Ultra Power Saving Mode for your Grocery Budget

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If you’re trying to save money on groceries this year, you’ve come to the right place. There are tons of money-saving resources out there, but this one is different.

I’m always ready to learn new strategies for saving money, but I’ve been disappointed lately. It seems like every article I read about how to save money on groceries just talks about apps or couponing services.

Those may work for some people, but I don’t find most of them to be very helpful. The shopping apps and coupon sites (paid or free) that I’ve seen mostly show coupons or discounts for brand name products. That would be fine if the coupon was worth it. But 50 cents off of a $1.99 can of tomatoes still doesn’t beat the store brand for $0.79.

So I compiled a list of tactics for the shopper who really needs to cut expenses and save money. This is for you if you’ve cut out all extra expenditures and don’t know what else to do.

I know these methods work because I’ve used them for the last 4 years to keep our grocery bills under $350/month for three people (plus a baby). I can keep them under $300/month when I use all of the tactics listed below. And that’s in Fairbanks, Alaska, where there is no Aldi and groceries cost over 25% more than the national average!

I don’t use every single tactic every month because I’m a weak human being, and I like to buy seltzer water now and then! But I do use some of them all the time.

If you would like to save money on groceries, but aren’t desperate, try a few of these tactics. If you need to save a LOT, use all of them. I promise that you will see a difference in your grocery bills!

Again, I don’t use all of them every month. They are meant to be like Ultra Power Saving Mode on your phone: you don’t use it all the time, just when your phone has a low battery and you need it to last as long as possible.

I’m warning you: these tactics aren’t as quick and easy as downloading a fancy app. It takes some time to plan meals before you set foot in the grocery store. Shopping on a tight budget doesn’t allow you to experiment with lots of exotic foods (unless you consider rice exotic…)

But if you don’t have enough money for groceries this month, it’s worth it. If you’re desperately trying to scrape up some extra cash, it’s worth it. This list of tips will help you stretch your grocery budget farther than you ever have before!

Before You Shop

Are you ready to start saving? Don’t head to the store just yet. Having a plan is one of the most important things you can do to save money on groceries. These tips will help you form a plan so you can stretch your hard-earned cash as far as possible!

1. Start with a meal plan.

This basic tool will help you plan out your menus for a week or a month at a time. When you’re in Ultra Power Saving Mode, I suggest planning more than one week of meals at a time. You don’t have to tackle the entire month if that idea seems overwhelming, but try to plan two weeks of meals.

You will only be shopping for this week’s groceries, but if you notice something on sale which is on your menu for next week, wouldn’t you rather pay sale price and move the meal to this week? Or just freeze the sale item for later use. You can read more about meal planning here, or just grab a free copy of my meal planning bundle.

2. Take an inventory of your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry before you make a meal plan.

This helps you to use what you already have, so it doesn’t sit in the back of your pantry for months. It’s nice to have a well-stocked freezer and pantry for times when money’s tight.

I like to do this at least every other month, and keep an inventory sheet posted on my fridge. Then I can easily refer to it when making my meal plans and grocery lists, instead of digging through everything trying to find out whether or not I used that last can of corn.

3. Go quasi-vegetarian.

Shoot for 3-4 meatless meals per week. Meat is often one of the most expensive items people buy. By replacing meats with other forms of protein, you can easily shave off a good chunk of your weekly grocery bill.

And choose wisely the meats you continue to buy during this period. When we’re on a tight budget, I only buy bacon or whole chickens. Why? Chickens go on sale for $0.89-$0.99/lb several times a year, and a whole chicken gives our family 3-4 meals if I plan them right. That comes out to just over a dollar per meal for a large chicken.

Bacon is a much higher price per pound, BUT you don’t use as much bacon in a meal as you do other meats. Also, bacon greatly enhances beans, and we eat a lot of beans.

4. Plan to grocery shop just once per week.

No running back to the store for last-minute items you forgot. This will not only save on gas, but also keep you from being tempted to purchase other things you don’t really need.

Some people can walk out of a grocery store with only the one or two things on their list; others just can’t help seeing sales, and come out lugging much more than they planned to buy. (It’s also much easier to keep track of grocery receipts if you only have one per week!)

If you know that you’ll only be grocery shopping once per week, you have to be organized and plan ahead. This means you need to sit down with your meal plan and make a grocery list that includes everything you need to make meals for a week.

5. Look at the weekly ads and coupons for your grocery store before you go.

I said that I don’t find most grocery apps helpful. The exception is apps that are specific to one grocery store. These often have coupons for store-brand items, milk, eggs, and produce.

They might also give you points for gasoline discounts or other rewards or rebates. In my experience, not all grocery apps are created equal. I use the Safeway app all the time, but Fred Meyer only rarely.

At the grocery store

6. Go shopping first thing in the morning.

This is when many grocery stores mark down items that will be expiring soon. I usually shop at 8:30-9:00 on Wednesday mornings, and I can almost always score markdowns on meats, yogurt, and other dairy products.

7. Compare prices for fresh and frozen veggies, especially if it’s not garden season!

For example, I know that I can usually buy fresh broccoli in the winter for about $2.49/lb. However, frozen broccoli runs around $1-$1.25 for a 12 oz. package, which comes out to about $1.67/lb.

It also helps to keep in mind what you will be doing with those fruits and vegetables on your shopping list. Frozen carrots work fine in soups and casseroles, but not in coleslaw. Extra points for planning meals around frozen vegetables while making your meal plan!

8. Don’t put anything in your cart that you could eat on the way home.

What I mean by this is that you shouldn’t be buying convenience foods. Aim for buying ingredients only: flour, butter, and eggs instead of bread or crackers. The obvious exceptions to this rule are fruits and vegetables, which you can often eat in their natural state!

9. Don’t buy any beverages except milk.

If your home doesn’t have a safe source of drinking water, that’s a different story, of course. But in general, stick to this rule. I’m also not going to tell you that you can’t have tea or coffee if you really think you need it. I’m merely pointing out that these beverages aren’t necessary, and can therefore be dispensed with for a period of time if your budget is very tight.

What I’m really talking about are drinks like juice, soda pop, seltzer water, iced coffee or tea, and alcohol. These are extras, and shouldn’t be in your cart while you’re in Ultra Power Saving Mode.

10. Know when to wait.

Let’s say cheddar cheese is on your list. It’s not on sale, but you know that cheese does go on sale at least once a month. Mentally review your meal plan.

Do you have any cheese at home, or was it just on your list because you were running low? Do you have any other cheeses that you could substitute? Could you make the recipe without cheese? Could you save the recipe for next week and make something else that doesn’t require cheese?

Ultimately, only you can make the decision. But learning to adjust your grocery list and meal plan on the fly is a valuable skill.

11. Don’t buy organic anything, unless it’s actually cheaper than store brand.

I don’t want to open a can of worms here. I’m not saying you should never buy organic food. I do, myself, when we’re not in Ultra Power Saving Mode. But buying non-organic food for a month while you’re trying to save money will not kill you.

If you just can’t bring yourself to buy factory-farmed chickens or beef raised on corn, then don’t. Go completely vegetarian for a month, or ask the clerk in the meat department which day of the week the organic meat gets discounted. Shop on that day, first thing in the morning. I often see organic chicken and ground beef discounted up to 50% or more.

12. Buy your beans and rice in bulk.

Like, at least 5 pounds at a time. No cute little 1 or 2-lb. bags. Those aren’t much better than sale-priced meats. And don’t even think about canned beans! It’s really not that bad to cook your own. The hardest part is remembering to do it before 4:00 p.m. Try setting a reminder on your phone.

13. Compare unit prices.

These are the little numbers on a price tag that lists the cost per unit the item is measured in. Units will be different for different items: eggs are measured in dozens, beans are measured in pounds, milk is measured in gallons.

Comparing the unit price across different brands and different sizes of containers will help you to see which item is the most cost effective. Buying a larger package might raise your grocery bill this week, but it will help you to save money on groceries in the long run.

Hint: if you see two different units for the same type of item (ounces or pounds for two different brands of tomato sauce), the one measured in larger units will nearly always be the cheaper option.

14. Don’t assume that buying in bulk is always cheaper.

Now that you know how to compare unit prices, it’s tempting to buy everything in bulk. But that’s not always the best way to save money on groceries. Don’t assume that just because it’s in a big package, it will be cheaper in the long run. Always double check that unit price!

Also, if you don’t need a lot of a particular item, the most cost-effective option may actually be the smaller package. This is especially important to consider when you’re in Ultra Power Saving Mode and every penny counts. Don’t get stuck thinking you ought to buy the item with the lowest unit price.

If you just need a bit of gruyere cheese for your French onion soup, don’t go out and buy the biggest package you can find. Find a small package, or substitute a less expensive cheese with similar characteristics.

Shop sales wisely

15. Resist sale items if they’re not on your list.

This is a tricky one, because it depends on your situation. Normally, I will scan the meat department quickly for markdown stickers or a really great sale on chicken.

It can be tempting to stock up on something when it’s on sale. But if you’re serious about not going over budget this month and you’ve made a meal plan that will keep you on track, don’t let yourself get distracted by the sales.

Again, you have to evaluate your situation. If you think you will be in Ultra Power Saving Mode for more than one month and it’s an item you use frequently, maybe it does make sense to buy two or three instead of one. But don’t buy six jars of peanut butter just because they’re on sale. There will be other sales in the future.

16. Ask for rain checks.

Sometimes stores run out of sale inventory faster than they estimated, and there aren’t any left by the time you get there. If a store is advertising a great sale and you planned for it, so the item is on your list and in your meal plan, ask an employee in that department for a rain check.

As long as the sale wasn’t advertised as “while supplies last,” they should be happy to give you a rain check. This locks in the sale price for you, so you can purchase the item when it is restocked, even though that might not be until after the sale has ended.

17. Make a price comparison book and bring it with you.

This is a great tool for learning how to spot great sales and save money on groceries even at regular prices. Technically, you should do this at home, before you grocery shop. But if you haven’t been saving receipts, you can’t start until you go shopping.

Get a small notebook and write down all the foods you normally buy: one item per page. I wrote down everything I could think of on one piece of paper first, then transferred it to the notebook in alphabetical order.

Take the price book along on shopping trips, and copy prices from your receipts when you get home. List the name of the store, unit price, price you actually paid with the actual quantity purchased, and whether or not it was on sale. An entry for eggs might look like this: Safeway, $2.69/dozen, $4.04/1.5 dozen, SALE.

Expert tips to save money on groceries

18. Figure out which stores have the best prices on items you commonly buy.

Don’t assume you know! Take your price book along and write down regular prices, not just sales. There is a Costco in my city, but I don’t have a membership. It’s not worth it for my family.

I’ve tagged along with relatives on their shopping trips, to check out the prices. Some of them are great; others are no better than our regular grocery stores. You need to know which items you normally purchase in order to accurately judge whether membership-only stores like Costco or Sam’s Club are cost effective.

If you judge that it’s not really worth the price, but there are still a few things you would like from that store, try to find a friend or relative who has a membership. I keep a short list of items that we buy at Costco, and my sister is happy to pick up a few things for me once a month.

19. Put your blinders on.

Stick to your list. If you don’t need anything from a certain aisle, don’t go down it. Do you ever find yourself walking up and down every aisle out of habit? That may be a good way to get some exercise, but it’s not good for your wallet when you’re trying to save money on groceries!

It sounds silly, but if I’m not paying attention to my list, I’ll find myself wandering down the coffee aisle sniffing appreciatively and gazing at all the tea. (And if Stash Irish Breakfast happens to be on sale, it will end up in my cart.)

Avoid temptation by only walking down aisles if you have to. And if you know you have a weakness for something, look the other direction if you have to pass by it!

20. Take a calculator or your phone and tally up prices as you put items in your shopping cart.

I often do this at the end of the month when I have a hard cap on my grocery budget. It prevents that “Oops, I didn’t think it would cost so much,” when you get to the checkout lane. Pick out your most important items first, and come back for the “extras” if you’re not sure you will have enough money.

The hardest items to do this with are different kinds of produce, which are sold by weight. Unless you have two calculators or can do mental math better than me, just estimate.

Side note: you can add everything up in your head as you go along if you don’t have a calculator. You just might get some funny looks as you stare intently at a package of pasta before triumphantly announcing, “Twenty-nine eighty-two!” (Ask me how I know.)

21. Watch that cashier!

Cashiers are human, and humans make mistakes. I don’t know how many times I’ve looked over my receipt after a shopping trip and noticed items that should have been discounted but were not.

Most stores in my area have screens that you can watch while the cashier scans each item. Keep an eye on this, and say something if you notice an item coming up as the normal price instead of the sale price. It’s not bad manners to ask for the sale price, as long as you do it politely.

If you would really rather not confront the cashier, you can always quietly head over to Customer Service when you’re done and point out the mistake.

Conclusion

After reading this collection of tips to save money on groceries, you should be all set to head to the store and start saving money! If you find these tips helpful or have another recommendation, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.

Happy saving!

~Kimberly