From our previous blog post, Creating a Grocery Budget, you found out what a grocery budget is and our recommendation for how much your grocery budget should be - that's great! If you haven't yet checked out the previous blog, linked above, read that blog post first and then circle back here. Now with your budget in place, you might be thinking, "Are there any tips to help me stop overspending on groceries?" We've got some tips to share!
You may be already implementing some of these tips listed below in your grocery shopping, but if not, we recommend you try a tip or two to help keep your grocery spending within your grocery budget. It may take time to implement these tips but if you're truly dedicated to stop overspending on groceries these tips will help trim out your grocery expenses. Let us know which one you try!
Tip #1 - Cut Out Flavored Drinks
Wow! This might be a tough one for some. We know it was for us because we love our soda pop, but we found taking it out of our grocery shopping benefited our wallets and health greatly. Now, what do we mean by flavored drinks? When we say flavored drinks we are talking about soda, sparkling water, energy drinks, alcohol, juice and any water drink that is flavored and no longer tastes like water. Milk does not apply to the list of flavored drinks since it is recommended to consume three cups a day. Instead of drinking these other flavored drinks, switch them out for water.
Water helps your body:
Keep a normal temperature.
Lubricate and cushion joints.
Protect your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues.
Get rid of wastes through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements."
We understand it may take some time to cut out some or all of your flavored drinks, but for some people who have a desire to stay within their grocery budget they can achieve this immediately. However long it takes you, we are cheering you on and know you CAN do this! The victory you win staying within your grocery budget to help you meet your goals and dreams will feel and be so rewarding in the end.
Tip #2 - Cut out Junk Food
Ouch! We know this hurts but the bag of Cheetos isn't helping your wallet or your health. Instead, try making your own snack food such as:
popping your own popcorn
homemade tortilla chips
homemade cookies
baked potato wedges
a cup of rice
some fruit and nuts
Meal prep on your day off and portion out snacks for yourself for work or for during the day. We understand there are some dietary needs for some individuals to have smaller snack type meals throughout the day instead of three meals a day so help yourself and your budget out by portioning out your nuts, homemade cookies, popcorn or your snack of choice yourself.
Make sure you are having more filling meals. Cut back or stop buying premade meal containers such as Kraft Mac & Cheese and Hungry Man frozen meals. We know - we hear your shocked gasp over cutting back on Kraft's delicious Mac & Cheese but try out some homemade recipes and see if you like it better. On average, premade meals costs more and deliver less food than making that same meal yourself. We understand it takes longer time to cook up mashed potatoes, vegetables and a hearty steak for dinner but you'll find it can be fun and rewarding to be a chef yourself instead of letting a company like Hungry Man or Kraft make the meal for you. We think Six Sister's Stuff Beef Tips and Gravy Recipe would be a great substitute for your Hungry Man meals. Instead of your store-bought freezer meals, make freezer meals yourself to get dinner on the table quicker either utilizing your slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Tip #3 - Different Protein Sources
We enjoy a good steak every now and then or a good Chicken Taco quesadilla but sometimes meat can get quite expensive to have for most meals so instead bring in different protein sources a few times a week. A few different protein sources are fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds. We do want to mention that meat offers complete protein and plant-based food can lack one or more essential amino acid, but you can get complete protein from foods like quinoa and chia seeds. One meal idea is to have a bean and cheese burrito or quesadilla where you can include other toppings like quinoa and other favorites. Or another is using chia seeds over top of your breakfast yogurt with some nuts and some sliced fruit. Some families turn their Monday nights into Meatless Mondays so it's a routine of some of their favorite meatless meals. You do not have to quit meat entirely; there is a possibility your grocery retailers will have meat on sale. Consider making meals around the meat that is on sale and if meat is not on sale, try out a few different protein recipes!
Tip #4 - Use up Leftovers
Leftovers go to die in the fridge, right? Well, they don't have to. Utilize your leftovers for meals the next two days. You can reheat the leftover ingredients to eat the same meal again or use the leftover ingredients to create a whole new meal. A good option to avoiding having too many leftovers is freezing a portion of the meal so you don't have to remake that meal again so soon.
According to embrace relief, 40 percent of the food supply in America goes to waste each year with an average of over 200 pounds of food waste per person. Helping eliminate food waste in your home is a good way to save money on groceries. One way to eliminate food waste is to meal plan every week. We recommend you set a scheduled time that works best for you such as every Sunday at 2 p.m. and plan out every meal and/or snack for the upcoming week. Another way to eliminate food waste is using up your leftovers before making another meal or freezing those leftovers for a future meal.
Tip #5 - Utilize Saving Groceries
Lastly, utilize our website Saving Groceries so you can get the cheapest price on your groceries. Simply, input your information and your grocery list and we will get back with you within 24 hours of the 3 cheapest grocery retailers within a 10-mile radius.
Any more tips??
While that was some pretty hard tips to work towards staying within your grocery budget, we have a few more grocery budget tips. Next week, we will be sharing one of our favorite recipes: Chicken Taco along with several ways to use the leftovers for different meals. Leave a comment for what you found most helpful and Subscribe so you never miss a blog! Stay saucy!
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