If your grocery bill keeps creeping up, you are not imagining it. The good news is that you can save money on groceries without clipping coupons for hours or eating rice and beans every night. Small habits add up fast, and most of them take less than ten minutes a week.
These are the 25 tips we use to build every recipe on Supper Saving, where most dinners cost under $2 a serving. Pick three or four to start with, then add more once they become habits.
Plan before you shop
- Make a weekly meal plan. Deciding dinners before you shop is the single biggest way to save money on groceries, because it stops impulse buys and wasted food. Our $50 weekly meal plan is a ready-made week to start from.
- Shop your kitchen first. Check the fridge, freezer and pantry before you write the list, and plan at least one meal around what you already have.
- Write a list and stick to it. Group it by store section so you walk the aisles once and spend less time tempted by end displays.
- Plan for leftovers on purpose. A pot of soup that serves eight covers dinner and two lunches for less than a single takeout meal.
- Set a weekly grocery budget. A number you can see makes every choice in the store easier. Our guide to setting a grocery budget for a family of 4 walks through it step by step.
Buy smarter at the store
The store is where most of your chances to save money on groceries happen, so a few simple rules make a big difference.
- Compare unit prices, not package prices. The small shelf tag that shows price per ounce or per pound tells you which size is really cheaper.
- Buy the store brand. For staples like flour, canned tomatoes, rice, beans and broth, store brands are usually the same quality for less.
- Choose cheaper cuts of meat. Chicken thighs, drumsticks and chuck roast cost less than breasts and steaks and are more forgiving to cook.
- Stretch meat with beans and vegetables. Adding a can of beans to chili or tacos means one pound of beef can feed eight people.
- Buy produce in season. Seasonal fruit and vegetables are cheaper and taste better. Frozen vegetables are a great deal year round.
- Skip pre-cut and pre-shredded. Whole carrots, whole heads of broccoli and block cheese cost less than the cut versions.
- Shop the sales for your proteins. Build the week around whatever meat is on sale instead of planning first and paying full price.
- Avoid shopping hungry. It sounds obvious, but a snack before the store keeps extra treats out of the cart.
Cook cheaper meals at home
- Lean on your slow cooker. Cheap, tough cuts become tender with time, so crockpot dinners are some of the best ways to save money on groceries.
- Make soup once a week. Soups stretch a few ingredients a long way and freeze well.
- Cook a big batch on the weekend. Batch cooking saves money and keeps you away from the drive-through on busy nights.
- Go meatless once or twice a week. Bean and pasta dinners often cost less than $1.50 a serving.
- Make your own spice mixes. Taco, fajita and Italian seasoning blends cost pennies to mix from spices you already own.
- Bake your own bread items. Simple biscuits, tortillas and pizza dough cost a fraction of store bought.
Here are some of our cheapest dinners to put these tips into practice:
- Crockpot Black Bean Soup ($0.87 a serving, $6.93 for 8)
- One Pot Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta ($1.30 a serving, $5.20 for 4)
- Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks ($1.45 a serving, $5.80 for 4)
- Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Rice ($1.60 a serving, $6.40 for 4)
- Crockpot Taco Soup ($1.42 a serving, $11.35 for 8)
Waste less food
Throwing away food is like throwing away cash, so cutting waste is one of the easiest ways to save money on groceries.
- Store food so it lasts. The free FoodKeeper app from FoodSafety.gov shows how long foods keep in the pantry, fridge and freezer.
- Freeze before it spoils. Bread, cooked rice, shredded chicken and ripe bananas all freeze well.
- Keep a use-it-up shelf. Put food that needs eating soon at eye level in the fridge so it gets used first.
- Turn scraps into meals. Vegetable ends become broth, stale bread becomes croutons, and leftover rice becomes fried rice.
- Learn what dates really mean. Many best-by dates are about quality, not safety. The USDA food loss and waste page explains how to reduce waste at home.
Start small: this week, plan five dinners, shop with a list and eat leftovers for lunch twice. Those three habits alone can save money on groceries right away.
Why grocery prices change
Food prices move with weather, fuel costs and demand, so some weeks will cost more than others. The USDA tracks this in its Food Price Outlook, which is a useful way to see which food groups are rising fastest. When a category jumps, swap to a cheaper protein or vegetable that week.
Frequently asked questions about how to save money on groceries
What is the fastest way to save money on groceries?
Plan your meals for the week and shop with a list. It cuts impulse buys and food waste at the same time.
Are store brands really as good?
For most pantry staples, yes. Try the store brand of one item each week and keep the ones you like.
Is buying in bulk always cheaper?
Not always. Compare the unit price, and only buy bulk sizes of foods you will use before they spoil.
How can I save money on groceries without coupons?
Meal planning, store brands, cheaper cuts of meat, seasonal produce and cooking at home save more than most coupons.
