Grocery Budget Stretchers: How to Spend Less and Buy More Food

Soaring prices, inflation, less income, are a growing concern for many. Here are a few ways to survive the economic crunch while stretching your food budget.

Budget

Plan before going grocery shopping how much to spend. Try to stay within a planned budget. If the budget is $100 per week stick as close to that amount as possible. Keep a running tally on the items that are purchased as they are placed in the shopping cart. Always take a pen and pad or a small calculator along to make calculations easy.

Write a Grocery List

Before leaving the house remember to check the cupboards, pantry, refrigerator for items needed. Add them to the weekly shopping list.

Plan a Weekly Menu

Write down all the ingredients that will be used in the meals planned for the entire week. And add them to the weekly shopping list.

Never Grocery Shop when Hungry

It's true! When hungry most will buy all those appetizing impulse items one would normally never consider. And end up going way over the planned grocery budget.

Buy Less Meat

The average family spends half their food budget on meat products. A good idea would be to try reducing the amount of meat purchased. Instead go vegetarian, at least for 3 or 4 meals each week. Or try adding more pasta, beans, smaller meat portions. This works and saves money.

Buy More Vegetables

Fresh is good, frozen is better. Fresh vegetables cost more than their frozen counterparts. Frozen vegetables cost less, are a good meat replacement, and they keep for several months in the freezer.

Buy Store Brands

By substituting a store brand or generic product the average shopper might easily save up to 75% of their grocery bill. Often store brands are of the same quality as a higher name brand manufacturer product. Shoppers have to pay more for name brands to support all the advertising, marketing, packaging, that goes into distributing the product.

Stock Up

Stock up on sales items. When there are sales items in the stores circulars or newspapers incorporate these into the weekly meal plans and add them to the grocery list. This is a good technique to use to stretch the grocery budget even further.

Leftovers

Don't throw away those leftovers. Freeze them and reheat at a later date. Use leftovers as snacks or for a lunch meal the next day.

Coupons/Saver Cards

Maximize your savings by signing up for store saver cards. The store saver cards make the holder eligible for even more in store savings only available to card members. Search online for money saving grocery coupons at sites like couponsurfer or refundsweepers. Remember to check your Sunday papers for money saving grocery coupons regularly. Many stores will double these manufacturer coupons.

Follow these tips to maximize your grocery savings and stretch your grocery budget.

The copyright of the article Grocery Budget Stretchers in Consumer Education is owned by Beverly Lee. Permission to republish Grocery Budget Stretchers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Jan 18, 2009 10:28 AM

Guest :

These are all great suggestions. I have been looking through your articles trying to find information for maximizing the nutritional value of each meal. I am on disability and live alone. I do not receive assistance with food stamps, rent or utilities. I never bought soda, junk food or eat out. This is a rural mountain area so there are no farm markets or road side stands. I have $75/month to spend on food. I don't have cable tv or a home phone and only drive to town 2 x a month (75 mile round trip) to the grocery. I make all my food from scratch, but I still can't afford more than one light meal per day and a very light breakfast.

Do you know of any information or nutritional plans that include recipes or meal plans for a food budget of $75/month per person? I know I'm not the only one who isn't wasting food or spending money on junk - I even save the crumbs from homemade bread as breadcrumbs and I turn orange peels into candied orange peels. I don't through any food away, ever. But there is still never enough.

Thank you.

Feb 19, 2009 11:02 PM

Guest :

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Feb 19, 2009 11:06 PM

Guest :

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