How to save money on groceries

For many of us food shopping is one of our biggest weekly expenses, so finding ways to save money on groceries, even just a small amount, can help a lot.

According to HSBC, saving even just £5 a week (approx. $6) means you’ll save £260 (approx. $321) over a year. If you can save a bit more, like £30 a week, (approx. $37) you’ll save £1,560 (approx. $1,930) a year on your food shopping, which is fantastic!

If you’d like to start saving money on groceries but aren’t sure where to start, here are some things you can try.

Meal planning

There are many benefits to meal planning, but in terms of money saving, meal planning means you only buy ingredients you need, you’re less likely to buy impulse or reduced priced groceries, and you spend less on takeaway.

Meal planning for the week, or any other time period, also means that you can plan meals around ingredients you already have at home, which means you don’t need to buy as many groceries.

Shop with a grocery list

There are many reasons why you should use grocery lists, but the main one for money saving purposes is that by making and organising a grocery list, you avoid aisles containing items you don’t need, reducing the chances of impulse purchases, which increase your total food shopping bill.

Look at unit prices

Often we think that buying the cheapest product, or the largest product, is the most cost effective option. However, looking at an item’s unit price tells us that this isn’t necessarily true.

Looking at unit prices is something I do all the time, and it means looking at the price per unit of measurement to see which product offers the best value.

A unit price is an item’s price per gram, kilogram, 100 grams, or any other unit of measurement written on the item’s price tag, or if shopping online the item’s description.

The item with the lowest price per unit of measurement offers the best value. So if an item is £1.00 per 100gm and another is £1.20 per 100gm, the item that’s £1.00 per 100gm is the better value option, even if it’s smaller than the £1.20 per 100gm option.

If looking at unit prices to reduce your grocery bill, make sure you look at them carefully, because sometimes the same product has different unit measurements. For example, one potato may be priced per kilogram, and another potato may be priced per 100 grams.

Also, make sure you look at all the options of the product you’re looking at, as cheaper items are often are located on the bottom of the shelf, and dearer items at eye level.

Check different aisles

Sometimes products can be located in different aisles, for example cotton buds can be located in the baby and beauty aisles and may be cheaper in one aisle compared to the other.

Nuts is another example, they can be located in self serve sizes in the fruit and vegetable aisle, or pre packaged in the snacks aisle, with prices varying between the two locations.

Consider store brands

Store brands are often cheaper than their bigger brand equivalents, so adding some store brands into your grocery shop is a good way to save money on groceries.

Bulk buying isn’t always cost effective

Buying in bulk can offer money saving opportunities, especially for items that you use often, or that have a long shelf life.

However, buying in bulk won’t save you money if the following apply:

• The unit prices of buying in bulk are higher than buying a few smaller sizes of the same product
• Smaller sized packages of the same product are on sale
• You’ll use all of the bulk bought items in the same amount of time as a smaller size
• You won’t use all of the bulk bought items before they go out of date
• You can buy the same products cheaper at another store

It’s not a sale if you don’t need it

Sale items are tempting, but if a grocery item is on sale and it’s not something you’d usually buy, don’t buy it.

Similarly, if there’s a 3 for 2 offer, or something similar, and you have to think of something to make with the items, or you don’t have enough room in your fridge or freezer for them, then don’t buy them.

Avoid pre-packaged items when possible

There are many grocery items that are pre-packaged that you can buy individually, and doing so will save you money on your grocery shopping.

For example, if you only need a few mushrooms buy them individually instead of buying the pre-packaged version of them.

Often individual grocery items, like mushrooms, are stored away from their pre-packaged version making them harder to find, but seeking them out will save you money on your groceries.

Another example is buying whole pieces of fruit and cutting them yourself, instead of buying pre-packaged fruit that’s dearer, and has a shorter shelf life.

Take your own bags

Another way to save money on groceries is to take your own bags to the supermarket.

You could use trolley bags, foldable shopping bags, or canvas bags, and if you keep some in your car you’ll never forget them.

Try online grocery shopping

Doing your grocery shopping online can help you save money in the following ways: 

• The temptation to impulse buy is lessened because it’s harder to find reduced items
• You can stick to your budget more easily because you can see the total of your items as you add them to your basket
• You can sort items by price
• It’s quicker to compare unit prices
• You’re not tempted to buy items that are located at the checkout

When buying groceries online there will most likely be a delivery cost, but different time slots cost different amounts, so check to see if one of the cheaper slots is a time that suits you.

Many supermarkets also offer delivery plans allowing you to get your groceries delivered during certain days for a fixed monthly cost.

For example, I buy my groceries online, and for a fixed monthly amount I can get my groceries delivered to my house any time on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and by doing so I spend less on delivery costs per month than I would pay if I paid per delivery.

You can also buy your groceries online and choose to pick them up at the supermarket at a cheaper price then getting them home delivered.

Sign up to loyalty programs

Many supermarkets have a loyalty program, where for every amount you spend, you get points that can be exchanged for vouchers to use on future groceries, or to use at one of their partners.

Partners include cinemas, days out, restaurants, and other suppliers, which means that instead of saving money on groceries you could exchange points for cinema tickets, helping you to save money on entertaining your children during the holidays.

Utilise your freezer

Your freezer can help you save money on groceries as follows:

• You can buy frozen vegetables, meat, and ready made meals, which are often cheaper than buying these items fresh
• You can freeze cut vegetables and fruit and use them when needed
• You can store leftovers, which means you don’t have to buy ingredients for another meal
• You can freeze loaves of bread and remove slices as you need them, so you don’t have to rebuy a loaf that’s gone mouldy
• You can freeze items close to their use by date so you can use them later

Organise your fridge in terms of freshness

Organising your fridge so food that needs to be used before it expires means you’ll consume your food instead of throwing it away due to it going rotten, which saves you money on having to replace it.

Do you have any tips on how to save money on groceries?