9 tips for spending less money on your groceries

“That will be twenty dollars,” says the cashier, while you look surprised at the few groceries you had loaded in your basket. That much? Well, groceries are pricey. And unnoticed, they can make quite a drain on your monthly budget. Fortunately, you can easily save on your groceries.

Know how much you spend on groceries

If you can be found in the supermarket almost every day, you probably have no idea how much is spent on groceries per month—ten here, twenty there.

Grab your calculator (or a budget app) and calculate it. You are scared to death. Immediately an excellent motivator to start saving on your groceries. That can be different!

Always check what you still have at home first

How many times have you bought something at the supermarket only to find out you still had one at home? Now that is less bad when it comes to a pack of pasta (after all, that does not perish), but it is a pity if the product has a shelf life.

For the same reason, it is good to check what you have in the fridge before going to the supermarket. This way, you avoid throwing away things at the end of the week because they are no longer good. This way, you can create meals with the products you still have at home.

Plan your meals

This brings us to the next point: plan your meals. Then you can indeed no longer see what you feel like that day, but to be honest, we often wonder what on earth we should eat today.

You can avoid this if you make a meal plan and accompanying shopping list once a week. You also save extra if you plan these meals based on what you have in your pantry or sale.

Set up a grocery budget

You find that you are now spending too much on groceries, so you want to save. But how much do you want to spend per month and week? By really giving yourself a budget, you challenge yourself much more actually to start saving.

Use a Self Scanner

The self-scanner is genuinely the invention of the century. If you want to save, that thing is super handy. Not only does it indicate when you’ve scanned a product on sale, but it also gives you a good idea of how much you’re going to spend on your groceries (without having to go through the store with a calculator).

Stay away from pre-cut products

I know: it’s so much easier to grab pre-cut potato slices, lettuce, and stir-fried vegetables than their whole varieties. But it saves so much money.

In addition, a whole head of lettuce also stays good for much longer so that you don’t have to throw it away as quickly.

Try the budget variant

Another bargain, but one that you should try to save on groceries. Of course, it is sometimes the case that the A-brands are of better quality and tastier, but that is not always the case.

Especially if there is a product that you often buy, it can be worth trying the budget variant. Less tasty? Then I’m not going to force you to buy it. But at least you tried.

Buy seasonal products

Of course, you sometimes feel like strawberries in the winter, but they will cost you a kidney. Fruits and vegetables are simply a lot more expensive when they are not in season.

Fortunately, you can find plenty of information on the internet about when what is in season. You can take it with you in your research before you go to the supermarket.

Make it a competition

Try to make it a challenge and have fun with it. If you see saving on groceries as a must and don’t feel like it at all, we can guarantee that you will not keep it up.

Saving on groceries is mainly about being more aware of what you put in your basket. If you take the time to think about your list in advance, you will see that you are already saving a lot of money.