With ever-increasing food prices, many families are looking for ways to save at the grocery store while still providing healthy meals. Do you see lots of deals on processed, packaged foods that just don't seem all that healthy? Or maybe you just don't know where to start.
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How to stretch your grocery budget
The good news is, feeding your family on a budget isn't only possible, it's possible to do without spending all day in the kitchen. Because from school, to work, to after school sports and activities, we're all busy.
The tips here are tested with my own family of four. I can honestly say that they work for us, and they work for many of the other busy families we know. Without further ado, here are my best tips for feeding your family on a budget.
1. Learn to cook from scratch.
Don't freak out when I say "from scratch." That doesn't mean you have to spend all day at the stove. If you're not a practiced home cook, it does mean that you will need to start practicing. Start small if you need to.
Consider the cost of one pound of russet potatoes, sold in a 5-lb bag. If I find them on sale, I'll pay about $2.59 for a 5-lb bag. That means one pound (16 oz.) is about $0.56. A 24 oz package of heat-in-the-microwave mashed potatoes (available over in the refrigerated deli area) runs about $5, depending on the brand. Adding a little milk, butter, salt and pepper to 2 about pounds of potatoes that you cook on your stove will cost you less than $1.50, and start-to-finish will be done in about 20 minutes. You could even make them on the weekend and reheat them during the week! Savings for this example = about $3.50, for just one item in your meal.
Another example? Cook your own chicken. A 3-lb rotisserie chicken costs about $8 when it's not on sale. You can often get chicken thighs on sale for about $2 per pound, so if you go for three pounds of thighs instead of a three pound chicken, right away you save $2. Do a quick search for "easy chicken dinners" and you'll find just how easy it can be to cook at home. Crockpot/slow cooker and instant pot recipes make cooking chicken super simple.
2. Opt for "whole foods" when possible.
I don't mean the grocery store where you may think you'll spend your "whole paycheck." I mean you should choose unprocessed foods whenever you can. Think beans, canned, fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, and grains like rice or quinoa (super fast, cheap, and really tasty when made with some broth!).
Look for chicken thighs in the meat department that can be part of a recipe, instead of pre-packaged convenience meals and processed items like pre-cooked and breaded chicken nuggets or strips. When you look for base ingredients, you avoid paying for someone else's labor... and you'll eat healthier, too.
3. Head to the frozen food aisles.
Frozen fruits and vegetables give you a great bang for your buck. They're frozen right after they're picked, and they're usually recipe ready - you can get things like chopped onions or fajita-blend vegetables ready to go right into the pan. Not only is frozen produce good quality, it's also usually much cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables in the produce department. You get convenience, quality and savings. Win-win-win.
4. Shop the sales.
Do you get the grocery store circulars in your mailbox? If not, grab one at the door when you walk into the grocery store, or take a look at their mobile app. Check out what's on sale, and think about what your family will need to eat for the next week, or even longer if you have the storage space.
The keys to shopping sales = don't drive too far, and buy what your family will actually eat. If you get a bunch of grapefruit because they're on sale this week but no one will eat them, then you've wasted your money. Also, think about how far you have to drive to get that sale. How much will you spend in gas to save another dollar... is it really worth it?
5. Try out other grocery stores, and comparison shop.
Many grocery stores have apps or websites where you can compare prices side-by-side, or you can spread out those printed circulars next to each other on the dining room table. Sometimes I'll pull two stores up side-by-side on my computer and fill both "virtual carts" to see where I will get the best deals on my grocery list.
Speaking of sales and comparison shopping, consider making a "price book," whether it's a cheap spiral notebook or in a notes app on your phone. Make a note of some of the sale prices on items that you buy and eat, noting the brand, package size and price. You'll soon discover if that "sale price" on peanut butter is really a good deal!
6. Meal plan.
This is by far the most impactful thing you can do for your grocery budget! Plan your meals for the week ahead based on sales, and what you have on hand. Make sure you consider any evening activities - you likely won't be able to make a lasagna on a weeknight when your kids are at soccer practice for two hours. (But you could probably pull off lasagna soup in the instant pot!)
Take a look at what you have in the fridge and in the pantry, and go from there. It's always cheaper to use up things you have than to buy more.
If you're looking for budget-friendly recipes, I highly recommend the $5 Meal Plan. I discovered Erin's cookbook and blog back in 2009, and I can say honestly that you can still feed a family dinner for $5 (or less) per night, even in 2024. (Click the image below to find out more.)
7. Schedule a meatless meal or use meat as a supporting actor rather than the star.
At least once a week, plan a meal that uses little to no meat. This could be as easy as having "breakfast for dinner" consisting of pancakes, waffles, or eggs and toast with fruit as your side. It could also be a vegetable-heavy soup like this Instant Pot Hamburger Soup recipe over at Frugal Family Home (it's good, try it!), or homemade macaroni and cheese with your choice of vegetable(s) on the side.
Another example? I recently found a small package (about ½ lb) of cubed ham that had been marked down to $1.20 at the store. While it was too small to feed the family as a main course, it was an amazing addition to some fried rice I whipped up that week, which featured a couple of eggs as another source of protein. (Check out Brian Lagerstrom's fried rice YT video to learn how to make it. Seriously, it's so easy, and since you make it with what you have on hand, it's really affordable!)
8. Try the store brands.
Have you tried the store brands? A July, 2022, study of 2,000 U.S. adults performed by data firm Reach3 Insights noted that 78% of respondents said they were buying more store brand (a.k.a. "private label") products than they had in the past. What's more, 65% of respondents said that outside of the packaging and branding, they felt that national brand pantry and household products and private label products are - wait for it - the same.
In a 2019 Consumer Reports interview, Burt Flickinger III of the Strategic Resource Group declared the cost of store-brand foods and beverages to be about 20-25% LESS than their equivalent name brand products. 20-25% less! Think about it - a $10 purchase could be $7.50 with store brands. If the taste and the quality are there, why in the world wouldn't you give them a try?
9. Cook simple recipes instead of complex meals with lots of special ingredients.
There's a reason why "meat and potatoes" is such a widespread phrase when you talk about cooking. Instead of cooking recipes that call for lots of ingredients, opt for something that's simpler but still tastes good.
Simple dinners might be seasoned chicken thighs or breasts cooked in the skillet, a side salad, and baked potatoes. Or maybe it's meatball subs (outdoor rolls, meatballs, marinara sauce and provolone) with cut vegetables and chips or tater tots. A streamlined, simple recipe doesn't mean tasteless!
Stock your spice cabinet with things like garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper, seasoned salt, and Italian seasoning. You might also want to pick up some powdered ranch dressing mix/seasoning. These items are inexpensive and add tons of flavor.
10. Choose less expensive cuts of meat.
I almost didn't put this one on the list, because I feel like it's a given. But when you're on a tight budget, you should be looking at cheaper cuts of meat. Steer clear of the steaks and opt for ground beef, or a chuck roast that will taste amazing and come out incredibly tender when cooked in an Instant Pot or slow cooker. Instead of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, choose thighs or drumsticks. Look for recipes that will use pork shoulder, sausage, or ground pork.
Speaking of ground pork, I noticed something funny at my local Kroger-brand store... in the app, you'll see a 1 lb package of ground pork that goes on sale for around $3.50. But when I walked in the store to check out that "on sale" pork in the meat department, I found a store brand (ha! see # 8 above!) package of plain ground pork that was just over $2 for about 1.25 lbs. That one wasn't an option online, but it's one that I go back to often when I shop in-store because it's just SO affordable and versatile when I cook. Take a look at your local store and see if you can spot some affordable surprises.
How will you save money and feed your family for less?
What do you do to feed your family for less and save money on groceries? What new tip will you try? Let me know in the comments.