduce what I buy as well. For example, in the past, I would buy four peaches, and then throw away two because I didn't get around to eating them. Now I just buy two. I don't buy much meat because I don't like cooking it but I would plan meals around what is on sale if I did. 

Just looking for savings everywhere I can. A few weeks ago, I figured out I can buy cinnamon in bulk for less than $10, versus the $4.99 I was paying for the bottle from the store. I eat overnight oats almost everyday so this is a savings that adds up.

[fluffycookie]

Meal planning definately helps and I try and stock up on things like chicken and steak when it's on sale and portion it into smaller bags. I like keeping some frozen meals/items on hand for quick dinners, e.g. trademr joe's mandarin chicken with jasmine rice and I will make broccoli to add and I always have ravoli or tortellini with sauce to make if we need something quick or I don't feel like cooking.

Food waste is something I am trying really hard to cut down on. MH will ask me to get him stuff to make salads for lunch and then doesn't end up using any of it.

[bee20]

Like Scout I don't cook meat at home.

I no longer really shop at the mainline grocery stores, it's Winco, TJs, or Costco for me.

Not sure if this is scalable for a family, but I use a basket or reusable bag when I shop and not a cart. It's easy to throw things in a cart, the basket looks full faster and the weight is a good reminder. I also grocery shop by bike, which means I'm not using gas and again am space limited on what I can buy. I think you could simulate this by just bringing 2 reusable bags.

I break up produce into a quantity that I actually want (so, only 3 bananas) and then shop Winco's bulk bins for recipe ingredients so I don't need to buy a whole package that may not get used up.

I no longer buy snack food. Either I make popcorn from kernals and add seasoning from my pantry if I want something salty or I'll bake oatmeal bars or something before a hiking trip. The bars freeze well and we're no longer spending $5 on a pack of granola bars.

[pinkdutchtulips]

Meal plan
Curbside pickup
Less meat

I'm one of those people who can't just walk into Target or Costco w/o a list. I NEED a list or I end up spending $100 at Target for a container of coffee creamer. This is why curbside pickup is my best friend. It keeps me out of the store. 

[sakoro]

I have been doing meal prepping and mason jar salads for the past year. Both for health reasons and to save money/ time. There are some good meal prep books and blogs and vlogs out there. Mason jars have the dressing on the bottom, followed by crunchy veg or beans, with more delicate veg on top. The jar seals the food and keeps it fresh for about 5 days.

I plan out two different types of salads, one soup, some kind of breakfast frittata (using leftover veggies from other meals), smaller grab and go snack packs with berries, veg and dip, meat and cheese.

I shop weekly at Aldi’s and stick mainly to fruit and veg, cheese, canned beans, nuts, eggs, yogurt and dairy sections. I supplement with another stop at Sprouts (a SoCal natural foods store) for herbs, bread, stuffed salmon, marinated chicken breast and other specific items I can’t find at Aldi’s. One every six weeks or so I buy meat and non-perishables at Costco.

It takes about 2.5 hours to prep two different salads (4 pint sized mason jars), a soup (3 pint sized mason jars), frittata (divided into 6 portions) and my snack packs, but then I only have to do minimal cooking during the week. Having the snack packs in the fridge ensures I actually eat it instead of it rotting in the bottom of the vegetable drawer.

For meal prepping, it helps to invest in tools like a good knife, mandolin slicer, instant pot, garlic press, citrus juicer and zested and rice cooker etc. I can’t remember how many people are in your household, but with fewer people, it helps to have flexible items on your menu like salad, soup or frittata where you can use up half a potato, a little bit of onion or 3 baby carrots

[tacokick]

Buying seasonal produce helps a lot. It doesn’t have to ship from as far away and that keeps prices down. Right now it’s largely citrus and greens but soon, strawberries!

[Patsy Baloney]

I think I’m just going to get rid of my kids and husband. They can take the cat, too.

We’ve been clearing out our freezer/pantry as much as we can. We eat a lot of pasta, beans, rice. Lots of frozen veg. We do still spring for fresh fruit. I like the idea of just batch cooking often-used foods and building meals from that.

I’m trying to expand my garden a bit this year to take the edge off.