Lots of ways to save at the grocery store:
- Lots of people mentioned Aldi's (love it for chicken, fresh vegetables, nuts and cheese). Love it. Also love Lidl (better than Aldi for canned goods, bread and coffee).
- When you find an item on sale, stock up.
- Look for non-grocery store options. For example, we love the Asian Supermarket, but it's some distance away, so we go a couple times a year and stock up on the items we like. We love the (reasonably priced) bulk spices at an expensive health food store near us. Do you have a bread store nearby? Ours always sells mix-and-match 3 loaves for $1.99.
- Watch your bill carefully. I constantly find that stores have one price on the shelf /a different price rings up in the computer. I've found it twice this week -- once at Target, once at Lidl.
- Read the first Tightwad Gazette book for a great grocery-store book method. The author "walks you through" a system for creating a book that'll compare prices for the things you buy constantly, and it'll allow you to identify when things will go on sale.
- Cut back on your beverages. The average grocery bill is 30% beverages -- and most of them offer little-to-no nutritional value. Embrace water, lemonade and iced tea.
- Cut back on individually packaged items. You're almost always paying a high price for all that packaging, and it just ends up in a landfill. This includes K-cups for coffee and individual snack packs.
- Embrace frozen vegetables. They're just as nutritious and won't go bad if overlooked for a few days. If roasted, they're very good.
- Look for meals that use less meat; for example, instead of cooking a chicken breast for each person, slice the meat thinly and serve less per person.
- Stop buying shredded cheese. Blocks are almost always cheaper, and you don't get the icky cellulose with which they cover the shreds.
- Learn to make things for yourself. For example, you can make a whole crock pot full of yogurt for the cost of 2-3 little containers.
- Do you have a couple bites of vegetable or meat left after dinner? Save it in a container in your freezer -- keep adding that last little bit for a couple weeks, and when the container's full, it's "free soup day".
- Bake a big potato for everyone, and top them with leftovers.
- If you find yourself over-spending on pre-packaged food because you just don't have time to cook, consider doubling what you're cooking (when you have time), then freezing it. When you're busy, you already have a good, homecooked meal ready.
- Read websites like Budget Bytes for low-cost ideas.
- Carbs are very cheap, but don't over-do. An unbalanced diet is no bargain in the long run.