• Instead of shopping at a high-end grocery store like Whole Foods, Erewhon Market, or Harris Teeter, switch to one that has more affordable food prices.¹e.g. Food 4 Less, Aldi, Grocery Outlet, Market Basket, Giant Eagle, etc.

• Join a wholesale club if buying in bulk makes sense for you because you have a large family, for example, and will shop at the warehouse store frequently enough to make up for the membership fee while also using all of what you buy so money isn’t wasted by spoilage or lack of usage.²e.g. Costco, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Sam’s Club, etc.

• Do your grocery shopping on Wednesday or Thursday, which is when many stores restock their shelves and discount items that didn’t sell from the previous week.³Experts say that bread, snacks, and beer are also likely to be put on sale during these restock days.

• Check the weekly circular for promotions and coupons⁣.

• Check the weekly circular to compare prices between competing grocery stores to see who has the best sales and coupons for the items you’re looking for.

• Consider splitting your shopping between different grocery stores to optimize savings when necessary.

• Download a grocery store’s mobile app and browse it for digital coupons and other discounts.

• Use third-party apps that offer coupons or cash back rewards for buying groceries.⁴e.g. Ibotta, Checkout 51, SnipSnap, Coupons.com, Rakuten, SavingStar, Coupon Sherpa, etc.

• Sign up for store loyalty programs to receive exclusive discounts, points, and credit card bonus rewards.

• Pay for your groceries with a credit card that allows you to earn cash back, points, or miles that can offset your grocery bill by helping you save money in other areas.

• Instead of using a credit or debit card that makes it easy to make unplanned purchases, determine how much you want to spend on groceries and go to the store with only that amount of cash to force yourself to stick to your budget.

• Order your groceries online and pick them up curbside or have them delivered to eliminate in-store temptations.

• Buy the store brand of grains, rice, beans, and nuts, in addition to staples like sugar, salt, and baking soda⁣.

• Rather than paying for the convenience of pre-packaged items like shredded cheese and pre-cut veggies, for example, buy whole items and process them yourself⁣.

• Buy dry goods in bulk⁣.

• Pick items that are higher or lower on the shelves than those that are at eye level, which is where more expensive brands are placed so they’re more prominent.

• Buy fresh fruits and veggies in season⁣.⁵Fall: acorn squash, artichoke, bittermelon, broccoli, butternut squash, cactus pears, cauliflower, garlic, gooseberries, grapes, guava, mushrooms, olives, passion fruit, persimmon, pineapples, pomegranates, pumpkins, purple sweet potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, turnip greens, turnips, etc.

Winter: butternut squash, cactus pears, clementines, collard greens, dates, kale, kiwi, kumquat, leeks, oranges, papaya, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, purple sweet potatoes, star apples, sweet potatoes, tangerines, etc.

Spring: apples, apricots, asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, collard greens, garlic, kale, kiwi, lemons, lettuce, limes, mushrooms, onions, peas, pineapples, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, Swiss chard, turnips, etc.

Summer: apricots, Asian pears, beets, bell peppers, bok choy, cactus, cantaloupe, cherries, cucumbers, durian, figs, grape tomatoes, green beans, honeydew melon, jackfruit, jalapeño peppers, key limes, lima beans, longan, lychee, nectarines, okra, passion fruit, peaches, peas, plums, radishes, raspberries, spinach, strawberries, sugar apples, summer squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini, etc.

• Buy fruit, veggies, and fish frozen⁣.

• Buy cheaper cuts of meat, like chicken thighs as opposed to chicken breasts or beef chuck instead of sirloin⁣.

• Buy fresh meat on sale and freeze it.⁣

• Buy meat extenders to bulk up meals so less of the more pricier meat is needed.⁶e.g. mushrooms, lentils, chia seeds, etc.

• Go meatless for a meal once or twice a week to save money by not having to buy as much animal protein.

• Shop the clearance section for items that the store has marked down considerably to avoid waste or make space for new products.⁷What’s often on clearance isn’t old food but stuff that the store has excess inventory of because the product isn’t selling well or they ordered too much of it. Damaged packaging that doesn’t affect the food quality and discontinuation of a product are also reasons why the cost of an item may be heavily reduced. Seasonal and perishable items are also subject to clearance to get rid of them before they expire.

• Compare the unit price of similar items to determine which product provides the best value for your money.⁸This information is usually available on the shelf but if it isn’t, you can easily calculate it by dividing the cost by the weight or volume of the product.

For example, if Brand A’s bottle of hot sauce is $3.99 and comes in a 14 oz container ($0.29 per ounce) and Brand B’s hot sauce is $4.49 and comes in a 32 oz container ($0.14 per ounce), the 32 oz container is the better value though it has a higher total cost.

• Use your phone’s calculator to keep a running total of your groceries as you shop to avoid surprises at checkout.

• Bring your own reusable bags to certain retailers and receive a discount at checkout for each one that’s used.⁹e.g. Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Ralphs, Food land, etc.