Forget corporate PR campaigns, here’s how to really save on groceries

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Everywhere we look, we pay more: at the pump, when eating out, and for utilities. Of these three types of spending, groceries seem to be the one that many seem easy to accept, but there are ways to reduce spending at the grocery store.

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First, create a meal plan of what you want to cook the following week before you head out the door to the store. This can be based on a combination of what’s in your fridge/freezer and what you want to eat.

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Having a menu doesn’t mean you to have to cook a specific dish on a specific day. But throughout the week you have everything on hand to cook whatever you feel like doing on any given day.

As a bonus, if you like leftovers, cook up extra portions so you can take a night off from cooking later, or pack them up for your lunch the next day.

Once you know what you want to eat, check your supplies at home. There’s no point in buying ingredients you already have. However, as long as it’s within your budget and you have a way to store extras so they don’t go to waste, stock up when things are on sale.

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Then make a list of what you still need to buy. Never Head into the store to just walk around and buy whatever you fancy. The average cost per person of groceries is about $300 per month, not including special dietary needs or other household items you buy at the store along with your groceries. Sticking to your list and paying attention to where and how you shop is imperative to saving money on groceries.

Smaller specialty stores will cost more than supermarket chains, which can buy in bulk and offer lower prices, and daily shopping costs more than once a week with plan.

One last thing before you head out the door, have a snack. Going to the supermarket hungry is another budget killer because everything you see looks good. It’s a lot easier to stick to your list when you’ve just eaten and had a drink.

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If you find you can’t resist buying things that aren’t on your list, consider shopping online. I know I spend less to order my groceries online than I would if I walked in, but I’m also missing out on the sale items I’d normally stock up on.

But what if you do all of the above and still find yourself spending too much on groceries? There are several possible causes:

shopping too often. The more often you go to the store, the more likely you are to spend on groceries and extra impulsive items, not to mention the extra gas to get there and back.

Shopping when there is still plenty to eat at home. Instead of letting your taste buds dictate your budget, focus on shopping your cabinets and freezers before you hit the store.

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Waste more than you realize. If you find yourself throwing away those well-intentioned fresh vegetables and fruits, stop buying them. Buy frozen instead. They’re often cheaper, and those with no additives can be more nutritious than fresh or canned. (They’re frozen at peak maturity, rather than picked green to survive shipping.) They can also be ready to eat in less time (and less gas) than it takes to make the extra trip to the store to pick them up.

Buy lots of pre-packaged groceries. With convenience shopping, you’re paying for someone else to do the prep work that you might as well do yourself.

This is also a time when it pays to look for the best food saving tips and use the ones that work for you. Check online blogs, ask friends and family, take a free online class, and browse social media. Familiarize yourself with the prices at your local stores, and then look at the flyers for sale items. Use ad matching whenever possible, buy private label and consider stocking up. If packages are too large, share the meal and expense with a friend to minimize waste.

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If you’ve done what you can and are still struggling to afford your groceries, your budget could be to blame. Track your spending for a week or two to identify habits that need changing so you can free up money on groceries.

It could also be that your debt payments are so high that you are running out of money for groceries. For clarity on your options for balancing your budget, cleaning out debt, or simply better managing your money, be sure to seek the advice of a nonprofit credit advisor who can help you make sense of your dollars and cents.

Sandra Fry is a Winnipeg-based credit counselor with the Credit Counseling Society, a nonprofit organization that has been helping Canadians with debt management for more than 25 years.

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