Lately, we’ve been way above our grocery budget. With the new year, we aim to get back on track and implement some of the ways to really save money on the grocery budget, without having to search for coupons for the food that we actually want to buy.
Get Paid to Shop (and Have Fun)
In addition to offers like getting $.25 back when you buy cauliflower, or $1 back when you upload your grocery receipt, you can get money back for experiences like going on a movie date night, answering questionnaires or watching advertisements using www.caddle.ca.
With almost $20 of offers available this week, it’s an easy way to get paid to shop (and make money using the website). At the end of the month, you could accumulate enough to cover a chunk of your grocery shopping, or a few ‘splurges’ at the store.
Go Shopping Once
Go shopping once a week. That’s one of the reasons that we’ve been over our grocery budget for the last couple of months, we’ve been shopping a few times a week. Sure, there’s the things that you’re going for, but while you’re there, it’s easy to get distracted by items on sale, convenience food and things that you might not even need that week.
Buy in-Season Produce
Shopping at Costco the other day, I grudgingly grabbed a package of strawberries, scoffing at the $12.99 price tag. They’re expensive because they’re out of season - so stick to in season produce and you’ll save - and get more bang for your buck.
For example, I could have purchased two huge bags of apples for the same price, giving us more fruit per person, at a fraction of the price per serving.
Meal Plan
I know I’m not alone when I get home from the grocery store, and realise that I need to make another trip at some point in the week. Shopping without a meal plan leaves me with the 90% of the ingredients I need to make a dozen different meals, but there’s always that one last ingredient that somehow eludes the shopping trip. Meal planning gets rid of this problem.
Plan the meals based around the main ingredients you’ve got in the freezer or the pantry, and check through the ingredient list to make sure you’ve got all the required items. If not, add it to the list. No more dinners where you’re just missing those last one or two ingredients and need to run to the store.
Combine Sales With Cash Back
Use www.caddle.ca to see which offers are available for the week. If there’s something on your list to purchase or something that can make it into the week’s dinner or lunch ingredients, combine it with the lowest local sale price for the item.
How do you find the lowest price for the item? Use a flyer comparison app to find the lowest price in your area and shop at that store, or price match at your regular store.
Reduce Your Waste
I read something once about the crisper in the refrigerator being where the fruits and vegetables go to die - and it rang true. Weekly, when we go through the refrigerator before we make a trip to the grocery store, I find at least one thing that’s been forgotten.
Reduce your waste with this tip I learned from a friend: Wasting vegetables? Buy a large vegetable tray from the store, and use the vegetables in the tray as a side to dinner or lunch through the week. Often, it works out to being the same amount (and you’re saving more because you don’t end up wasting produce at the end of the week).
Skip the Convenience
Skip the convenience that comes with things like pre-washed lettuce, or boxed croutons and make your own. Buying a loaf of French bread for an average price of $1 and using salt and olive oil, you can create your own rustic style croutons for a fraction of the price. Toast, and store in the freezer to use in the future, or in the pantry for up to 7 days.
Skipping convenience food is an effective way to save up to 40% off of the regular cost of your groceries. Worried about time? Plan in 1-2 hours on Sunday to prepare the food and plan the meals for the week. Get the family involved in the prep and you can save more time, and a great lesson about food as well.
If you’ve cut your grocery budget, but still need a way to make the budget balance, you can sign up for www.caddle.ca to get access to special offers, videos, reviews and opportunities that can earn you money online - and help to add a bit of money every month to your budget.
