Meal preppers tend to do their cooking on Sundays, when they have a little more spare time. You can make one extra-large meal or a pair of medium-sized meals, if you prefer a little variety. Freezing meals gives you the flexibility to make even larger amounts and rotate meals from day to day.

You can use the meals you already love — just make double or triple-size portions. If you need a little inspiration, you can join an online community, like the MealPrepSunday subreddit on Reddit, or take a look at all the awesome meal prep ideas on Pinterest.

Will you get sick of eating the same thing three days in a row? You are simply a leaner, meaner in all the best ways version of who you already were. You may want to pause this guide for a bit here.

We are constantly paying for convenience. If you think about it, the simple act of buying groceries represents a cost of convenience — someone else harvested those crops and put everything in a package and drove it to your local food store. You can save an enormous amount of money by always buying whole chickens instead of separated breasts or thighs, for example, but that can take a lot of work.

Individually, none of them will represent an enormous swing in your financial favor. But over time, these changes will add up. There you have it — a pain-free method for reducing your grocery bill.

All you need to do is make a few slight alterations to your usual routine and never forget why you started to read this guide in the first place: because you have plans. Not really. Never forget that Big Something, especially when the going gets tough and that steak burrito is calling your name.

You have plans. Good luck! Ready to tackle another budget category? Or maybe you'd prefer to take a step back and consult with a free budgeting specialist? Debt repayment programs and information. Consolidation without a loan. Today is the day we conquer your debt. MMI can put you on the road to your debt-free date.

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And it all begins with eating out. and I pledge that I will do it less often. This number represents your RMPM — Restaurant Meals Per Month.

Pantry Days Occasionally, you should plan on skipping the grocery store altogether and instead make meals percent based on the food you already have. What does this all mean in numbers? Take your time. Be patient with yourself. Celebrate the little wins and remember the big picture.

Step 3 — Grocery Game Theory The best grocery gamers can do two things very well: they can plan meals and they can execute those plans. But is that enough? Because here comes the final step.

Prepare to be mildly inconvenienced. Step 4 —Cutting the cost of convenience We are constantly paying for convenience. Bring Balance To Your Budget. If the ends don't quite meet, we can help show you how to make your life affordable. Financial counseling is free and available anytime.

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These offers do not represent all available deposit, investment, loan or credit products. But, there are many ways to save money when buying groceries, and the key is to be strategic and intentional with your shopping habits.

Learn how to be a smart shopper by completely avoiding common grocery store mistakes. Meat can very well be the priciest part of your grocery purchase.

And nowadays, every big-box store has its own brand, which is usually half the cost. Stores typically run all sales on a cycle. You might be surprised by how much they knock off the price or offer you in coupons.

You can locate specific brand coupons online through sites like Coupon Sherpa or PromoCodeWatch, said Woroch. Feel free to combine coupons, as well.

People can miss the biggest savings when it comes to grocery coupons. If you can master combining them, you can really make the magic happen, said Josh Elledge of SavingsAngel. This is called coupon stacking. The best way to find out which of your local grocery store chains offers these double coupon days and when is to call them directly and ask about their policies.

The extra leg work can end up helping you score major grocery deals. Find out which supermarkets offer these programs before your next shopping trip.

This might take some time to do, but careful comparison shopping at different grocery chains can help you find the best deals on specific products. The cheapest grocery stores for some items will be different than the cheapest grocery stores for other times.

Grocery stores tend to stock their most expensive items at eye level, knowing that customers are most likely to grab these items. To find the best grocery deals, make sure to scan shelves from top to bottom instead of just grabbing the first item you see.

When you go into the supermarket, you find that item is on sale now. Instead of waiting until next week to buy the item, make the exception and buy it now. Some bulk items at warehouse stores might not really be the best value, said Benjamin Glaser, a former editor with DealNews.

But if you check the unit price, you might not always be getting a discount. Of course, buying in bulk can offer the opposite effect, depending on what you buy. Toilet paper and diapers are typically some of the best deals at Costco.

Holiday-themed candy and baked goods are usually heavily discounted after the holiday is over. Gabrielle Olya and Amen Oyiboke-Osifo contributed to the reporting for this article.

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In most grocery stores, the items are laid out according to zones, including produce and dairy, which tend to be placed on opposite sides, with the meat and seafood counter typically in the rear of the store, and canned, processed, and frozen foods placed in the middle of the store. Sticking predominantly to the outer sections will help you choose whole foods with little processing and can even help control your grocery costs.

Changing your shopping mindset to accommodate healthy physical and personal finance principles will help you save money and stay healthier, too. Using delivery services can be a mixed bag when it comes to controlling your grocery expenses. You could then dedicate that time to constructive rest to improve your health, or to freelance or side work and possibly even wind up making money for that hour or two!

Take some time to look at the published prices for specific items on your list, both from different brands and from different stores. Warehouse clubs and stores offer discounted prices on a wide range of products. Of course, some perishable items may go to waste if bought in bulk. Coupons and discounts can be efficient tools for slashing your grocery bill.

Look for coupons in newspapers, magazines, online coupon websites, and store apps. Many delivery services will allow you to connect your loyalty card to your account, so that you can take advantage of loyalty-card savings even when someone else is shopping for you.

Finally, consider using cashback apps and web browser extensions such as Rakuten that provide cashback or rewards for your grocery purchases. By combining coupons, discounts, and cashback offers from multiple sources, you can save more money at the register.

In many cases, generic versions exist for your favorite food products, and they might be just as tasty while costing considerably less. In many cases, these options are just as good as the more famous brand item but come at a lower cost.

Impulse purchases are one of the most common drivers of higher-than-expected grocery bills. The best way to meet the challenge of impulse purchases is to come armed with a list and resolve not to deviate from it.

Staying frugal and resisting consumerism at the checkout counter will help you keep more of your money each week. Resist being swayed by advertisements or displays. Be mindful of portion sizes and expiration dates to save money. Some strategies that you can employ outside of the grocery store can likewise help you maintain your budget and reduce grocery costs.

Here are some tips and suggestions to help you save money on groceries beyond the store. By adopting a plan, sticking to your list, using coupons, and choosing the other strategies discussed here you can help keep a lid on runaway grocery costs.

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Search Close this search box. Resources Blog Guides Menu. Blog » Personal Finance » The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money on Groceries. The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money on Groceries.

John Boitnott. Posted on August 18th, Table of Contents Toggle. John Boitnott John Boitnott graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a Masters Degree in Education. He worked for 14 years as a broadcast news writer for ABC, NBC, and CBS News where he covered finance, business and real estate.

He covered financial news for SAP for four years. Boitnott is now working as a columnist for The Motley Fool where he covers personal financial and investing strategies. About Due. Supermarkets are always running various promotions that can help you save on everything from staples, like milk and eggs, to sweets, like ice cream and cookies.

Consider buying items on sale whenever possible, especially if the cost is normally high. Sale items are often displayed in prominent locations throughout the store, such as at the entrance and ends of the aisles. While buying pre-cut veggies or pre-shredded cheese can save you time while cooking, stores often charge more for the convenience.

Opt for whole items, like fresh or frozen veggies and block cheese, to save money. If you live near various grocery stores, consider shopping at a few and comparing prices.

You can learn which store has the items you need for less and also look at the sales they run. If you currently shop at a high-end grocery store, consider switching to a store that's known for more affordable food prices like Walmart, Aldi or Trader Joe's.

Supermarkets put costly, name-brand items at eye level, which can tempt you to spend more money on high-cost items. Next time you go shopping, opt for a generic brand to save money. If you bring reusable shopping bags to the store, you can often receive a discount on your order total. Depending on your city and state, stores like Target and Whole Foods Market can give you up to a cent discount per bag you bring.

There are a handful of rebate apps, such as Ibotta and Rakuten , that give you cash back for buying groceries. You can register for free with one of these services to save more on top of loyalty benefits and credit card rewards.

Depending on the app, you may need to link a loyalty card or submit receipts to receive a rebate. While inflation is slowing down, grocery prices continue to be high as a result of supply chain shortages and post-pandemic consumer demand.

Aldi is the most budget-friendly grocery store in America, according to a February study by Marketforce. Aldi is in 39 states and will be the country's 3rd largest grocery retailer by the end of Check out the USDA's Official Food Plans for more tailored information.

Traditional Medicare does not offer a grocery allowance. However, some Medicare Advantage plans, like some Special Needs Plans SNPs , do. Reach out to your provider to understand your benefits.

Groceries can take up a sizeable portion of your budget, especially in times of high inflation. Fortunately, by maximizing discounts and other opportunities to save, you can offset these costs.

It also helps if you have a credit card that earns a high rewards rate on grocery purchases. Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox.

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The idea of cutting your household budget sounds good in theory. Even if it feels like you should be able to make those changes, the truth is that you spend the way you spend for a reason. Asking someone to change everything about how they spend money is an easy way to make that person feel overwhelmed and discouraged.

The focus of this guide, therefore, is not to change how you approach spending on food, but instead to adapt your current habits in order to reduce costs. There are quite a few very good, very valid reasons why you might prefer to have a trained stranger cook dinner for you tonight.

You may be tired. You may not like cooking. You may be very bad at cooking. You may like cooking and be good at it, but hate grocery shopping. As noted, Americans have been forsaking the kitchen for the local chain restaurant with increasing regularity.

And on the plus side, however, we just found a very, very easy way to start reducing your food costs. We established earlier that you probably have good reasons for dining out.

Eating out is not the enemy. The problem is eating out more than you can afford. You can go a little further if you like, but three should be the minimum. Take that number and multiply it by 75 percent. Next month, reduce down to 50 percent of the original number.

The month after that, take it down to 25 percent. Your goal is to reduce the amount of money you spend dining out to 25 percent of what you spend now.

You have three months to do it. Will it come easy? Maybe not. For many, eating out is habit, and habits are hard to break. You take one and spend it on something useful. You take the other and throw it down the garbage disposal.

You spend one hey, you got some good stuff! and you light the other one on fire, then bury the ashes in the backyard. You probably feel quite a bit worse in this scenario, and not just because destroying currency is a crime your secret is safe with me.

Once you start wasting larger amounts of money, that waste becomes a bit more real. So what if I told you that you are currently throwing large bundles of cash down the garbage disposal on a regular basis? We make too much food and throw away the leftovers.

Some food we forget we ever had in the first place. To begin, walk over to your pantry and take a peek. You may need a flashlight to see into the way, way back. What self-stable foods have you forsaken?

What kind of rainy day supplies are buried beneath the frost? The key here is to be mindful of what you already own. How do you integrate this change into your daily life? Well, everyone is different, so what works for one person may not work for another.

Keep a log somewhere — on your phone, computer, or a piece of paper — of everything you have available. If you want to take this to the next level, you can even include expiration dates to help with your planning and prioritizing. Occasionally, you should plan on skipping the grocery store altogether and instead make meals percent based on the food you already have.

Read our review of the Costco Anywhere Visa Card. You may also want to consider eating first or leaving the kids at home to avoid spur-of-the-moment items. Supermarkets are always running various promotions that can help you save on everything from staples, like milk and eggs, to sweets, like ice cream and cookies.

Consider buying items on sale whenever possible, especially if the cost is normally high. Sale items are often displayed in prominent locations throughout the store, such as at the entrance and ends of the aisles. While buying pre-cut veggies or pre-shredded cheese can save you time while cooking, stores often charge more for the convenience.

Opt for whole items, like fresh or frozen veggies and block cheese, to save money. If you live near various grocery stores, consider shopping at a few and comparing prices. You can learn which store has the items you need for less and also look at the sales they run.

If you currently shop at a high-end grocery store, consider switching to a store that's known for more affordable food prices like Walmart, Aldi or Trader Joe's. Supermarkets put costly, name-brand items at eye level, which can tempt you to spend more money on high-cost items.

Next time you go shopping, opt for a generic brand to save money. If you bring reusable shopping bags to the store, you can often receive a discount on your order total. Depending on your city and state, stores like Target and Whole Foods Market can give you up to a cent discount per bag you bring.

There are a handful of rebate apps, such as Ibotta and Rakuten , that give you cash back for buying groceries. You can register for free with one of these services to save more on top of loyalty benefits and credit card rewards.

Depending on the app, you may need to link a loyalty card or submit receipts to receive a rebate. While inflation is slowing down, grocery prices continue to be high as a result of supply chain shortages and post-pandemic consumer demand.

Aldi is the most budget-friendly grocery store in America, according to a February study by Marketforce. Aldi is in 39 states and will be the country's 3rd largest grocery retailer by the end of Check out the USDA's Official Food Plans for more tailored information.

Traditional Medicare does not offer a grocery allowance. However, some Medicare Advantage plans, like some Special Needs Plans SNPs , do.

Reach out to your provider to understand your benefits. Groceries can take up a sizeable portion of your budget, especially in times of high inflation. Fortunately, by maximizing discounts and other opportunities to save, you can offset these costs.

It also helps if you have a credit card that earns a high rewards rate on grocery purchases. Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox.

Sign up here. At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every personal finance guide is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of personal finance products.

While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

It feels so familiar! This is called "brand recognition" in business talk, and it's very lucrative. Look, we get it: pre-chopped vegetables and fruits are a godsend on busy weeknights. A container of chopped onions or peeled garlic saves precious time, but they also tend to cost more than whole produce.

If you want to save on groceries, avoid pre-prepped produce. Instead, invest in long-term kitchen tools that do the work for you like food choppers , mandolins, and garlic crushers. An attractive sale or two-for-one deal is perfect for stocking up for the future if it's not perishable.

This will save you money in the long run. Don't cut the nutritious stuff if you have to buy less food. You always need dinner, you can save money by making dessert a special thing. While you're at it, avoid a large cart and go for a basket or a smaller cart.

Lynnette explains, "Grocery delivery is certainly necessary for many people, but if you can shop in person, you'll save money. If you do decide to use the service, make sure you get your money's worth with larger order sizes and place fewer orders to cut down on fees. As Ree said, warehouse stores are magical places for home cooks.

You can get amazing deals on dry goods that last you all year long! Barbara recognizes that membership might not make sense for smaller families, so she also suggests splitting the membership with another family if you can.

Shrinkflation is when the price of an item hasn't changed, but there is less in the package than you're used to. When this happens, manufacturers have basically raised their prices by giving you a fraction of the amount. Shop by unit price! Grouping is when stores typically put three or more related items together to try to make you want to purchase all of them.

For example, you head to the store for chips and see that they're grouped next to salsa and dip. Your initial intention was to buy a bag, but now you're considering purchasing more items than needed. End caps are those displays that highlight items between isles. This marketing tactic highlights items you weren't necessarily looking for and might impulsively buy.