One of the biggest expenses in a typical household after those pesky rent/mortgage/car payments every month is groceries.  We all have to eat, and things are certainly not getting any cheaper at the local supermarket.  What’s a body to do?  Well, I feel your pain, and as someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, I employ quite a few strategies to help make my food dollar go as far as possible.  I’m certainly no expert, but here are some of the tips and tricks I use to help make my grocery budget go as far as possible.

Meal Planning

There’s nothing worse than going to the grocery store without a shopping list.  You’ll end up buying salad mix that you won’t use, fruit that will sit in the crisper and rot, or meat that gets lost to the ages in the back of the freezer.  I purposely sit down and plan out my meals for the upcoming week, which means I can check my pantry and fridge/freezer for what I already have on hand and how I can use it (instead of trying to remember if I have it, purchasing it over again, or watching it go bad in endless storage).  I also try to choose recipes that utilize the same ingredient, which reduces my kitchen waste.  If I’m buying a bunch of kale that I’ll only use half of for a salad, I’ll add-in a soup recipe for later in the week that also takes that leafy green (which keeps it out of the trash).  Look for recipes that use cheaper cuts of meat, fish, or poultry as well.  Ever heard of beef cheek?  Ask your local butcher. He or she knows what it is. After a long braise, it is more delicious and tender than even the best pot roast, and beef cheek is one-third the price of a chuck roast.  

Don’t Get Stuck on Brand Names

Brand names are great, but expensive.  They are also kept at eye level in the aisles, so you see them first.  Squat down and look for cheaper brands of the same thing.  Sliced black olives are sliced black olives.  The store brand works just as well (and is considerably less expensive).  Many times, they are even manufactured at the same plant (but with different labels).  Try a cheaper brand one week.  You may be surprised that no one in your house even notices (except you, when you look at the receipt at the end of your trip).

Bulk Is Better (If You’ve Got the Space)

Let’s face it, you pay for convenience.  Buying a pre-cut watermelon or butternut squash is two or three times as expensive as buying a whole one and doing the labor yourself.  What, you don’t have a knife at home?  Again, if you plan your meals, you can use that “extra” in a different dish later in the week.  If you have pantry space or a stand-alone freezer, you can really ramp up the savings.  A whole pork loin is generally around $20.  Do you know how many pork chops, roasts, and other cuts you can get out of that if you take the time to break it down yourself and put it in the freezer?  Stores run BOGO (“buy one – get one”) specials all the time on English muffins, cereal bars, or even snacks.  If you’ve got the space, it’s the perfect time to stock up on something you can use later (that won’t go bad in storage). 

Shop Smart

Join your store’s club or customer loyalty program.  You may get points for gas, unlock store specials, or qualify for in-store promotions.  My local supermarket allows their customers to save up points for free turkeys and hams during the holidays (among other things).  It’s an old adage, but don’t grocery shop on an empty stomach.  Everything you see looks good.  Store specials also run on cycles, so know your “home” store and when they advertise them.  I can almost guarantee that bags of frozen shrimp will be up to 50% off several times a year.  If you see a coupon in the Sunday section of the newspaper for a product that you always buy?  By all means, cut it out and use it, but you don’t have to be a fanatic about it. 

Leftovers Aren’t All Bad

There is a segment of folks who just don’t like to eat leftovers.  I just don’t get that.  You know what I call leftovers?  Work lunch for the upcoming week.  That bean soup you made last weekend isn’t good enough to have again at noon this Wednesday?  Honey, please.  I’ve taken all kinds of wild combinations of leftover dinners to work.  Guess what?  The break room has a microwave oven.  Now I’m not eating out on the job (or raiding a vending machine), which means more money in my pocket and reduced waste in my fridge.

Most of these suggestions have one thing in common – time.  It takes time to plan, shop, and prepare meals, so most people are quick to trade time for convenience, which is an expensive proposition.  I would suggest that it is time well spent.  A planned, home-cooked meal can be an activity that gets the whole family involved, or one may discover the joy of working in the kitchen, like I get spending time there.  Eating in (and purchasing the ingredients from the grocery store) is also considerably less expensive than eating out.

Plus, there’s always the added benefit and gratification of when we are out and about at a restaurant and I hear someone in my family say “Dad can make this better at home.”

Sweet victory.