11 Ways to Save Money on Groceries

Are you over spending all of your hard earned money on food? I was too! Here are my tried and true, 11 ways to save money on groceries every single week! 

Let’s face it a trip to the grocery store can be expensive, even more so in 2022. The pandemic has created supply chain issues and the price of petrol is soaring. So what does this mean for us as consumers? Sadly, price increases.

As a homemaker you may be wondering how you can save your family money on groceries. Thankfully I’m here to help you save money on your groceries with my 11, tried and true tips.  

With a little planning and my tips to help you buy smarter, you can start saving money on your groceries TODAY!

11 Clever Ways To Save Money On Your Groceries

1. Make A Budget 

This is always a step that people underestimate.

A budget is so important if you want to save money on groceries. This helps stop over spending on unnecessary things. 

A budget doesn’t need to be complicated! You can start by working out your household income and expenses. It’s a good idea to go through the last 6 months of your spending to see what was essential and what was a luxury. 

You will most likely be surprised with how much money is wasted on small things here and there. 

Set yourself a realistic food budget by averaging your last 6 months of food bills. If you think it can be reduced set your budget lower and see how you go. 

2. Make a Meal Plan

Once you have a budget sit down and write a meal plan for the week. Think about meals you know your family will enjoy. 

You can download my free meal planner and groceries list to help you get started

It’s smart to consider what is in season when making your meal plan. You don’t want to plan a zucchini quiche if they cost $15/kg.

I like to look through my own personal recipe book to choose meals. Take into consideration what your weekly schedule looks like. If you have kids that play sports some nights plan a crock pot meal that day. 

When you have more time, make meals like lasagne to freeze. This will be cheaper and healthier than takeaways. 

3. Eat Less Variety

I quickly learnt that eating a variety of meals meant I had to buy more ingredients. This is something I consider when planning my meals for the week. 

If you buy bulk quantities of ingredients it’s often cheaper. So try planning leftover nights or doubling a batch of pasta to stretch over two nights. This means you don’t have to cook every single night. 

If you don’t mind eating the same meal two nights in a row you will start to see how easy and affordable this tip is! 

I love pre making chicken donburi bowls. I will cook a good amount of chicken and rice then eat this a few nights of the week. 

4. Buy What’s in Season

Shopping seasonally is one of the best tips I could give you to saving money on your groceries. 

If you want to buy fresh fruit and vegetables only buy what’s in season. Plan your meals around the seasonal produce. 

This means produce is plentiful making it fresher and good value for money. 

You should notice what’s in season by checking the price/kg. Start keeping a mental note of prices, so you know when it’s best to buy things. You may have to adapt your meals to this way of shopping but it will save you plenty of money. 

A meal like my easy quiche is affordable to make and easy to swap out vegetables to what’s in season. 

Today I went to my local grocer to pick up fresh produce and noticed that green kiwifruit was on sale for $1.20/kg but the golden variety was $7.99/kg. I usually go for the golden variety but it was too expensive, so I grabbed the green kiwifruit instead.  

5. Buy Frozen Produce

Buy frozen fruit and vegetables!!! I cannot stress this enough. 

Buying fresh is great but frozen produce is packaged so much quicker than fresh produce in the supermarkets. 

When fruit and veg isn’t in season you can probably find it in the frozen section.

Frozen berries are a great example. We love a berry smoothie but they aren’t in season for very long. Here in New Zealand a tiny punnet of raspberries can be $8 but a 1kg frozen bag is $10. It’s a no brainer to buy frozen!

Some great frozen grocery options 

• Corn
• Capsicum
• Beans/Peas
• Berries (Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries)
• Spinach
• Mango
• Carrots
• Onions

Spinach can be quite expensive to buy fresh. So I like to buy it frozen to add into smoothies, quiches, frittatas or pies. 

6. Shop For Groceries Locally

Shop locally at the farmers market or local veg stalls to buy fresh produce and support your local community. 

You will find high quality produce this way. In season produce is often cheaper than the supermarket chains. 

Local farmers often grow special varieties of food to be different to supermarkets. This always excites me as you can find plenty of variety. 

7. Don’t Buy Brand Labels

Are you someone who buys house brands or labels? I would say I buy both! 

This tip is one of the easiest ways to save money on your groceries.

Start making regular swaps on branded products to the options that are better value for money. Check the price/weight to see which brand is better value for money. 

If you have a favourite coffee brand then buy that but swap your peanut butter to a more affordable one. These small changes will add up quickly. 

8. Shop For Groceries By Checking The Price Per Weight 

I have mentioned this tip a few times already but this really helped me save money on our grocery bill. 

Shop for your groceries by checking the price per weight. It’s easy to look at prices and go for the cheapest option but it may be a smaller size than its competitors. Making it less value for money. 

In New Zealand the shelves display price/weight which makes shopping smarter quick. A good tip for the fresh produce section is to look if pre-packaged items are cheaper than pick your own. Sometimes you can buy pre-packaged bags for a lot less and vice versa. 

9. Eat Before Going Grocery Shopping Or Shop Online

Warning, do not skip this step!!! 

Let’s be honest going to the supermarket hungry is a recipe for disaster. Goodbye budget! 

Make sure you shop after you eat, so you don’t make bad grocery decisions.

You could also shopping online if you want to be really strict on what you spend. There’s far less temptation to add extra items this way. 

10. Use Up What You Have

This is something that I’m learning more about every day.  

Food waste is horrifically high around the world. You would be surprised by how much food doesn’t even make it to the supermarket shelves. 

Thankfully it’s starting to become a common thing for stores to sell the ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables in New Zealand to help reduce waste. 

If you learn to make meals by using up what you have, you will be surprised by how much money you can save on groceries.

11. Keep Pantry Staples Stocked

If you have a fully stocked pantry with essential items like flour, baking staples, spices, and oils you will be able to make a lot of simple meals. 

Frozen corn, flour, and baking powder, you can make corn fritters. Serve them with a side salad and you have a quick, easy meal for your family. 

If you have oats, nuts and seeds on hand you can make a simple granola for breakfast.

I hope these 11 ways to save money on your groceries has helped you to start saving money. 

Some planning, a few small changes and smarter shopping can really help you save money on your groceries quickly. 

This is actually something that my partner and I are working on at the moment as we prepare to buy our first home together. It’s so important to work out a budget and make a plan to help you succeed at your goals.

Let me know in the comments below what tip has helped you save money this week? 

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