In case you were unaware, the USDA releases monthly food plans based on national averages of food costs plus monthly adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index. Essentially, this tells us, based on sex and age and adjusted for inflation, how much we should expect to spend on groceries. There are four tiers- Thrifty (used to determine SNAP benefits), Low-cost, Moderate-cost, and Liberal. Many Tik Tokkers are complaining that these numbers are dramatically low, saying that the USDA is gaslighting them. The links to the plans can be accessed here https://www.fns.usda.gov/cnpp/usda-food-plans-cost-food-monthly-reports. So, let’s have a look. We’ll look at my family as an example. I feed one man aged 19-50, myself, an 18-year-old male, and two 16-year-old males (February 2024).
Thrifty Plan - $1268.50/mo
Low-Cost Plan - $1463.80/mo
Moderate Plan - $1824.50/mo
Liberal Plan - $2180.00/mo
My current grocery budget, which, unlike the USDA plan, includes paper products and toiletries, is 48% lower than the Moderate Plan and 25% lower than the Thrifty Plan. So today, I’m going to share some ways that you can cut your grocery spending and give your family more financial flexibility.
I will make a very important caveat here.You do what works FOR YOUR FAMILY. There is no right way to do this and no wrong foods to buy. Each situation is unique to each family (income, allergies, convictions, preferences, etc…). How you spend your money is between you & your husband and God.
1. Plan Your Meals
•Keep meals simple
Usually the more complicated your meals become, the more expensive they will be. Embracing practical casseroles, humble soups, and quick stir frys not only will streamline your menu planning, but will save you money.
•Substitute cheaper items for more expensive
If a recipe calls for shallots, you can easily use inexpensive onions. Switch out pricey cream or half & half with whole milk. Substitute cottage cheese for ricotta. Placing a tablespoon of lemon juice in a cup of milk is a great stand-in for buttermilk. Using dried herbs is far less expensive than fresh.
•Redefine dinner
Breakfast is an inexpensive regular dinner stand in. Soup & grilled cheese helps to stretch your budget, especially if you have a chicken carcass or ham bone in your freezer from a previous meal. Large salads help stretch meat and use up vegetables. If you are able to plan them in, serving leftovers for dinner ensures that food is not going to waste. Hot tip - leftover night is always an event when you make it a point to have dessert afterward.
•Make extra for lunch leftovers
Again, IF you are able (i.e. your family doesn’t consist of bottomless pit teens), make more than your family will eat at one sitting and separate it out for lunches. Just be sure to mark it with the date, so it’s not wasted
•Have a rotating menu (start with dinner, add in breakfast & lunch)
Often, when we hear Menu Planning we think of sitting down and thinking of all new meals to feed our families every week. That's Not what I mean. I really mean a ROTATING menu. I started with meals my family loved and added over time. I now have around 50 meals in my meal planning notebook, organized by type of meat. Monthly (since that is how I shop), I sit down and choose about 30ish of these dinners while also making my shopping list. Every week, I move 7 of these to my weekly menu. Some items are there every week (pizza), some every other week (breakfast), some bi-monthly and monthly (burritos, spaghetti, mini meatloaves, shawarma, turkey burgers). I fill in the rest in a rotation or by request. This all takes about 15 minutes a month for me after doing it for around 15-20 years.
For breakfast, we have a regular rotation - Monday, oatmeal; Tuesday, eggs; Wednesday, pancakes; Thursday, eggs; Friday, cereal. Weekends are usually dealer’s choice.
For lunch, I make meat in the crockpot and a large pot of rice on the weekend. Between that and leftovers, that usually covers it.
Check your fridge, freezer, and pantry and base your list off of these items first
If you have a zucchini or bell pepper withering in the back of your refrigerator, if you have something in the pantry that's about to expire, or an item that’s been in the freezer a bit too long, plan a meal that week that will use them. I find that international cookbooks are often very helpful with these sorts of meals. This is actually how many of my family’s favorite recipes have come about.
•Have a few back up meals
Despite all of our well laid plans, inevitably something will come up. A meeting will take longer than expected, we’ll forget to take meat out to thaw, the kids will be sick. Have a few meals in your arsenal that you can get on the table in 20 minutes, from pantry staples, with no prep. For me, that is usually burritos, breakfast, or a chicken and pasta skillet. Knowing that you have these meals, will make it so much easier to not to way overspend by grabbing a pizza or to have everyone melting down from hunger.
2. Shop Less Often
•Start with only weekly & work up to monthly
*According to Drive Research, “...People go to the grocery store an average of eight times per month! That’s 8 opportunities to grab this and pick up that - that you don’t immediately need. Those little purchases over time really add up. This was one tip that early on, I didn’t believe would make that big a difference and that now is one of my top three money savers. I do one big trip per month. That’s it. I take an inventory of what I have and make my list to make sure that I will buy enough to last the month. If I don’t have it, I make due. I shop my pantry (more on this later). The only reason I go to the store, as much as I am able, outside of this once per month is to get milk (though, this could be eliminated if you have the room to freeze milk). If you are making multiple trips to the store weekly, start by only going weekly. If you only go weekly, stretch it to two, then work toward monthly trips. I think you’ll be surprised at the effect this will have on your bottom line!
•Order curbside pick up
Another decent option for eliminating extra purchases is Curbside pick up. This can help you save not only money, but also time. But, buyer beware, the shoppers don’t always choose the freshest produce and the substitutions are often really odd and may lead to an extra trip to the store to grab an item that wasn’t included in your order, when, if you had gone in you could have made a smart substitution yourself on the spot.
•Buy a freezer
This is a game changer for shopping less often. I saw my savings climb as we got an extra refrigerator and then a freezer. Not only can I now fit more than enough meat for the month in my freezer, but I also freeze breads & buns, shredded cheeses, butter. This also makes it easier to stock up when items hit your buy price (more on that later).
•Stick to your list
*According to Brainly, “Studies have shown that about 60% of grocery store purchases are not planned purchases”. This goes back to shopping less often! Stores,marketers, and manufacturers are counting on the fact that you’ll be buying things you hadn’t planned on. Don’t fall victim! Make a list before you ever leave the house. Be sure your list has everything you need by taking stock of what you already have and what you need. Keep a running list of needed items on your fridge and get your family on board, so there are no surprises (I know some families that use a common store app for this). Remember to bring your list with you! (This is where doing it on your phone can be helpful). Only buy what is on your list. I have one exception to this rule - if you find an item that is at your stock up price and you have the money in your budget to do so, buy off list (more about this later).
3. Warehouse Stores
I have had a Sam’s Club membership for about 15 years now, so I will be speaking from that perspective. From everything that I have read, Costco has relatively comparable perks and benefits, but you’ll need to do that research. Both clubs do offer a day pass wherein you can walk through the club, see what is offered, and compare prices. I used to do this every couple of years and every time, Sam’s had the best prices for what I needed for my family.
•Buy the right membership level for you
Both Sam’s & Costco have 2 levels of membership. Costco has Gold Star for $60/yr and Executive for $120/yr. Sam’s has Basic for $50/yr (you can often find Groupons for less) and Plus for $110/yr. Both of the higher membership levels earn 2% back on what they spend. With the Plus membership at Sam’s you get free delivery on most products and it’s usually faster than Amazon for me.
Generally prices are 15-20% lower than big box stores
•Look for additional savings
Warehouse stores have discounts on gas, tires, travel, paper goods, furniture, electronics, pet food, alcohol, gift cards, prescriptions, eye care, clothing, even caskets
•Instant Savings, Sam’s Cash, Credit Card Rewards, Acorns % back
Instant Savings - sale on items you’re most likely to need that month - Ketchup, buns, & hot dogs for Memorial Day, Back to School items in August, etc…
Sam’s Cash - 2% cash back on club purchases
Credit card rewards - 5% back on gas, 3% back on dining, and 1% back on everything else.
Acorns - 1.68% invested on online purchases
I have gotten nearly $1000 since I last renewed with Sam’s Cash and Credit Card rewards. This is how I replaced my second refrigerator and chest freezer, so you can see how it has more than paid for itself.
Coffee example - Community Coffee - I use 46 oz. every 5-6 weeks; Sam’s has Instant Savings every quarter; I buy 2 per quarter and save $60 annually from buying on Amazon, with faster delivery.
Amazon $5.99/12 oz. - $0.50/oz.
Wal-Mart $14.98/32 oz. - $0.47/oz
Sam’s $18.72/46 oz. - $0.41/oz.
Instant Savings $14.97/46 oz. - $0.33/oz.
Ground beef example - 90/10 ground beef - I use 20lb/mo - Save $405.60/yr over Wal-mart
Sam’s - $3.98/lb (10lb chub)- $79.60/mo - $955.20/yr
Wal-mart - $5.67/lb - $113.40/mo - $1360.80/yr
4. Know your stock up price and build a stockpile and “shop” from your pantry
•Be a commodities buyer, not a consumer
Now, this can be a bit of work up front, but will pay off in the long run. I have kept a price notebook. I know what the regular prices of items that I normally buy are and I know when it is wise to stock up. If you set aside a portion of your grocery budget (10% is recommended) for stocking up when items hit their “buy price” then eventually you will be shopping from your pantry from items that are at the lowest price possible. Those are dollars that aren’t coming out of your regular monthly shopping budget.
•Compare price per unit
It has been common in recent years for food manufacturers to continue to charge the same price, but to make containers smaller, so you feel like you are getting the same amount, when in fact, you are not. Check price per unit.
Another example of saving money by checking unit price is Great Value grape juice. The 96oz bottle is $4.68 or 4.9 cents/oz. The 64oz bottle is $2.98 or 4.7 cents/oz. You tend to think that buying the larger package or container is saving you money, when often it is not.
•Don’t buy more than you need or can use before expiry
It is exciting to find an item at bargain basement prices, but you end up throwing it away because it went bad before you used it, it was no bargain. Be mindful of how much you will reasonably use within a given time period.
•Rotate stock
As you build your stockpile, be sure that older items are moved to the front of the pantry shelves and the top of the freezer, so that you are using the oldest items first.
•Know your inventory
Know what you have. Take stock before you shop. This keeps you from buying more than you need and using what you already have. Keep a list if that works for you.
•When stock is high, have a no spend month
When my children were smaller and grocery prices were more affordable, my stockpile would generally reach the point every year in November where I could have an Eat From Your Pantry month. I would use the grocery budget from that month to pay for Christmas gifts.
5. Stretch your meats
•Buy cheaper cuts
Cheaper cuts of meat are often the cuts that are best slow cooked where the fibers break down and they become tender. Choose bone in (including whole) chicken, pork butt and chops, ground beef, pork and turkey. Choosing these over pricier steaks and boneless, skinless cuts can make a huge difference in your bottom line.
•Buy chicken with bones and make broth
A great benefit of some of these cheaper cuts is that you also get the bones. Consider those a commodity. I put 6 lbs of bone-in skin-on chicken thighs in a crockpot with some salt, onions, peppercorns, and maybe some carrots and celery and get 4 ½ lbs of meat AND nearly three quarts of beautiful stock for under $9! That’s a low effort, low cost, delicious way to cover lunches for a week.
•Know your stock up price
If you don’t know the regular cost of the items you buy, you can’t know if a price is a good deal or not. By paying attention and keeping a cost notebook, you’ll be able to make better decisions about whether or not to stock up on an item when grocers have sales.
•Buy in bulk
If you have the freezer space and are willing to separate items into smaller packages yourself, you can save big by buying in bulk. Much like my ground beef example above, let’s look at pork butt. At Wal-mart, a pork butt costs $2.44/lb; At Fareway it’s $2.49/lb; At Sam’s one pork butt is $1.98/lb and by the case, it’s $1.78/lb. Considering the average pork butt is 7 pounds, that’s nearly a $5 difference between the lowest and highest priced roast.
•Buy local
Full disclosure, this is not one I have personally tried yet, but plan on very soon. Buying meat from your local farmer not only gives you the benefits of knowing where your meat comes from, supporting local people, having fresher healthier meat, and more cut choices, but can save you money, especially on items that are usually pricier, like roasts, and especially steaks. Keep in mind that like several of our other tips, you’ll need freezer space, though going in with another family is a creative solution, and it is an upfront investment.
•Warehouse stores
I think we’ve covered this one well. I’ve given you examples with both beef and pork. Chicken is much the same. This is one of the top ways that my family saves money on meat.
•Don’t buy deli meat @ the counter.
If you are big fans of deli meat, you know that it is ridiculously expensive, often times rivaling the cost of steak in price per pound. One way to save on deli meat is to skip the deli counter. Buy a large chub of deli meat, slice it yourself and freeze it, or sometimes, the meat department will do it for you for free just for the asking.
•Meatless days
This tip doesn’t always go over well - especially in a house full of grown men and teenage boys, but going meatless one night a week or even just a couple of nights a month can make a significant impact on your grocery budget. I have often found that it helps to make it feel exotic or fancy. Cuban Black Bean Stew sounds so much more appetizing than Rice & Beans.
•Stretch it in casseroles, soups, & by adding beans
Typically, you use less meat in casseroles, soups, stews, pasta skillets, and stir frys. If you then bulk these dishes up with vegetables and beans, it will go even further. Think beans in chili and burritos, tons of veggies in pot pies and soups, serving chopped chicken and vegetables with sauces over rice or pasta. By doing this even a couple of days a week, you will see a difference at the checkout.
6. Try different stores
•Be ready to switch
Look over all of the grocery ads in your area and be ready to shop where you can best stretch your dollar. That may be different stores for different months. Often stores will have a loss leader in their ad - an item that they are offering at cost or are taking a loss on - to get you in the store. Go in and stock up on that item and head to the store where most other items are cheaper for you.
•Remember that time is money & limit your stores
Now with that being said, your time is money, so you need to put limits on that. It was much easier in the days when Wal-Mart would price match their competitor’s ads, but those days are gone. Decide how many stores is a reasonable number based on the deals you’ve found and the time you have and stop there.
•Have a buy price notebook
I have discussed this previously and it can be a very helpful tool. If you have been in the habit of going into the store, putting items in your cart, paying, and not noticing what you are actually paying, especially what you are paying per pound, ounce, or unit, I highly recommend that you do this. Again, if you don’t know what the regular price of an item is, you can’t know when that item is a good deal or when you should stock up. It’s worth the time investment.
•“Alternative” stores
Don't count out alternative stores. I make several trips a year to Dutchman’s and Highway 2 Discount Grocery. As long as you are purchasing items that you normally buy and that your family will eat, you can save lots of money at these stores. Also, don’t overlook International markets, especially for items like bulk spices. I also have found some excellent deals in the food section of places like TJMaxx and Thiesen’s.
7. Cook from pantry staples
•If you aren’t skilled, start small, read cookbooks, & ask for help
Fun fact: when Anthony & I were first married, I could cook chili and breakfast. It was pretty abysmal, but you have to start where you are. Find a cookbook or two that you love. Mine were The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, which I still use all of the time and love to give as gifts at wedding showers, and Everyday Food, which used to be a monthly magazine from Martha Stewart full of recipes that were simple, delicious, and could be on the table in 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the magazine is no longer around, but many of the recipes can still be found on Martha Stewart’s website and there are a couple of compiled cookbooks out there. Of course, Pinterest, YouTube, and various other places offer endless options. It’s also a great option to ask a friend who can cook to help. Try out new recipes. Learn how to cook and you’ll be able to begin to piece meals together without recipes. Begin to add to your recipe list and rotate through them. Ask your family what they’d like to try.
•Don’t pay for someone else to prepackage your foods
We again come back to time vs money. Prepackaged “convenience” foods are often the most expensive items at the grocery store. You are paying for the convenience of someone portioning out the item, more packaging, more expensive distribution, and usually more marketing. By doing this yourself, you can save big.
•Plan from what you already have
As mentioned before, take stock of what you have already spent your money on and plan from those items, so you don’t have to spend additional money.
•Buy & plan from inexpensive staples
This tip will save you time, in addition to saving you money. Keep inexpensive pantry items stocked to make it easier to cook homemade meals at a fraction of the cost of buying convenience foods or eating out. Know that what you keep stocked will look different for each family, but some items are both basic and have the lowest costs.
8. Know when to shop
•When does your store mark down meat?
Ask your butcher. This will help you either buy cuts of meat that are out of your budget or stock up on inexpensive cuts.
•When do sales start & stop?
Most store sales ads are effective from Sunday to Saturday. Others like Aldi, are Wednesday to Tuesday. And some stores will run 3 day sales over the weekend. It does no good to show up for the big sale only to find out that you missed it.
•Post holiday markdowns (hams, turkeys, corned beef, candy)
Post holiday specials are a fantastic way to get items at deep discounts. Look for hams after Christmas and Easter (tell about 50 cent/lb ham), turkeys after Thanksgiving, corned beef after St Patrick's Day, and candy after Halloween and Valentine’s day (Christmas kisses for Valentine’s and St Patrick’s)
•Look for Manager’s Specials
This flows from the last tip, but often includes markdowns at other times of the year. Stores often stock up for certain events and if it all doesn’t sell as they’d anticipated, they need it gone for the next big event. This is where you can grab up savings and stock your pantry.
•Don’t shop hungry
This one is self explanatory. If you’re hungry you are much more likely to veer from your list and buy items that you wouldn’t normally buy. Have a snack before you leave the house to avoid this pitfall.
•Leave the overspenders at home
Know your people. Does your husband load your cart with Oreos and beef jerky? Can your kids just not live without bags of muffins and chips? By leaving these big spenders at home, you not only save money, you may also save your sanity.
9. Buy Seasonal produce
•Growing your own food is like printing your own money
Learn to grow your own food. Seeds cost pennies. You don’t necessarily have to start with a giant victory garden, but some pots on your porch or in your kitchen window make a difference and you may learn a new skill! Focus on items that are more expensive at the store - berries, melons, and herbs - and on fruits and vegetables that your family eats the most frequently.
•In season produce is fresher, cheaper, and more nutrient dense
Buy in season produce. It helps you get the most bang for your buck. There are LOTS of places online where you can find comprehensive list for this, but think asparagus, strawberries, Spring greens and peas in Spring; melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and zucchini in summer; apples, pears, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes in fall; and pomegranates, Brussels sprouts, and turnips in winter.
•Shop farmer’s markets at the end of the day
While farmers markets are a great place to get fresh local produce, if you are willing to wait until the end of the day, you can often get more for less. Farmers often do not want to haul home what’s left at the end of the market and are willing to part with their wares for pennies on the dollar.
•Have a plan for what gets eaten first
This is a tip where you’ll need to get your family on board. This is especially important when you are shopping monthly, as some foods are more perishable than others. For fruits, come up with a plan to have your family eat grapes and bananas the first week. Then allow pears and move on to apples and oranges, which will likely last the month. As far as vegetables, lettuce, cucumbers and peppers will not last as long as cabbage, carrots, radishes, and celery. If I have a recipe planned with a produce item that will not last long, I denote that on my monthly menu and make sure to place that meal earlier in the month.
•Frozen vegetables
Frozen vegetables are cheaper and are often even more nutrient dense than even fresh, because they are flash frozen at peak freshness. They eliminate the need to use produce before it goes bad and can cost half what it costs to buy fresh.
•Accept bags of cucumbers and squash from neighbors
Every summer, we all have friends and neighbors that generously give away tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and the like. Don’t say no to these gifts. Try them in new recipes, freeze them, dehydrate them, can them. Free, fresh food should be received with thanks!
•Preserve and store away
In addition to your neighbor’s gifted produce, preserve the produce you’ve grown yourself, the extras you have from the farmers market, and in season produce you are able to get at a great price. Ask friends with fruit trees if you can glean once they’re finished picking and make them a pie or some preserves. Check places like Facebook marketplace and Dutchman’s for deals on bushels. You’ll be glad you did when your pantry is full in winter.
10. Buy store brands
•Usually 20-25% lower than national brands, often for the same quality
U.S. shoppers save around $40 billion annually by buying store brands. This is how stores like Aldi, who has 90% private label products are able to keep their prices so low.
•Often produced by the same manufacturers
Of course, name brands don’t want you to recognize this, but when you do a bit of digging online, you can find that Aldi cereals are made by General Mills. Wal-mart’s Great Value peanut butter is made by Peter Pan, their white bread is made by Sara Lee, and their ice cream is made by Blue Bunny. Costco, Sam’s, and Target brand diapers are all made by Huggies. Trader Joe’s pita chips are made by Stacy’s. I once had friends that while visiting the Coca Cola bottling company in Kentucky saw Sam’s Choice cans being filled.
•Don’t pay for marketing
So, for most store brand products, you are getting an identical product, but you aren't paying the marketing mark up.
***I will make the caveat here that this isn’t true for all store brand products. Sometimes the quality is not as good, but I do feel like that is usually the exception. You’ll need to decide for yourself what’s worth paying extra for and what isn’t.
Inexpensive Staples
Flour
Rice
Oats
Cornmeal
Pasta
Popcorn Kernels
Apples
Bananas
Pears
Potatoes
Lettuce
Cabbage
Frozen Vegetables
Carrots
Onions
Garlic
Canned Tomatoes
Eggs
Chicken thighs
Chicken Legs
Whole chicken
Pork butt
Ground beef
Canned Tuna
Dry Beans
Peanut Butter
Sugar
Tea Bags
Powdered Milk
Seasonings
Start where you are and do what you can. I have given you A LOT of tips. Some may be completely new to you and some you may have been doing for years. Take some tips that are new to you and put them into practice. Spend on items that are important to you and save on those that aren’t. This is all very personal to you and your family. I am always happy to talk about this topic and would love to answer any questions.
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