26 Easy Ways To Save Money On Groceries

Here are 26 easy ways to save money on groceries before you even leave the house for shopping! It’s really not a big deal, you know, it comes with no extra work, it has no extra cost, you don’t have to deprive yourself of anything and you don’t have to clip any coupons. Please check out my other posts on Managing your finances and How To Live a frugal life

One of the easiest ways to save money on your groceries at no extra cost starts before you even leave the house. It requires no additional cost or cutting coupons, it simply is Stop wasting food! Check out my blog post on How To budget properly!

On average, most families throw away nearly 50% of the food they buy. It may be very hard for you to believe but you may need to start watching your family’s eating habits for the next few days, make your own observations and then come to a conclusion. You may ask the following questions to enable you to arrive at a conclusion soonest;

1. How many times did your child eat only half of his/ her lunch or dinner or drink only half of his glass of milk or juice?
2. How much food gets thrown away when you wash dishes?
3. How many fruits and vegetables have rotted and have been tossed?
4. How many products were forgotten in your store and ended up expired by the time you realized it?
5. How much meat have you thrown away because it is freezer burned?
6. What about those leftovers in the fridge or the cartons of sour milk?

If all of the above applies to you, then you may need to understand that if you spend #100,000 a month on groceries, then you are literally throwing #50,000 worth of it into the trash. What then would you think of someone you know who took #50,000 bundle and threw away? I am very sure you would be very mad at such a person.

Find below some ideas to help you to stop the waste:

1. Fill your glass or that of your child half full if you normally don’t drink at all as you can always add more if need. If you do have leftover milk or juice at the end of the meal put it in the fridge to be taken another time. This rule also applies to water.
2. When dishing a meal for yourself or your child, be sure to dish a quantity you’re sure can be eaten up at a go. You can always add more if you or your child needs more.
3. When you are about to prepare your meat, do plan ahead. For instance, if you want to make a roast and you are to thaw your meat, don’t just think of your immediate need of the meat you are thawing, instead think of the need for that meat for up to 3 days. That way you won’t find yourself three days later gazing guiltily at that dying leftover roast thinking, “I really should do something with this but what?” and then end up throwing it out after about a week.
4. Check your fridge the night before you go to the grocery store. That way you can plan your menus and choose what to buy based on the leftovers you have.
5. Check also your store or pantry for items you have available, check especially for items that are closer to their expiry dates and get to plan your meals around them before using those that have farther expiry dates.
6. Eat before stepping out of your house to a grocery store so you don’t end up buying because of you’re hungry. This is because you would end up buying things you do not need because you are hungry.
7. When planning your weekly menus, try to make one night in a week a leftover night. That’s the night you get out all the leftovers from your fridge and freezer to make any meal that can be made from it. I need to make you understand here that different members of your family may end up eating different meals. It is very important you do this a day or night before you buy groceries because this leaves your fridge empty for the new things you are buying the next day.
8. While grocery shopping, always compare prices. You may have a particular brand you like purchasing but be sure you’re getting the best deals from whatever store you make your purchases. You may check out Jumia for best deals online.
9. You may want to buy fewer brand items as some of them may be unnecessarily expensive. Some of the products that are not very popular are just as good as the brand items.
10. Always go with a grocery list, this would help keep you in check as to the things you need to buy. It is allowed to buy a little extra sometimes though.
11. Go also with the exact amount of cash you want to spend at the grocery store you are going to. You may add a little extra cash just in case you find something you need that you did not remember to include in your list but do not go overboard. Leave your debit card at home because if you go with your debit card, you would be tempted to spend a lot more.
12. Learn to minimize usage. Your toothbrush does not necessarily need the toothpaste to cover it completely before your teeth can be brushed properly.
13. Have a soap dish that has the capacity to drain excess water from underneath it, that way your soaps do not absorb excess water which would cause it to simply melt and waste away.
14. You may want to dilute your liquid soap in your kitchen or even the hand wash in your restroom to avoid wastage. What you really need is just enough quantity to get your dish or your hands clean, you do not need the excess foam.
15. Make use of hand towels rather than paper towels. Of course, I know there are times that paper towels come in really handy but you need to use them with caution. Clean hand towels are always a better choice and they are cost-effective.
16. Purchase items in bulk when necessary as the prices of bulkier items are always lower than unit items but be sure they are items you really need and not easily perishable. Items like rice, beans, garri, yam, palm oil, vegetable oil and similar products like these can be purchased in bulk.
17. Prepare your soups and stews in bulk and store in your freezer if you have a good power supply. With a premade tomato paste, for instance, it is easy to prepare stew, jollof rice, egg sauce, spaghetti sauce and any other thing you might need tomatoes for.
18. Do your laundry in bulk as you don’t want to use a sachet of detergent, for instance, to wash only a few clothes of which you end up throwing away the leftover water. By doing your laundry in bulk, you get to wash as many clothes as possible with the same sachet of detergent, depending on how dirty the clothes are.
19. Make your own cleaning products, air fresheners, and others. These can come in really handy and save you and your family a whole lot of money in the long run
20. Make your own juices from fresh fruits, cookies, and the likes. This is a healthier option and of course cheaper
21. Cook from scratch. Avoid prepackaged foods as they are more expensive and usually unhealthy
22. Grow your own food. If you are lucky enough to have some extra space at your backyard and if you have the time and of course the passion or interest to grow your own food, please do so as it saves you a whole lot at the end of the day.
23. Make your own products. You can make peanut butter at home, find out how here. You can also make homemade jam and many other products as well at very low prices.
24. After a shower, leave some water on your body while drying with a towel before applying your cream. This saves you the amount of cream you get to apply on your body eventually and of course, helps your body absorb it better.
25. Avoid buying items you do not need. If you are not yet ready to prepare a new recipe or even one you are familiar with within a few days or weeks, please do not buy the ingredients as you may end up never making use of them and of course, they get spoilt
26. Get some of your raw products directly from the farmers market. There you can get great deals and of course healthier too.

I hope my post is able to help you in one way or the other to know the various ways you can save money on your grocery bills. A little change here and there does go a long way in the long haul. Please feel free to drop your comments below as I would like to read from you concerning your thoughts on this post. Also, subscribe if you are yet to subscribe and of course like our social media handles and share with your friends. Cheers!