Real talk: food takes up a ton of space in the budget for pretty much everyone. Finding ways to trim those costs is essential — but sometimes, you just don’t have the energy to sort through coupons and spend hours finding the best deals. Here are a few ways to seriously save on groceries without making any drastic changes to your routine.
Making it work is brought to you by wealth simple which gives everyone access to simple affordable investing on cruise control i am a full time college student with two part-time jobs and none of those include couponing clipping coupons organizing them and remembering to bring them to the grocery store is a routine i don’t have the time or desire for right now
But i do have a desire to consistently save my money for clarity’s sake these tips are written from the perspective of a non parent who only cooks for one but they have saved me an average of ten to thirty dollars per grocery trip which has the potential to stack up massively when considered over the course of one year number one i shop with reusable grocery bags
As parkinson’s law explains our work expands to fill the amount of time we’re given to complete it this concept can also be applied to how we occupy physical space when we have x amount of space available we fill it think about it how many people fill up the cart all the way because they’re used to doing so not because they need to i make it easier to stick to my
Grocery list and curb impulse purchases by shopping with a set number of reusable grocery bags i take only the amount with me that i foresee needing for a given trip and i do not exceed that space of course i’m realistic about my needs and in an emergency one extra plastic shopping bag is always an option number two i walk to the grocery store instead of driving
When walking to and from the grocery store my spending is inherently bound by what i can comfortably carry the endorphins fresh air and scenery you provide another reason to enjoy meal prep that much more i pick a favorite podcast or album to listen to and i’m grateful for having this time to fully take it in songs distractions while also boosting my step intake
I personally take two reusable shopping bags which is enough space for an entire week of meal prep ingredients this strategy can scale up if you want a partner grocery shop together or if you do biweekly preps and shopping for two whenever i feel overwhelmed by the weight of my grocery haul or it has unexpectedly started raining i take public transportation or
An lift home this costs about $7 where i live this does happen on rare occasions but i’ve seen that my general savings still greatly outweigh these pop up costs for those of you living in smaller cities who have to drive 10 miles to the grocery store i see you consider carpooling with a neighborhood friend instead you will not want to fill the entire backseat
With your own groceries which will reduce the amount of time you feel you have to aimlessly roam the aisles alternatively you can use the digital grocery order service if your grocery store has it this will allow you to be mindful of your total and also review your cart one last time prior to checkout removing anything unnecessary with a simple click number three
I establish a routine splurge when i first began meal prepping i was grocery shopping more than ever before keeping fresh produce at home was amazing but my average monthly splurges became much higher instead of adding a few extra things to the cart once a month i noticed myself doing this on each weekly trip it is essential to shop with a list but designating
One non list treat per shopping trip provides a nice way to reward yourself and keep things interesting without being wasteful good splurges in the three to five dollar range can be your favorite bottled coffee beverage or kombucha an inexpensive bunch of flowers a magazine or even a single serving dessert from the bakery section number four i tracked toiletries
Separately tracking the cost of personal toiletries separately from your grocery budget is essential think about it you wouldn’t budget your haircut with your groceries so why include your skincare and shampoo being mindful of how i categorize these costs provides clarity in my finances perks i can better appreciate how economical my meal preps are likewise that
Makes me more mindful of my personal product spending i can’t use my grocery spending to camouflage it number five i only grocery shop once a week grocery shopping once a week is a comfortable worry-free window to maintain fresh produce it helps you to wait one more week for non essentials you may be tempted to toss in your cart when you pass by them adopt the
Mindset of i can get this next week if i find i need it then you’ll be less likely to needlessly purchase and restock items reducing food waste your next grocery trip is never so far off that you can’t wait for certain items building on my previous tips one weekly trip sets me up for fewer impulse purchases and maintains a sustainable amount of treats number six
I don’t shop around this may initially seem counterintuitive to what you know about saving money on food however i find that the time and transportation costs of shopping around for different fogo cereal deals does not often outweigh the savings when i’m shopping on a regular basis instead choose which grocery store you shop out on a given week based on the types
Of things you notice yourself needing most is your list this week produce heavy or more focused on dry goods select your destination accordingly and recognize that the 50 cent’s markup on your box of cereal will probably even out with the prices you find on your fresh veggies and fruits or vice versa of course i can only imagine the extent of these savings when
Paired with coupon clipping or other money-saving measures but i have found significant savings with these alone hopefully some of these tips can be incorporated into your lifestyle in a way that saves you money for other things that matter most to you finding new ways to cut costs on your non-negotiable expenses means making more room for all the fun things you
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6 Ways I Save Hundreds On Groceries With Zero Couponing By The Financial Diet