As part of our Budget Bootcamp series, it is my goal to bring each of you some tools, ideas and resources to help you save money. These are some of my most tried and true tips that I use on a regular basis to help save money on the cost of food. These things are all ideas I've learned as I go, and I'm hoping that you can put them to use for your family also. So today I'm sharing with you 8 different ways to save on groceries.
1. Shop at Aldi:
There are numerous things I love about Aldi. When I first began shopping there in college, it was all about getting the most bang for our buck, especially considering the incredibly high costs of groceries in Chicago. I was admittedly skeptical at first, however to this day, I have yet to find any Aldi offerings that weren't just as good, if not better, than their name brand counterpart. If I ever did find an Aldi product I wasn't thrilled with, their Double Guarantee is a great fall back. Not only will they refund you your money, but they'll also replace the product!
Since we've began shopping at Aldi in the fall of 2010, we've LOVED watching them grow and expand to meet the needs and demands of their consumers. They've continued to add new products and hold themselves to higher standards. Their organic and SimplyNature products didn't exist in 2010, but now they carry nearly 150 products that fall into these categories. None of the groceries sold in Aldi stores contain hydrogenated oils, artificial colors or MSG. The SimplyNature line takes that a few steps further. 122 steps to be exact, meaning they are made free of 125 added ingredients that aren't good for us, including things like high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sucralose, rBGH, parabens, sulfites, propylene glycol, and so much more. Yay for less additives! Aldi also offers their own line of gluten free products through their liveGfree brand.
If you've never shopped at Aldi before, there are a few things you'll notice that are different from traditional grocery stores. Aldi strives to offer the best products at the lowest possible costs. They do this by running incredibly efficient stores. The average Aldi store only has 5-8 employees. When you shop at Aldi, bring a quarter and reusable shopping bags with you. By bagging your own groceries and renting a cart (you get your quarter back when you return your cart to the corral near the entrance), it saves labor expenses. Because no one is being paid to chase carts around the parking lot or to bag your purchases, you avoid paying a markup on products to cover these costs. Aldi products on average cost 40% less than their name brand competitors at traditional grocery stores. Make the switch and check out the savings for yourself!
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| Source: Google Images |
2. Buying in Bulk
We do approximately 70% of our shopping at Aldi. The next 20% is done at Costco, for items that either Aldi doesn't offer or for items that save us money buy purchasing in bulk, and the last 10% (or often less) is at other stores for more specialized ingredients. Things such as grains, baking ingredients, organic chicken and beef, wild caught seafood, cooking oils, and more are often significantly less expensive when purchased in bulk. For instance, paying $2.95 for 28 ounces of organic brown rice at Aldi or paying $11.98 for a ten pound bag at Costco (10.5 cents vs. 7.5 cents per ounce) can really add up to big savings over the long term. What is important to remember about buying in bulk is that you should only buy quantities that you can actually use up. You aren't saving any money if you let food go bad before you can eat it. Consider how and where you will store bulk purchases, and how long it will take you to use them up. Make sure you are purchasing wisely. We store our bulk pantry ingredients in air tight containers labeled with the name, date and quantity it was purchased. We also use a sharpie to label bags of bulk frozen fruit or sealed packages of meat and seafood so we can always use them up in an appropriate time frame.
3. Shop Seasonally
Have you ever noticed that the cost of strawberries is usually around $5.99 per pound in the winter, but $0.99 in the spring or summer? Ever wondered why? Because they are in season in the spring and summer, meaning that they can be grown locally to you. When they aren't in season, there are far fewer farmers able to grow them, and they have to be shipped in from California and other warm climates. This increases the cost of production, therefore increasing your cost to purchase said produce. I highly encourage eating fresh fruits and vegetables year round, but you have to be smart about doing so. Not only does in season produce cost less, it also tastes best! Freezing or canning certain produce in peak season can allow you to enjoy them year round, and shopping seasonally for fresh produce will save you lots of money. Here's a great visual guide for what is in season at what times of the year.
Source: Pinterest
4. Avoid Premium CutsWhen it comes to meat, learning to cook various cuts is a great way to save money. The cost of a whole chicken, chicken legs, wings, or thighs are all significantly less expensive per pound than boneless skinless breasts. Make the most of your budget by incorporating less expensive cuts. Also consider using meat as more of an accent rather than the main feature. Try dishes such as spaghetti squash with meatballs or veggie stirfry with a few shrimp or pieces of chicken. Even just filling your plate with more veggies and whole grains and less meat can make a significant impact. Often Jason and I will split a chicken breast, which maybe takes up 20% of our plate, and then fill the rest with veggies and wild rice. Speaking of filling our plates - as Americans, we often have a problem with over eating. We grew up being told to "clean our plates" so we often eat whatever is there, long after we truly have reached a point of satiety. I have three tips to help prevent this, which not only saves you money, but also saves your waistline! Here's my 3 tips:
- Drink a full glass of water before sitting down to eat. Often dehydration gets confused as hunger. Your body craves water, so hydrate first, then enjoy your meal.
- Use smaller plates. That "clean your plate" attitude isn't usually because we truly are that hungry, but usually because we eat mindlessly. If it's on the plate, it's probably going in your mouth. By using smaller plates, you run less risk of over consumption.
- Wait 20 minutes before going back for seconds. Give your body and your brain time to process the food you've consumed. If you truly still feel hunger after this time frame, pick more veggies or protein versus carbs.
I know I've covered this topic before, but it's SO important when considering both the cost of food and sticking to healthy eating. Take the time to sit down and plan out your meals each week. After you determine what you'll be eating, do a quick check of what ingredients you have on hand. One sure fire way to waste money is by buying ingredients you already had. Make your list of items you need to grab at the store. Don't forget to include snack options in your list. And when you go to the store, stick to the list!! Spending an extra $5 a week on impulse buys will add up to $260 in over spending in a year!! Make a plan, and stick to it. For more ideas on how to meal plan, check out the Meal Plans page.
6. Meal Prep
This concept follows Meal Planning for a reason. Don't find yourself failing to stick to your plan because you don't prep. We like to do our meal prep on Sundays to set us up for a successful week. Chop your veggies, wash your berries or cut up fruits, transfer any meat that is frozen to the fridge to safely thaw. These simple tasks are definitely a starting place, but the more you do now, the better prepared you'll be all week. If you're taking lunches to work, go ahead and cook and portion those meals. Don't find yourself resorting to fast food on your lunch hour while you have perfectly nutritious food sitting in your fridge at home simply because you didn't have time that morning to put it together. If all you have to do on your way out the door each morning is grab your Pyrex of lunch and a banana or apple to snack on, you're set for success!
7. Batch Cooking
One of the best ways to save time in the kitchen and yield a decent number of meals is by batch cooking. Think about things that freeze well or can be turned into lots of other quick meals. Some of my favorites include large crockpots full of Texas Chili or Tomato Basil Bisque that I can portion out, using some for lunches that week and pop others into the freezer for later. Other ideas include cooking a Whole Chicken in your crockpot that can serve as dinner or lunch with veggies, and also leaves lots of meat that can be shredded and used in things like Chicken Tortilla Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, BBQ Chicken Quesadillas, BBQ or Buffalo Stuffed Sweet Potatoes... you get the idea. And don't forget to make the most of that chicken carcass by making Overnight Stock!
8. Don't throw money in the trash!
We are all guilty of it - letting food good bad before it gets consumed. Think about this, if we throw out $20 worth of food each month, that's $240 a year of money that virtually goes right in the trash! Cheese that molds, veggies that rot, fruit that browns, leftovers that don't get eaten. Get in the habit of using up everything. A great way to put vegetables to use is in stir fry or vegetable soup. If you have fruits that you can use up, turn them into a smoothie or freeze them for a later time. Sometimes we have a "clean out the fridge" dinner, meaning we eat up whatever needs eaten, even if they don't really go together. Leftover pizza and a medley of fruit, rice and a side of veggies with guacamole, leftover salmon with a side of leftover pasta... you get it. You've already paid for the food... eat it!
I hope these tips and ideas can help you find savings and stretch your grocery budget a bit further. Do you have any favorite tricks I didn't mention? Drop them in the comments so others can try them out!
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