Make Your Grocery Money Go Further
Simple tips for spending less at the grocery store—from planning meals and comparing prices to shopping sales and making the most of what you already have.
A Better Way to Shop for Groceries
How to Plan Grocery Spending When Your Food Costs Change Each Week
If your grocery bill seems different every time you go to the store, you're not imagining it. One week you spend $85. The next week it's $130. Then you somehow get through the following week for $72. It can make budgeting for groceries feel pointless. But your grocery...
The Difference Between a Cheap Grocery Trip and a Well-Budgeted One
A cheap grocery trip can feel like a win. You walk out of the store having spent $60 instead of $100, and it seems like you've done everything right. But then a few days later, you're back at the store buying the food you actually needed. Now you've spent $60, then...
How to Account for Snacks, Drinks, and Other “Small” Grocery Expenses
When people try to create a grocery budget, they usually think about the big stuff first. Meat. Vegetables. Bread. Milk. Rice. Pasta. Maybe a few dinners for the week. Then there are the little things. A bottle of soda. A bag of chips. A couple of protein bars. A...
How to Budget for Special Meals Without Blowing Your Grocery Plan
Special meals have a way of making a normal grocery budget disappear. A birthday dinner, holiday meal, family gathering, game-day spread, or even a weekend dinner you've been looking forward to can cost much more than your usual meals. And that's okay. The problem...
How to Spot a Truly Good Grocery Deal
A big sale sign doesn't always mean you're getting a good deal. Grocery stores are designed to make discounts stand out. You might see "SAVE $2," "50% OFF," "LOW PRICE," or "BUY ONE, GET ONE" and immediately assume you're spending less. Sometimes you are. Sometimes...
How to Avoid Buying More Just Because Something Is on Sale
A sale can make a grocery store feel like a place where you're supposed to stock up. You walk in for a carton of eggs and notice that cereal is half price. Then there's a deal on pasta. The coffee you like is discounted too. Suddenly, your $50 grocery trip is looking...
Seasonal Grocery Sales: What to Buy and When
Grocery prices don't stay the same throughout the year. Some foods become more affordable when they're in season. Others tend to see promotions around holidays, sporting events, grilling season, or other times when shoppers are buying more of them. That doesn't mean...
The Best Foods to Buy When They Hit Their Lowest Prices
Grocery prices are annoying enough without paying the highest price for something you know you're going to buy anyway. The good news is that a lot of foods follow pretty predictable price cycles. If you know when certain things tend to get marked down, you can stock...
The Hidden Costs of Buying Groceries in Bulk
Buying groceries in bulk can feel like the responsible thing to do. The package is bigger. The price per ounce is lower. You don't have to buy the same item again next week. On paper, it looks like an easy win. But bulk buying has costs that don't always show up on...
Which Pantry Staples Are Usually Worth Buying in Bulk?
Buying pantry staples in bulk can be one of the easier ways to lower your grocery costs. Unlike fresh foods, many pantry items can sit around for weeks or months without becoming a problem. That gives you more time to use them and makes a lower bulk price more useful....
How to Build a Budget-Friendly Pantry From Scratch
Building a pantry from scratch can get expensive fast. You walk into the grocery store thinking you're just picking up a few basics, and suddenly you're looking at flour, rice, spices, canned goods, oils, sauces and everything else you think a properly stocked kitchen...
Pantry Staples That Can Turn Into Multiple Affordable Meals
A good pantry doesn't need to be packed with dozens of ingredients. In fact, the most useful pantry staples are often the boring ones. Rice. Pasta. Beans. Canned tomatoes. Oats. Flour. They don't look like much sitting on a shelf, but they can become the starting...