Tips and Tricks Grocery Shopping 2022
- superstoresolution
- Apr 21, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 26, 2022
We all need to eat. But… did you know that you do NOT have to pay full-price for fresh, quality, healthy, and even organic groceries? What I'm about to teach you can work for you! It doesn't matter if you have special dietary restrictions, how many teenagers you have, or even where you live in the world. This principle is universal. Let me show you how easy it is to simplify your grocery shopping and cut your grocery bill in half !
There are so many questions! And we totally get why; you can easily spend $1000's of dollars on food if you don't watch your food budget. Let's dive right in and answer some of these questions for you. Alright, here's a recap to discuss all things groceries, shopping, meal planning, and more!
We've all heard of Extreme Couponing. Where you see happy people walk into a grocery store and 45 seconds of TV magic later, come out with $800 of groceries for $0.14. It might look fine and good, but they don't paint a clear picture of the investment couponing requires. I have done lots of research on couponing, including attending classes.
Here are the reasons why I don't believe in couponing, even on a casual level:
Takes too much time- Not only the several hours it takes collecting and clipping the coupons and comparing them to current store deals, but it can double your time in the grocery store, too.
Limits what you're able to buy- Sure, I might be able to get 16 boxes of tampons for free this week…but what if I really need celery and Italian seasoning?
Coupons are typically for processed pantry foods- The most expensive items in your cart food-wise are typically meat, produce, and dairy. And coupons don't typically cover many, if any, of those.
Now, let's be fair here, I know many people love couponing and consider it a hobby and well worth their time. In that case, I say go for it! But I will argue until the day I die that it's not the quickest, cheapest, nor healthiest way to shop for your family.
The truth is, you can pay half price for quality groceries without clipping a single coupon! And it's actually quite simple.
The very first step you need to take is to figure out how much you should be spending on groceries per month. Here's the magic principle: Set a budget per person in your household. Start with $100 per person, per month. Add it up and then you have your monthly budget.
Here's the magic: Now divide it by the number of weeks in the month! Now you have a WEEKLY grocery budget.
This includes anything you can get at a typical grocery store – food and produce, on down to basic cleaning supplies, pharmacy goods, baby items, and even pet food.
Next, you need a method to track your grocery budget. My simple no-fail trick? Track your budget weekly instead of monthly! For a family of 5, you would get $500/month. Broken down, that's $125/week on a 4-week month. See the budgeting video above for a detailed explanation of this.
I believe in buying everything with an electronic card instead of cash, so debit or credit cards are fine based on your level of self-control. Tracking cash is a nightmare for me, so I don't even attempt that. But you do you if that works for you!
Use Friday (or just pick the best day for YOU) to plan your meals for the week. Plan your meals first around what you have in your fridge, pantry, and freezer (aka shelf cooking), and second around what's on sale (more about this below). Then choose a day to go shopping.
If you run out of milk and it's an emergency, send your spouse. But if they will walk out with more than one gallon of milk only, borrow some from a neighbor instead. Keep powdered milk on-hand. Eat toast instead of cereal. But do NOT step foot back in that store! Why? Because that one gallon of milk will cost you $50 in things you suddenly “need to have”! Just trust me on this one. Six days is not that long, you can do it!
There are several things you can do to save money before you even hit the store.
I recommend keeping a grocery list of things you need in your phone because we take our phones everywhere. I separate my list by the two stores I shop at and the things I typically buy there. A basic rule of smart grocery shopping – never go to the store without a list!!
Making a meal plan BEFORE shopping is key, so you know what you need to pick up to complete any recipes and meals. Remember to start with what you have on hand so you only have to buy a few supplemental ingredients and you don't let anything go to waste
This is the crux of this whole operation! All you need to do is be aware of what the good deals are for the week, and buy those! How do you know?
Check Ads – I used to do it and it takes a little time, but it works fine. Take the ads for the stores you like to shop at and focus on the front and back pages mostly. Check out the deals and prices and circle or take note of what the good deals are that week, and stock up on them.
Plan Meals Around Seasonal Fruits and Veggies – It's that easy! Every season has different fruits and veggies that are less expensive. Shop for and cook with that produce and you will save money.
Keep a List of Good Deals – I literally keep a running list of common food items we use with the best price I've seen those items listed for so I know if something is a good deal or not!
Now that you have your shopping budget, list, and meal plan, it's time to hit the store! Here are a few tried and true posts to give you some tips, tricks, and actually see how I grocery shop!
Here's the summary to the BIG question! How much should you actually be spending on groceries. We break it all down for you right here, right now.
I've got some tricks, tips, and hacks if you're grocery shopping on a budget. And you totally should be! Get some insider knowledge of the grocery store and save some serious money with some of these shopping hacks that will help you in the store!
Here's a few more tidbits:
If Groceries Are On Sale, Stock Up – As long as you can stay in your weekly budget, stock up on meats, veggies, and kitchen staples that are on sale to stock up for your future meals. I always like to have a few back-ups on hand!
Don't Shop At Eye-Level – This might sound a little crazy, but stores are smart. They know that if they can get something in front of us, we're more likely to grab what is convenient so they put more expensive items at eye-level. Don't fall for that trick! For more shopping hacks like this, be sure to check out my grocery shopping hacks.
Cut Your Own Produce – You know they charge an arm and a leg for produce that is already cut up and packaged so nice. It doesn't take too long to cut your own produce. Plus, fruits and veggies that are already cut will not last as long and are far more likely to go bad before you can use them up.
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