Easy Ways To Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half in 2022 – Personal Finance

Apart from your mortgage, your biggest monthly expense is likely your groceries. And unlike your other bills, you can have some control over how much you spend at the grocery store. In 2022 when the cost of living is becoming exceedingly high, it is essential you don’t overspend when it comes to shopping. Here are some ways to ensure you keep your spending under control and have a clear plan to cut your grocery bill in half.

Make A Grocery Budget

Firstly, find out how much you’ve spent on groceries for the last few weeks. This way you can grasp the ‘normal’ amount that you are currently spending on groceries. From there, come up with a weekly budget for your shopping. This budget should be around the average amount you normally spend and NOT over it, since (after all) you’re trying to save money! Allot this money for groceries and make sure you do not go over. Of course, for some weeks you might need to spend a bit more but over the long term, you shouldn’t be spending more than your allotted amount.

Next, try cutting back your budget by $10 – $20 per month. Keep doing this each month until you’re stable with your finances. Cutting back more and more might seem like you’re stripping yourself of necessities, but you don’t have to feel like that.  The remaining tips will help you out.

Keep Track of Food Prices

We all love a good deal when it comes to shopping, they are all over the store, but do you know if what they advertise as a good deal is saving you money?

That’s where tip number two comes in. You should keep a text document on your phone or even a piece of paper in your purse that keeps track of the regular prices of the items you buy most often and at what store. This way you can see what store is the cheapest and adjust your shopping habits accordingly.

Your price book will also come in handy when you browse through weekly grocery flyers or get advertisements on the TV. You can then decide if a deal is worth the hassle to go and get it.

This is also helpful if you see some groceries on sale and notice that it could be a good idea to buy a little bit extra that week and save it for future weeks.

Come Up With A Few Money Wise Dishes

Many people think that changing your shopping habits only a little bit will drastically decrease your food intake but that isn’t the case! You don’t have to make drastic changes and eat nothing but a pot noodle all week. Instead, it’s good to think of a few inexpensive dishes your family enjoys like a big pot of soup or chilli and add that to your weekly meal plan. Often meatless dishes will be your best bet like vegetable stir fry or pasta in tomato sauce. Another best bet would be using meat in small portions like risotto with small bits of chicken.

Enjoying these canny meals even just a handful of days during the month will make a big difference in your grocery budget and they may even turn out to be the best meal of the month! This is definitely an effective way to cut your grocery bill in half.

Utilise Coupons And Saving Apps

In the age of technology, we can use the internet to help us save money on our weekly shopping. It might seem as though the prices in the store are set in stone but that isn’t the case. Many stores have special deals if you download their online app or signup for their loyalty card. Whilst you might not want to do it, it’s free and easy!

Apps straight from your grocery store like Walmart often have their own coupons and reward programs in which they reward you for continuously coming back to their stores. If you stack coupons together it can be a great way to save some extra cash each week.

It might be useful to do some digging around yourself and find the one that’s right for you and suits your needs. But online coupons are a game-changer when it comes to saving some extra money.

Think Before You Purchase Unnecessary Extras

The last tip to help keep your grocery spending under control would be ensuring you make a list before you head to the store and stick to it! I know we’ve all been there when you head to the store and come back with random extras that you don’t even need. In times when you need to save a bit more money each month, making a list and sticking to it is a great way to keep your spending under control.

All those little extras like the nice-smelling candles or the candy you grabbed at checkout start to add up. Get in the habit of skipping those extras even if it’s only for a few weeks of the month. You’ll see your grocery bill falling by quite a bit each week. It is amazing how all those little extras add up.

Give these tips a try and see if you can cut your grocery bill in half. The money you save can be used on whatever you like. Whether that’s saving for a big vacation, paying off any debt or even just building your financial safety net. Investing your saved money can help build your portfolio and build your wealth. Find the best tools for how to get started here.

By cutting down the bills that you can control, you can make sure you save more money for a rainy day and make sure you’re able to feed yourself when the cost of living is rising.