Frugal Living Tips – Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half

One of the most irritating things when it comes to shopping is standing in the checkout line at the grocery store and handing over $400, $500, $600, or even more to the clerk – for groceries that probably will not last two weeks. The price of groceries just keeps going up, but obviously we have to eat. If you’re tired of spending your hard earned money at the grocery store, we’ve got some frugal tips for you that can help you save money at the grocery store and cut your grocery bill in half (or more).

I will be honest with you – if you are not willing to make an effort at incorporting some or all of these money saving tips into your everyday life, there is little use for you to continue to read this article.

Change is not always easy, and it takes the entire family pitching in. But if you are willing to make a few changes, you can save a load of money.

Depending upon your particular financial circumstances, you will want make either small changes or massive changes in how you shop for groceries. The idea here is to be able to pay your bills, buy the food you need, and have money left over – not charging or going into debt any further than you might already be.

So, here we have, in no particular order, various frugal living tips that will help you cut your grocery bill in half. Let’s be frugal and stop handing the grocery stores so much of our money!

1. Use coupons to match the sales at your local grocery stores. Using coupons with items that are on sale is THE best way to save money on groceries – plus this allows you to buy items that you might not normally purchase. True, it will take a little time to look for the sales and it will take a wee bit of time to print and clip coupons, but the savings is well worth the time. Make it a point to set aside a little time daily or weekly to do this before you are ready to go shopping.

2. Have a shopping list. Make sure when you run out of something, or if you need something, to put it on the shopping list. This helps a lot when you’re confronted with a load of stuff that the stores want you to buy. With a shopping list in hand, you know what you’re in the store to buy. Plus, if you’re like me, you don’t have to worry about trying to remember what you need. It’s all on the list.

3. Don’t go shopping hungry. This is THE worst thing to do. You will always end up buying more than you have planned because everything looks so good. You shopping list will be pretty much a waste of time because you won’t stick to it. Eat before shopping. Not only will you not be hungry, you’ll save a load of money simple by not impulse shopping.

4. Buy foods you have to actually prepare. Buying a load of premade items will cost you a load of money. Buy foods you have to put together, prepare, or cook. If you’ve got a coupon for something that’s on sale, fine – then buy it if it’s a good deal. But if you want to save money on groceries, you will need to change how you buy most of your groceries. Buying foods that you have to prepare costs a lot less and goes a lot further than all this premade stuff.

5. Look for markdowns and clearance items. Be sure the date is still good. Some things can be frozzen to prolong the usefulness of the product. Dented cans are often marked down simply because of the look of the can. Meats that are marked down can be divided up into smaller portions and frozen. Walmart usually has a clearance isle of nonfood type items. These could make nice frugal gifts or if it’s something you need for your own home – usually wonderful deals.

6. Cut out the soda. The price of soda is high, and it provides no nutritional value whatsoever. Have you thought of how much you actually spend every month on soda? Not to mention the calories! Do yourself, your waistline, and your pocketbook at favor – leave the soda sitting there and just don’t buy it. Treat yourself to a soda every once in while when you go out, not every day or all during the day.

7. Don’t charge your groceries on a credit card. When you do this, you’re only adding to your food bill by having to pay interest on your food.

8. When possible, buy in bulk if something is on sale and if you have coupons – any time there’s a good deal on an item that you use often or a lot of. Freeze what you can so that it lasts longer. Be sure that you’re not taking away from bills and such if you do this.

9. If you’re a brand name only shopper, try using generic store brands. Very often, generic store brands are the exact same product as the name brand, only with different packaging. The name brand companies very often put out store brands with the store brand packaging, yet the content inside is the exact same thing as the name brand. You can usually save money by purchasing generic brands over name brands.

10. Invest in a meat grinder. Grinding you own ground beef can save you money, plus you know what you’re getting in your ground beef. The same goes for sausage. Grinding only takes a few moments!

11. Plan out meal ideas. When you have an idea of the meals you will serve, this helps you to know what to add to your shopping list. Plan meals around foods that go further and are more filling, thus allowing you to spend less.

12. Cut out the junk. Simply put, junk foods are not healthy and just cost you money. There’s nothing wrong with chips and such every once in a while, but instead of making such items the norm, make them the every once in a while type thing.

These are only a few frugal ways to save money at the grocery store. If you’re ready to save money and live a more frugal life, the above frugal ideas can help you achieve that goal. Remember that if you want to be frugal, you can do it.