• Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Policy
  • Guest Post
  • Archive

One Cent At A Time

A Personal finance blog to get rich

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Beautiful Life
  • Becoming Rich
  • Beginners Guide
  • Extra Income
  • Productivity
  • Saving Money

Top 10 Ways to Save Money on Food Bill

March 17, 2014 9 Comments

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

This aspect I touched in my epic post 101 ways to save money briefly. There are tons of ways to save money on grocery bill. When I last examined, our grocery bill is the second most expensive item after rent for us. We are two people family and we eat out very rarely. of course the best way to save money on food is to cook it at home and take the left over for lunch.

Grocery Shopping

Here’s some things that SMB(my wife) and I often do and are effective for keeping costs down while not neglecting yourself good quality whole foods:

1. My first tip above everything; Don’t shop hungry- Shopping when hungry tends to lead you to purchase things that look good now that might be related to cravings such as sugars and starch. Shop for what you want later not for right now.

2. Save on Meat – Buy chicken breast with bone in. This can cut the price in half. Save bones from chicken for making stock which you can use in soups. If buying pork choose the pork shoulder over the loin. Cheaper and in my opinion is better tasting.

3. When buying frozen fruit or veg go for the store brand generic type. More often than not this type of product comes from the same place as more expensive brand types. That cost difference comes from basically paying for something that is a brand that has packaging and advertisements.

  • Frozen food is an often overlooked but incredibly valuable and helpful product. You only use what you need and the rest doesn’t need to spoil and only tend to cost a few dollars per package. I’ve mentioned that fruit and Veg that is flash frozen can be more nutritious than fresh organic produce.
  • The fresh stuff starts losing nutrients as soon as it is picked. So if it is traveling across country it is quite depleted by the time it gets to you while frozen food retains all it’s nutrients from the moment it was frozen, which is usually not long after it was picked.
  • Think of how Han Solo was frozen in carbonite in the Empire Strikes Back…sorry that’s the only Star Wars reference you will see

4. Use coupon for day-to-day food items. Your local super markets run deals every week. Deals are published to get customers through the door. It’s expected that you’ll purchase a lot more items from the store than the advertised deals. I’d say, buy only the deals available. Deals run on vegetables, meat, packaged food, etc

Just one word of caution, do not let deals dictate your buying. First make grocery lost and then try to search for deals which are already in your shopping list. This largely controls impulse buying.

5. A no-brainer is that vegetables and fruit will not only be better for you but are cheaper than processed foods. The average price for a huge bunch of Kale is $1.99 where I live and has enough kale for about 3-5 salads or almost 8 green smoothies. I can’t point out enough that healthy foods are cheaper

6. Your best value for cuts of beef are going to be

  •    brisket
  •    skirt steak
  •    flank steak
  •    chuck & blade
  •     top rump

This is where a slow cooker can be your best friend. Slow cooking can take any type of cheaper cut and turn it into a fantastic, tender dish. You can add in things like broth that you made, vegetables, garlic etc set it for 6 hours or so and just leave it. It turns out to only costing you a few dollars a meal and make incredibly good meals. If you’re in a grocery store look for the cheaper cuts or if at a market or butcher ask them for these cuts as well. The farmers and butchers will also know the best way to cook the various cuts of meat and what goes well with them so use them as a great resource!

7. Quinoa- quinoa is not a grain but a seed and good organic varieties are becoming as cheap as rice. This ingredient can be stretched far in dishes as well as making salads.

8. BULK BARNS- A lot of people tend to think of Bulk stores (Costco, Sam’s Club, etc) as places where you can buy mass amounts of jelly beans or gummi worms but they are a very overlooked resource. These stores can be of great assistance in saving money and storing up on some key items. They are great places to get things like nuts and seeds.

I always will buy things like raw almonds and sunflower seeds at them. Also great for finding things like wild rice or quinoa if you’re consuming them. You can even find things like the omega 3 containing, detoxifying Chia seeds. It’s also great to find those improved alternatives to flour like coconut or almond flour.

Definitely start including Bulk stores into your shopping routine.

9. For fresh Veg keep them in either a plastic bag or brown bag and wrap the bag up while trying to squeeze all the air out. Doing this and keeping it in a vegetable crisper in your fridge will vastly extend the life of the Veg. Keeping as much air out as possible allows it to not break down, wilt or turn brown

10. Grow your own herbs- If you’re like me you use a ton of herbs for things like salads to almost every dish I eat. Herbs contain important phytonutrients that help in fighting disease and providing us with antioxidants along with enhancing the flavor of our food. Depending where you live an outdoor garden is cheap and easy to do.

You can buy plants like basil or oregano for only a few dollars and they will still grow each year.

Or you can order packages of seeds year round online through amazon for only a dollar or so per package. You’re now only looking at pennies per plant. Herbs can also be grown on windowsills in apartments

The easiest herbs to grow also tend to be some of the best for you such as:

  • parsley
  • borage
  • basil
  • sage
  • thyme
  • Also very easy to grow in an outdoor garden and extremely healthy are garlic, bell peppers and tomatoes

Take some of your own grown garlic, roasted and make a fresh soup with your own grown tomatoes and basil with some of the chicken stock you made and you will have a soup that is better than any you’ve ever had and will cost you next to nothing!

LIKE THIS POST?
I agree to have my personal information transfered to MailChimp ( more information )
Join our community of 8000+ subscribers to increase your net worth and build wealth
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
The tool that changed the way I manage my personal finance - Personal Capital, The Best Free Personal Finance Tool

Want to start a WordPress blog now? The onecentatatime.com blog is hosted by Siteground Web Hosting. For only $3.95 a month, Siteground can help you set up and host your website/blog quickly and easily.

About the Blogger Hi I am SB, a personal finance enthusiast with a career in software development. I am an immigrant to the USA since 2005, after being born and brought up in India. This 40 something technocrat lives and breathes personal finance whenever he gets time from the day job, job as a husband and a dad

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, if you make a purchase following the links, I may earn a commission. Read affiliate disclosure here
« 3 Financial Decisions you Should Avoid
Remember all Bad Financial Decisions for Taxes »

Comments

  1. Michelle says

    March 17, 2014 at 9:07 AM

    I have made the mistake of shopping when I’ve been hungry way too many times. It’s always a disaster and I buy everything that I see!

    Reply
  2. Upwards of Twenty says

    March 17, 2014 at 10:46 AM

    Great article, when we revised our budget food waste expense was one of the areas that made me sick. We have started buying BOGO and increasing our frozen foods. We even buy produce when it is in season and cheap, we cut it and freeze it. My daughter even enjoys a lot of the frozen fruits as a snack. The only thing is I worry that she will choke so I cut them small.

    My last point is that making enough for leftovers also saves money since it can equal two meals for the price of one. As always keep them coming.

    JB

    Reply
  3. Mortgage Free Mike says

    March 18, 2014 at 9:35 AM

    Love this list.

    Where do you find low-priced quinoa? I find it to be rather expensive, but its benefits are worth the price.

    Nothing is cheaper that the old standby, rice!

    Reply
  4. Bryce @ Save and Conquer says

    March 19, 2014 at 3:08 PM

    Good tips. My number one tip, that I didn’t see in your article, is to always have a written list before going shopping, and don’t deviate much from the list. Grocery stores are expert at displaying their money makers in special displays, or at the very least at eye level. The things I typically buy are often on the lowest or highest shelves. As long as I just keep working off my list, I keep on budget.

    Reply
  5. Marvin says

    March 19, 2014 at 6:55 PM

    We save on meat by trolling through the local grocery stores and stocking up when they have deals. We bought one of those Food Savers, so we just vacuum seal the meat and throw it in the freezer.

    Reply
  6. Carlos @ TheFrugalWeds says

    March 20, 2014 at 12:28 AM

    Having a list is a must to avoid purchasing items that are bad for you or items you will waste. We love quinoa for its versatility as well.
    We also use brown rice which is healthy and generally cheaper than quinoa. Last thing, buying dry beans as you can get much more than buying canned.

    Reply
  7. John C @ Action Economics says

    March 28, 2014 at 9:14 AM

    One thing that has saved me a lot of money is using the grocery stores reward program. At my local grocery store, they have an online coupon and rewards program that saves me about $30 a month. I also travel a lot for work and several grocery stores (I think Food Lion comes to mind first) offer huge discounts to those who use their free discount card.

    Reply
  8. Jean McRae says

    July 24, 2015 at 9:34 AM

    Having a list is a must to avoid purchasing items. Which brand I should buy

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Decreasing Your Grocery Bill | Money Management says:
    March 18, 2014 at 1:18 PM

    […] total grocery expenditure would be by buying groceries for the week. This one of the more important ways to save money on your grocery bill and is a huge step in the right direction. But there are many other ways to decrease your grocery […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.



Create your own blog in 20 minutes and $20

Personal Capital, a free tool to change your financial health today

I use and suggest Upstart, for your personal loan need

CreditKarma, a free tool to check your credit scorey

I use Coinbase, for my crypto investments

101 Cents at a Time

101 Ways to Earn Extra Money on the Side
201 Frugal and Perfect Birthday Gifts
101 Ways to Save Money Everyday
101 Ways to be Better and Successful at Work
101 Ways to Save Environment and Energy
101 Frugal and Romantic Anniversary Ideas
101 Low-Cost Men's Fashion Ideas
101 Personal Finance Tips
101 Ways to Reuse Household Stuff
101 Things to Do, When Nothing to Do
101 College Graduation Gift Ideas
100 Tips for Ecommerce Startup
101 Ways to Enjoy Indoor During Winter
101 Ways to Beat Procrastination

Popular Posts

Quick Cash - How to make $100 legally, in a day
Living well on less than $15,000 a Year
Top survey sites for side income
What to do when auto repair goes wrong
Where should I invest my money now?
20 Ways to be productive and happy at work
51 Ways to get out of debt
Be a better person in 15 days, 15 ways
Income ideas for retirees and senior citizens
51 side jobs for college students
Urgently need a large amount of money?
Should I buy or should I rent?
Best Personal loan providers
25 Ways to save environment
25 DIY car repairs to save money
How to decorate office cubicle
How to show your wife you care
50 Financial Rules for Success
51 Frugal weekend family activity ideas
Become Rich By Saving 1 Hour Of Daily Wage
How much do I need to save for retirement?
How to negotiate your salary

Follow us on FaceBook

About Author

SB

Blogger by choice and IT manager by profession. Finance is my passion and gardening is my greatest satisfaction. Born in India, settled in US, Husband and a father. I created this blog in 2011 with a vision to help others. Thanks for your patronage. More info on my "about" page.

View all posts


Subscribe

Join our community of 5000+ subscribers to increase net worth and build wealth

Advertisements

Personal Stories

How I got a new HP computer replaced
Was COVID circulating in USA in fall of 2019?
How my credit score went up 800+
Why I didn’t invest in Bitcoins
How I controlled impulses to buy things
Why this blog is named One Cent at a Time

Subscribe via Email

Site Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in this web site are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Read full Affiliate disclosure


One Cent at a Time is published by SB. The opinions expressed herein by him are his own and not those of his employer or anyone else. All content on One Cent at a Time is for entertainment purposes only. By reading this blog, you agree that SB and/or One Cent at a Time is not responsible for any actions taken after reading this blog. For the full disclaimer, click here .

Major Media Mention

One Cent at a Time Media Appearances

Copyright © 2023 One Cent At A Time · Designed by Nuts and Bolts Media