grocery store strategies

Throughout our debt free journey, I have taken on grocery shopping as my personal challenge. We allot $220 for food every month. Obviously, eating out is a rare treat so that money needs to cover a lot of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Along the way, I have learned a few tips and strategies to help stretch our grocery budget...


1. I don't use coupons, but I always go to the grocery store with a list. Prior to going to the store, I plan out the next week's meals and recipes to determine what I need. A list that contains only what I need keeps me on track and reduces the temptation to buy items that I do not need.


2. I try to go to the grocery store as little as possible. Once a week works well for me, but if I were a little more organized once every other week would be even better. I find the more that I go to the grocery store, the more likely I am to pick up items here and there that I don't need.

3. Meat could amass much of my grocery budget if not handled carefully, especially since my husband is a meat loving man. So I have some policies for buying meat. First, I don't pay more than $2 per pound for meat. That means we don't buy steak, ribs, or much ground beef. Also, I avoid meat with bones or skin. We don't eat that stuff so I don't want to pay for it.

Around here, sales run periodically that put chicken breasts, pork chops or loin, ham, and turkey at or under my price point. When I find a good sale on meat, I stock up.

A few weeks ago, Martin's Supermarkets had ground beef for $1.99/pound. This is significantly discounted, and I bought ten pounds! When I got home from the store, I divided the ground beef into approximately one pound chunks and put them in the freezer in quart size freezer bags. This method is convenient and cuts costs!

Another way to save money on meat is to take advantage of "after hours" sales. Certain grocery stores (like Meijer) offer discounted deli meat after 8 PM.


4. Cheese can also be expensive. I have found that the cheapest way to buy cheese is by the chunk. A local country store sells "odds and ends" chunks of cheese for $2 per pound. I don't need to pay someone else to slice and shred cheese. In addition, I find that when I have to slice and shred the cheese myself, I tend to use less. It's better for my waistline and my wallet!

 snoopy!

5. We do not regularly buy snack foods. Most of the time, we have tortilla chips and popcorn (kernals--not microwave) in the cupboard, but that's about it.  Chips and cookies are expensive and of little nutritional value. Because we do not buy junk food, it makes a fun treat for special occasions (or for when we visit my parent's house). Last Christmas, Kb got Oreos in his stocking, and I received my favorite snack mix as a birthday treat!


6.  Don't be afraid to shop at a discount grocery store. I use Pine Hill, but other discount stores can be found here. I'll admit, I steer clear of some items at the discount store, and I do check expiration dates. Some of my favorite items to get at Pine Hill are cereal, canned fruit and other canned goods, hot chocolate, tea, and seasonal items.

7. Don't be perfect. Sometimes I crave circus peanuts and pop-tarts. I know, it's weird. And Kb enjoys pop and ice cream. These items are not grocery budget worthy, but sometimes we neeeed them. That is where our fun money comes into play. If we want "extras," then we dish out our tightly held fun money.


These are strategies that worked for us! Take on the grocery challenge and see what works for you!