Grocery Shopping For Cheap
I recently left my job so I could finish out school, so that means I understand as much as anyone how hard it is to afford our groceries.
Here is a Tik Tok you might find helpful if you don’t have time to read all of these tips and tricks!
Shop Sales… duh
It might seem silly and obvious, but basing your shopping trip on what is on sale can make all the difference!
For example, choose the fruits and vegetables that are on sale that week and find side dishes that you can make out of them. I am sure you have a few cookbooks lying around and you can bulk prep your veggie dishes.
If the vegetables on sale aren’t very popular when it comes to recipes, think about what vegetable it is similar to and replace the vegetable with the one on sale.
For example, if cauliflower is on sale but you have a favorite dish for broccoli, replace the broccoli with cauliflower!
Another great reason to shop sales is that you can bulk buy whatever protein is on sale and stretch that to last the whole week.
If chicken thighs are on sale, then you can make fried rice, chicken and dumpling soup, chicken and rice, tacos etc. These are all meals that can be made with a few kitchen staples and few specialty items that will rack up your grocery bill.
Stock Up On Staples When They’re On Sale
When products like flour, sugar, butter, chocolate chips, rice, canned beans, etc. are on sale, you should buy a few of them so you can have your staples on hand at all times.
Things like flour and salt are all you need to make an artisan sourdough loaf that would be a great addition to every meal and help you stretch your meals further.
Butter is a great product to stock up on because it freezes beautifully and it is a great fat to add to all sorts of foods. Butter makes everything delicious!
Sign Up For Your Grocery Store’s Rewards Program
If I am being honest, when it comes to cheap groceries, Target circle is the simplest app you can use. Click here to sign up for Target Circle (not an affiliate link).
Target circle has saved me hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on my groceries, clothes, and household essentials.
Torok The Coupon Hunter has great resources for couponing at Target. What’s great about couponing in this day and age is that you don’t even need to clip coupons anymore. You can do it all beforehand and just put in your phone number when you get to the register. The social anxiety about it all is next to none!
Focus On The Perimeter Of The Store
Once you start going down all the isles, you spend the most money. You should aim to spend 80% on the perimeter and 20% on the aisles.
The great part about this is, that the perimeter is where all the whole foods are, so by doing this you are also eating a little healthier!
Watch Cheap Eating Youtubers!
Youtubers have some great tips and tricks for some specific meals that you can follow that will be cheap and easy!
Frugal fit mom has been one of my favorites for awhile because she has great tips and tricks that have made my food taste better and feel lighter on the wallet.
See Mindy Mom is also amazing! She is from Tulsa, Oklahoma and she has some great recipes as well. She gives great ideas for cooking for a family and for quick cooking!
✅ Doc Samurai Sam 🍿also has some great content on Medium about cheap eating and saving money on your groceries. Here is my favorite article from him!
Shop Your Pantry
Look in your pantry and find recipes to use up things that are about to go bad!
For example, I almost always have cottage cheese, so I have to get creative with how I use it because I am only cooking for one.
Pinterest has great recipes that are tried and tested by many people. If you have an ingredient that you need to use, search on Pinterest “_____ recipe” and see what looks good. This is a great way to prevent food waste and you will try out new recipes that you can write down and keep for later.
