5 Easy Ways to Save Money on Your Grocery Budget

For many families, the most expensive portion of their budget is groceries. Whether you have a houseful of growing kids who are trying to eat you out of house and home or you’re only feeding a couple of little ones, you may struggle to find the best deals on food for your little ones. If you need to save on food, these strategies will help!

1. Cook from Scratch

Anything you buy prepackaged is more expensive than making the same thing yourself from scratch. From those popular pouches full of applesauce and purees to the meals you feed your family every night, cooking from scratch is the best way to stretch your grocery dollars further.

2. Create Your Meal Plan Based on Sales and Coupons

Sales and coupons are the bread and butter of a mama on a budget. There are plenty of great places to find deals on food and the items you’ll need to prepare it. Right now, Ocado is offering a tempting buy 1 get 1 free deal on vegetarian food, making it the perfect opportunity to work some great deals into your meal plan. Dunelm has 30% off vouchers for specific pots and pans, making it easier to pick up the kitchen tools you need. Tesco has some great deals on Brazil nuts and is offering a free organic porridge pouch–great deals that will help you stock up!

3. Drop the Extras

If you’re really trying to cut your grocery budget, try cutting some of the grocery extras from your budget. Does your family go overboard on snack foods anyway? Do you find yourself putting together a dessert with almost every meal? Instead of giving in to the urge to indulge, look for ways to cut out those foods. This will also help improve your weight loss plan in a big way!

4. Don’t Shop Hungry

It’s best not to create your meal plan or do your grocery shopping when you’re hungry. When your stomach is growling, you’ll be more likely to reach for impulse purchases or load your meal plan with more food than you and your family can really eat. Instead, have a snack before you sit down to put your meal plan together. Next, write out a grocery list and stick to it!

5. Know How Much Food You Need

Many mums fall into the trap of preparing too much food for their families. The goal is to prevent anyone from going hungry or feeling as though they have to go without. Unfortunately, preparing too much food means that it’s going to waste! Learn to create meals that have as few leftovers as possible. If you do have leftovers, find ways to use them in future dishes.

Keeping your grocery budget low can be a challenge. With practice, however, you can prevent it from having the highest cost in your monthly budget! As you learn how to more effectively shop deals and sales, you’ll discover that it’s easier to make your grocery dollars stretch.