10 Surprisingly Easy Ways To Save Money On Groceries

Ever walked out of to the grocery store and have your jaw drop when checking out? I remember walking into the store to get a few things only to end up paying over $200 in groceries! How on earth did I get to $200?! If this has happened to you, then we’re here to fix that and save you money on groceries.

Chances are when we go to the store, we are basically throwing money away. It’s so easy to overspend at the store. We end up paying too much for groceries or buying unnecessary things. They are things you can do to you shave off $100 or more and save yourself a good amount of money on your groceries! So let’s go through some 10 awesome things you can do to get started and save money on groceries!

1. You don’t have to buy name brand items

Do you know what Branding is? Branding is basically very good marketing. If you like a particular cereal or coffee just because of the brand, you might actually be overpaying. Generic brands sometimes have the exact same ingredients that name brand items have. This is especially true when it comes to medicine!

So why do name brands cost a lot more than generic brands? You are basically paying for the advertising costs that led you to want to buy the name brand. So take a second and check out the ingredients label and see if they are any different. You can definitely save a lot of money on groceries doing this!

2. Get cash back for grocery shopping

This is my personal favorite way to save money on groceries! When you get points or cashback by using a credit card, you’re basically getting free money!

Think about it this way. If you didn’t have a credit card that rewards you for grocery shopping, you were going to buy the groceries anyway, right?. The points and cashback you earn by using the credit card is literally just a bonus. If you were going to spend the money anyway, then why not earn points while you’re at it? Bingo!

My personal favorite is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card. Not only do you get points for grocery shopping, but you get points for just using the credit card for everyday purchases as well! Reward points can be used for travel, you can redeem them for cash, or even Amazon gift cards!

By using this method, you are not directly spending Less on groceries, but because you get free money back, your groceries essentially cost you less! Definitely check out this card if you want to maximize the points you earn for grocery shopping as I do!

3. Use Ibotta to get paid for shopping

While we’re on the topic of free money, Ibotta pays you cash for simply taking pictures of your receipts. By the way, you will get $20 just for signing up! It’s really that simple!

To maximize the amount of money you will get by using Ibotta, have your grocery list ready, and search for your items within the Ibotta app. Head over to the store and shop for your groceries like you normally would.

Once you’re done, pull out your receipts and snap a photo of them. Scan them into the Ibotta app and boom, free cash! I mean, it really doesn’t get easier than that!

Ibotta is completely free to use, and the best part is you get a $20 sign up bonus by using this link! Check it out 🙂

4. Get more cashback by using Rakuten

Want a $10 Walmart gift card for free?

When you sign up for Rakuten, it’s a free cashback site that rewards you for every online purchase that you make. If you use this link and give Rakuten a shot, you get a free $10 Walmart gift card! See, you can already use this towards your next grocery haul 🙂

To get the free $10 Walmart gift card, use this link and sign up for Rakuten. Once you have an account ready, use their online portal to make your next purchase. You can purchase what you need from popular retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and even Target. Spend at least $25 within 90 days of signing up and get ten bucks free! 🙂

5. Avoid buying pre-made foods

I was a culprit of doing this for the longest time. I get it, pre-made foods are just so much easier to handle, and they look so good! I mean, have you seen the pictures on the boxes? They look like the most delicious thing ever!

That convenience comes with a hefty price tag though. If you simply bought yourself the same ingredients and prepare the food yourself, you can save a heck of a lot of money. Not only is a cheaper, but it’s healthier, and tastes much better too!

6. Make a grocery list before shopping

One of the worst mistakes you can make is going grocery shopping without an actual grocery list. Once you’re in the store, it’s easy to get distracted and just explore the isles. You know what happens when you do that? You end up getting things that you really didn’t need!

This might result in you getting things that I just going to sit in the pantry and expire or sit in the back of the fridge with you forgetting about it. Or maybe you might even end up buying unhealthy foods and snacks that actually cost a pretty penny.

So make sure you go to the grocery store with a list, and walk with a purpose! Get in, get the items on your list, and get out.

7. Get coupons by using the Honey App

I wrote an extensive review of the Honey browser extension. Basically, Honey helps you get coupon codes when you are checking out. Research has been done for you, so you don’t have to do it yourself.

By using Honey you could end up saving hundreds of dollars over the course of a few months. If you do your grocery shopping online, or order online and do a pick-up, then Honey definitely works in that scenario!

Use this link and get 500 rewards points just for signing up. You can use these points to redeem cashback or gift cards from places such as Amazon. I love this free extension and it’s saved me literally thousands of dollars in the years that I’ve used it! Definitely give it a shot! It’s easy and free to use.

8. Don’t shop eye level

Grocery stores can be pretty sneaky when it comes to pricing their items. They know that when people shop, they typically just look eye level for the items they need. Shockingly, this is where the most expensive items are put.

But you can do it with kids as well! Since kids are typically shorter than adults, the most expensive toys are at their eye level as well! Sneaky little buggers aren’t they?!

Once you’ve figured out this little tactic, then you can work on avoiding them! Shop above or below your eye level to get better deals on items 🙂

9. Don’t shop hungry

The golden rule of shopping, never shop hungry! No seriously, definitely don’t go shopping on an empty stomach.

Do you know what happens when you shop hungry? You start grabbing anything and everything that looks good. You simply get excited by the idea of eating the items, but really won’t be needing them. It’s just your tummy thinking for you. That’s bad and expensive!

So if you are hungry and you need to go grocery shopping, grab something to eat first. Eat a good lunch or grab something to go before you even walk into the store. If you’re full and not hungry, then you’re more focused on what you actually need.

10. Have a budget

I’ll close off this list with something I’ve mentioned before and is still the best way to save and manage your money better. It’s to have a budget.

Having a budget allocates your money effectively and efficiently. Without a budget, you don’t exactly have a good idea of how much you should be spending and how much you should be saving each month.

If you set your grocery budget to $350 a month (for example), then it’s easier to not overspend. Once you have a hard limit on how much you should spend on groceries, you become more cautious about what you’re actually buying.

If you are serious about controlling your money, and serious about saving money on groceries, then having a budget is Paramount. Sure, it takes a little time to set it up and get started, but it’s worth it in the long run. Budgeting is no fun. Trust me I know, but it’s really important for your finances 🙂

Final thoughts

Saving money on your groceries is not as hard as it might sound. With a little effort, and a little time, you might end up shaving off $100 or even $200 from your grocery spending! Imagine what you could do with an extra $100 in your pocket each month.

Like anything good for you, all it takes is time, patience, and persistence for it to happen. If you really want to save money on your groceries and better control your finances, then take the first steps now and get started. I know you can do it 🙂

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