How to Eat Healthy When Grocery Shopping on a Budget
In my home, there are two grown-ups- my husband and I- and four kids. The children are ages 16, 12, 11, and 6. If you have kids, you probably know just how much teens and preteens can eat. Even the little ones hit those lovely growth spurts that make them bottomless pits.
Feeding my munchkins is difficult and expensive enough. Feeding them healthy foods? That is nearly impossible on a budget. The good news is, though, that it is possible. Over the years, I have learned just about every trick in the book to lower grocery costs. I have tried, tweaked, and retried methods to determine just how to feed us good food while grocery shopping on a budget. And now, I am going to share those with you.
Make a Budget For Healthy Grocery Shopping
If I have said it once, I have said it 100,000 times- You have to have a budget! There is no way to get ahead or keep your head above water for any sustained period of time without having a budget and following it. Even the wealthy have budgets. They want to tell their money where to go instead of wondering where it went. Sure, they may not have to be as frugal as the rest of us, but trust me when I say, they would not be wealthy today without effective money management- which starts with a budget.
So, before you take another step, sit down and make a budget. If you have a significant other that lives with you, they need to be involved if at all possible. You need to be on the same page or else it is going to be really difficult to follow your budget.
The purpose of making your budget here is to determine how much you can actually afford to spend on groceries. If you do not yet know how to do this, you need to learn about living on a budget. The more knowledge you have, the easier the process is.
The Importance Of Meal Plans And Shopping Lists
In addition to a budget, you really need to have a meal plan, aka a menu, and a list to take shopping with you. One of the biggest mistakes people make when grocery shopping is not having a plan. I thought everyone went shopping with a list, but considering every time I grocery shop, someone says, “I need to start bringing a list, too”, I was apparently very wrong.
Let me just briefly explain meal plans and how much you can benefit from them:
Weekly, or monthly if you choose, sit down and take a look at your calendar. What do you have going on that month? Do the kids have soccer games? Do you go to church every Sunday? Is family coming to visit in a few weeks? Are gymnastics classes every Monday?
All of these things need to factor into your meal plan because your food needs to cater to those things. And it will help you make and actually stick to your budget. Your menu needs to work with your life or there is no reason for it. I’ll give you a few examples:
As a freelancer, my week is pretty sporadic. I try to keep to the same schedule, but that is nearly impossible. Additionally, I homeschool my kids, so our week is crazy full. It really is tempting to just eat microwaveable pizzas and cereal during the week, but that is not healthy for our budget or our bodies.
Instead, I plan really, really simple meals for at least four days a week. These are meals that I try to get into the kitchen to make, but if I cannot, my husband can. At the very worst, I have taught my oldest children to cook a handful of dinners each, so they can take over any of those days if they need to.
Sunday mornings are for church most weeks, so I put something in the Crockpot on Sunday mornings that will be ready by dinner. Sometimes that is soup, sometimes it is chicken. We usually have some sandwiches for lunch.
Weekday mornings, we keep it simple with something like toast and eggs, or we bake homemade biscuits that I make beforehand and freeze. And, yes, sometimes we go for cereal for breakfast and even frozen pizza here and there. Those things are okay sometimes- just not every day.
I do try my best to make a big breakfast on Saturday mornings and a really good dinner two nights a week. Of course, we get off track sometimes, but having a meal routine like this means that everyone eats much healthier than they would be, we save money, and I am not putting any extra pressure on myself- that’s not something any of us need.
Build Your Budget with the budgetry store.
Ways a Menu Helps
A menu tells you what you are going to be eating, so your grocery list includes items necessary for those meals- not random things because they sound good. This quite often prevents you from buying so much junk food.
Every morning, you take a look at that menu to see what you are supposed to be cooking. You go ahead and lay out anything you need to let thaw and double-check that you have all the ingredients. This prevents last-minute catastrophes of being mid-recipe when you realize you do not have what you need. It also prevents fast food stops because there is no, “Oh, no! What are we going to have for dinner?” at 6 pm when everyone is starving and no one wants to cook.
How to Make Your Own Menu
Make out a list of meals, snacks, and other things that the people you are buying for like to eat. Fill in a calendar with those meals. You can add some variety later as you discover new meals you want to try. The point at this moment is to simply put a plan together. You then simply make your grocery list according to this menu.
A very important piece of advice: Before you head to the grocery store, try organizing your grocery list by sections. If you do not and you simply have a jumbled up list, one or all of these things will happen:
You will get frustrated.
You will overlook something.
You will end up walking back and forth and waste a ton of time.
You will definitely spend money on things you do not need.
When your list is organized, it is almost like being on a mission. You can get in and get out, focusing only on what is on the list. Trust me, organized lists are always better.
After a little time of shopping with a menu and a grocery list- two very awesome grocery budget tools - you will discover ways to tweak things and make it all even better.
Tips For Grocery Shopping On a Budget
After you have your menu and your shopping list, it is time to do some shopping. While a list and a menu can most definitely save you money when grocery shopping on a budget, there are many other ways to do save even more, so let’s dive in:
Coupons
I have to be honest here when I say that I do not use paper coupons that often. I have so much going on in life that the idea of adding the tasks of searching for and clipping coupons is not the least bit appealing to me. Not to mention the fact that most of the stuff I buy is still cheaper than the stuff on the coupons, so most of them are not useful to me.
When I use paper coupons, it is because they come in a package I have already bought. In a moment, I’ll tell you exactly how I take advantage of coupons without clipping them.
However, for those that can take the time to clip them, there are some incredible benefits. I have read stories and seen some on TV where people have gotten almost an entire shopping trip for free off of coupons. If you want to try it out for yourself but do not know how to start, Crystal Paine has a book called The Money Saving Mom’s Budget. She is an expert on couponing and many other budgeting tricks, so the book is worth a read- I’ve read it at least twice.
Apps to Use
For the rest of you who do not want to invest the time into couponing, I have some excellent news for you- you can still get the savings on many of the items. There are tons of apps you can use, but I have used two in particular that are great and have saved me a ton of money.
Let’s start with Ibotta. This app shows you items that are on sale- through coupons- at different stores in your area. You check the things you want to buy. Then, when you get home from shopping, you take a picture of your receipt and get the money added to your account.
For instance, if a certain brand of grapes are on sale at Walmart for $1.50 off and I purchase those grapes, $1.50 is added to my account. When you reach $20, you cash out and have that $20 sent to your PayPal account. They have made it even easier lately by allowing you to connect the card you normally pay with instead of having to take pictures of the receipt.
The second app is Fetch Rewards. They are very similar to Ibotta, except that you do not have to check the things you will be buying first. You simply take an image of the receipt and if there are any deals on those things, you get points. Here, you cannot get PayPal cash, but you can choose gift cards. By choosing a gift card to a retailer, the money you saved can get you extra groceries.
The thing I love most is that I can take pictures of the same receipt on multiple apps, so I am earning in more than one way. Give them a try to see if they can save you some money while you are grocery shopping on a budget.
Additionally, you can use apps for tracking money and your budget. Depending on which type of budget you have, you can try various apps out there that will help you manage your money and stay in the right lane.
Grow Your Own Food
This is a way to save a good bit of money, especially on veggies. You can plant your own potatoes, tomatoes, corn, and more. You do not really have to have a huge yard to do it, either. There is a lot of information online for growing food indoors.
And, if saving money is not enough of a reason to try, think about this: Even though the veggies in the store may be healthy, you honestly have no idea what they were grown with or what has been sprayed on them. When you grow them at home, you know just what has gone on with them.
Buy on Clearance
It never fails that every time I go grocery shopping, the grocery store is trying to get rid of something. Most often it is the bakery. They do not get rid of fresh bread and baked goods quick enough, so there will be an “Oops! We made too much!” sign there.
Of course, I do not mind. I have brought home loaves of French bread and other types for as little as $0.63. And, though we try to keep it healthy most of the time, I do find cakes, cookies, and other treats for a $1 or less.
There are often clearance items all over the store, though. I remember bringing home a gallon of milk for $1.50 once, which is a big discount, all because it was going to be out of date in two days. Considering the number of kids I have, that milk was going to be gone way before the expiration date, so it worked out well.
Take a look next time you are shopping. Buying clearance is a great way to save money when grocery shopping on a budget. And do not be scared of the dates- most things can be frozen, which we will talk about in a minute.
Learn Store Cycles
Another incredible way to save money when you are grocery shopping on a budget is to learn your store’s cycle. Most stores have a regular cycle for sales, such as one might have their eggs on sale the third week of the month because a new shipment comes in at the end of the month. Start making note of when certain things go on sale at your favorite stores. It will not be long before you know just when to buy some of your favorite stuff at the best price.
Farmer’s Markets
Do not overlook farmer’s markets. You can usually buy veggies from these at a lower price than what is in the store. And the sellers often offer deals for buying in bulk.
Shop Multiple Stores
I think that one of the biggest “secrets” to grocery shopping on a budget is to shop multiple stores. There are some differing opinions on the matter, though, so let’s get into it.
First of all, the point of shopping at different stores is to save money. If you are spending more on gas than you are saving, it is not worth it. I’ll give you a break down of how I do it.
I shop at four different stores, all of which are within a five-minute drive from my home.
Store #1- This is normally a very expensive store, but when they have sales, they are really good ones. For instance, those toaster oven pizzas we eat occasionally will go on sale for $1 each, which is at least $0.50 cheaper than other stores. This puts me at saving at least $5 on them by the time I buy enough for everyone. Sales like this take me there usually once or twice a month.
Store #2- This store is the furthest away, but it is the cheapest on eggs, milk, fruits, veggies, and baking items.
Store #3- This store has chicken and other meat items for ½ to ¾ of the price of other stores.
Store #4- Everything else comes from here as they have pretty good everyday prices. If I cannot get the items on sale at the other three stores, they are still pretty cheap at this one.
Get Help
A lot of people have too much pride to hear this, but sometimes when you are grocery shopping on a budget, you need help. There are usually food assistance places in every city or county that will give you groceries when you need them. Obviously, you should not just take advantage of these places, but if you really need help, do not be ashamed. I have had to do it before. So have a lot of people that you would never guess.
And, if you are really low income, try applying for SNAP food assistance program. There is no shame in doing what you need to in order to feed your family. If you need it, you need it- bottom line. And anyway, the benefits come on a card now, so you do not have to stand in line counting out paper vouchers like you did when I was a kid. It is more discreet, so no one has to know if you do not want them to.
Cook Homemade
I could literally write an entire book on this topic, but I won’t do that here. If you really want to learn how to grocery shop on a budget- especially a really tight budget- you should cook as much homemade food as you can. It is both cheaper and healthier. It may look less expensive to buy food in fast-food restaurants, but it is actually not, nor is it healthy. Saving money on groceries is easiest when you prepare your own food.
Learn to Freeze
Many times when you are grocery shopping on a budget, you run across some really great deals. The problem is that you usually have no way to use them before the expiration date, but guess what? You can actually freeze a lot of foods.
When I run across milk on sale, I buy a bunch and freeze it. Bread can be frozen, too. Try looking up different foods you like to see if they can be frozen. When you learn to freeze, you can also spend one or two days a month precooking as I do so you can have good homemade food even on busy days.
A couple of notes here: Keep a supply of freezer storage baggies on hand. Also, you might consider investing in a deep freezer. I usually shop once a month and fill up my fridge and deep freezer. Most of the time, I do not have to return to the store much during the month when I do so.
Buy a Filtration System
Another important tip: If you hate drinking tap water, you probably spend a ton on bottled water. Honestly, the chemicals that are in our tap water are disgusting to me, so I refuse to drink it or let my kids drink it.
If this sounds like you, do yourself a favor and invest in a water filtration system. It will save you a lot of money down the line.
Conclusion
I hope that you have found many ways in this article that you can eat well while grocery shopping on a budget. Once you get started, you will learn even more ways.