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9 Ways to Save Money on Groceries in 2022
The news is rather grim around food prices, and I'm sure you have already noticed that milk has gone up, meat it is almost a luxury item and the cost of basics like flour, sugar, butter and eggs seem to jump every week. Those things have had a big impact on budgets in the last two years.
We all know that the easiest way to trim the budget is to start with the grocery budget. It is the one category in our budgets that we have complete and utter control over. We decide how much we will spend and what it is spent on.
These are my top nine ways to save money on groceries in 2022. Choose to try all nine or just pick one or two you think you can manage. They'll all save you money, time and energy, but when you use them all together you'll be saving a lot of money, time and energy.
1. Shop at discount grocers. Aldi. The Reject Shop. NQR. Whatever the discount grocer in your area is. Shop store brands and generics only at the major supermarkets. But sticking to a discount supermarket, like Aldi, that has a limited range, and is a much smaller store, you'll get just about everything you need without the temptation. And the same rules apply at Aldi - avoid the middle aisle, the "Special Buys" aisle, to avoid temptation.
2. Plan your meals. I know, I harp on about this. But it saves you money. It saves you time. It saves you energy. It saves waste - and waste, even if it is composted or fed to the chooks, is money in the bin. Look at what is in your pantry and fridge and use it up. Put a whiteboard on the fridge - I use these two - to list the meals and the ingredients that need to be used up and stick to it. You will be amazed at just how easy getting dinner on the table becomes and just how much you save on food costs. Use my meal plan if you need ideas but warning: we eat fairly simple meals with lots of flavour.
3. Write your shopping list. Do this after you've meal planned and only put on it the ingredients you need. It might help to keep a running shopping list. I use the whiteboard on the fridge to keep track of what needs to be bought. You can use pen and paper or make a note on your phone - whatever works for you. Just do it!
4. Buy ingredients. Remember, ingredients give you options, so aim to always cook from scratch (it's easy) with ingredients. You will pay, and pay dearly, for convenience, to say nothing of the packaging you will need to get rid of. Buy ingredients over convenience and you'll save even more money, time and energy.
5. Plan your shopping trip to fit around when your supermarket marks down the close to date items. My local supermarket marks down every evening around 6pm. Ask if you aren't certain. Often the produce will be marked down the night before a delivery is due, meat and bakery items are done daily.
6. Learn to cook. Choose seven simple dishes and learn how to make them properly. For instance learn how to roast a chicken, make a soup, make a good pasta sauce, cook sausages, make rissoles or meatballs and make a meat or chicken pie. All simple, tasty and economical meals that can easily be made at home from scratch.
7. Go meatless one or two days a week. Now there is a push to turn the whole world off meat. I'm not advocating that at all. I have nothing against a vegetarian or vegan diet if it is for the right reason (health, faith, economy) but if someone is simply not eating meat because it's fashionable, then they are doing it for the wrong reason and most likely doing themselves harm. But not eating meat one or two days a week to use up what is left in the fridge is a good way to help keep the grocery bill down. But be sensible. Find out what you can use as meat replacements so you are still getting the iron and protein especially that you get from meat. There are a lot of trendsetting vegetarians and vegans who are simply not getting the nutrition they need because they have stopped eating meat and animal products.
8. Stretch meat. There are a lot of ways to get include meat and poultry in your diet without spending a fortune. Stretch mince with TVP or oats or rice or lentils or beans. Stretch a chicken or leg of lamb by using the bones to make broth that then becomes stock for soup or gravy or to cook rice, pasta or beans. Stretch chicken fillets by slicing them through the centre to make two. Stretch sausages by slicing them and adding to the gravy. Make meatballs smaller. And remember portion control.
9. Double-up cooking. My favourite way to cook, this will save you a lot of money. When you do a pasta sauce, double the recipe and freeze one. When you make a pie, make two and freeze one. When you make soup, double it and freeze in meal or single serves. When you bake, double the recipe and freeze half. You'll be saving time cooking, energy by only using the stove or oven once and money because you'll be using all your ingredients before they go off and you won't be buying takeaway or getting dinner delivered.
We all know that the easiest way to trim the budget is to start with the grocery budget. It is the one category in our budgets that we have complete and utter control over. We decide how much we will spend and what it is spent on.
These are my top nine ways to save money on groceries in 2022. Choose to try all nine or just pick one or two you think you can manage. They'll all save you money, time and energy, but when you use them all together you'll be saving a lot of money, time and energy.
1. Shop at discount grocers. Aldi. The Reject Shop. NQR. Whatever the discount grocer in your area is. Shop store brands and generics only at the major supermarkets. But sticking to a discount supermarket, like Aldi, that has a limited range, and is a much smaller store, you'll get just about everything you need without the temptation. And the same rules apply at Aldi - avoid the middle aisle, the "Special Buys" aisle, to avoid temptation.
2. Plan your meals. I know, I harp on about this. But it saves you money. It saves you time. It saves you energy. It saves waste - and waste, even if it is composted or fed to the chooks, is money in the bin. Look at what is in your pantry and fridge and use it up. Put a whiteboard on the fridge - I use these two - to list the meals and the ingredients that need to be used up and stick to it. You will be amazed at just how easy getting dinner on the table becomes and just how much you save on food costs. Use my meal plan if you need ideas but warning: we eat fairly simple meals with lots of flavour.
3. Write your shopping list. Do this after you've meal planned and only put on it the ingredients you need. It might help to keep a running shopping list. I use the whiteboard on the fridge to keep track of what needs to be bought. You can use pen and paper or make a note on your phone - whatever works for you. Just do it!
4. Buy ingredients. Remember, ingredients give you options, so aim to always cook from scratch (it's easy) with ingredients. You will pay, and pay dearly, for convenience, to say nothing of the packaging you will need to get rid of. Buy ingredients over convenience and you'll save even more money, time and energy.
5. Plan your shopping trip to fit around when your supermarket marks down the close to date items. My local supermarket marks down every evening around 6pm. Ask if you aren't certain. Often the produce will be marked down the night before a delivery is due, meat and bakery items are done daily.
6. Learn to cook. Choose seven simple dishes and learn how to make them properly. For instance learn how to roast a chicken, make a soup, make a good pasta sauce, cook sausages, make rissoles or meatballs and make a meat or chicken pie. All simple, tasty and economical meals that can easily be made at home from scratch.
7. Go meatless one or two days a week. Now there is a push to turn the whole world off meat. I'm not advocating that at all. I have nothing against a vegetarian or vegan diet if it is for the right reason (health, faith, economy) but if someone is simply not eating meat because it's fashionable, then they are doing it for the wrong reason and most likely doing themselves harm. But not eating meat one or two days a week to use up what is left in the fridge is a good way to help keep the grocery bill down. But be sensible. Find out what you can use as meat replacements so you are still getting the iron and protein especially that you get from meat. There are a lot of trendsetting vegetarians and vegans who are simply not getting the nutrition they need because they have stopped eating meat and animal products.
8. Stretch meat. There are a lot of ways to get include meat and poultry in your diet without spending a fortune. Stretch mince with TVP or oats or rice or lentils or beans. Stretch a chicken or leg of lamb by using the bones to make broth that then becomes stock for soup or gravy or to cook rice, pasta or beans. Stretch chicken fillets by slicing them through the centre to make two. Stretch sausages by slicing them and adding to the gravy. Make meatballs smaller. And remember portion control.
9. Double-up cooking. My favourite way to cook, this will save you a lot of money. When you do a pasta sauce, double the recipe and freeze one. When you make a pie, make two and freeze one. When you make soup, double it and freeze in meal or single serves. When you bake, double the recipe and freeze half. You'll be saving time cooking, energy by only using the stove or oven once and money because you'll be using all your ingredients before they go off and you won't be buying takeaway or getting dinner delivered.