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The average American household spends about $270 a week on groceries, or a little over $1,000 a month, according to HelpAdvisor’s analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau. However, the exact amount depends on several factors, such as family size and location. Families with kids tend to spend closer to $331 a week — roughly $1,300 a month — on groceries.
In some places, like California and Nevada, grocery costs are even higher. In others, such as certain Midwestern states, they’re slightly lower.
Averages aside, if you’re trying to keep your household grocery bill low — say, to $250 or less a week — there are some things you can do. Here’s what Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst with DealNews, and David Bakke, a shopping and personal finance expert at DollarSanity, suggested.
Plan Around the Sales
Planning out your meals is one way to save money on food, as it can limit the need to go out to eat. It can also help prevent impulse purchases, provided you stick to whatever grocery list you bring with you.
But you can take it one step further by meal planning around current sales. “This is one of the easiest things you can do but it does require some time to go through sales ads and figure out what sounds most appealing to you, plus coming up with recipes to use the items for,” Ramhold said.
“If you have a repertoire of recipes you can easily pick up and cook, then meal planning around the sales ads should be easier in general,” she explained. “If not, you may want to take a look at the ad and then hunt for recipes for any ingredients you may not be familiar with to find something that sounds interesting.”
Sometimes, you can even find discounts on items that are close to their expiration date. This is because stores often want to get rid of these things before they go bad.
Look For Alternative Ingredients
Another way to keep your grocery bill low is to be flexible and willing to use alternatives.
“When meal planning, you may find just what you need on sale one week to make your favorite dish, but you should have a backup plan just in case. Whether an item is sold out, the price changes or you just don’t like the look of an ingredient, it’s helpful to have alternative ideas so that you can still shop efficiently without panicking over a sudden lack of a plan,” Ramhold said. “If you have something to fall back on, you can easily switch gears and shop for that meal (or meals) instead of giving up and just buying whatever sounds good at the moment.”
Shop Generic Everything (If Possible)
Generic goods are often cheaper than name-brand ones, making them a good way to save money on your shopping trip.
“If you aren’t already shopping for generics, then the odds are good you’re spending more money when you don’t have to. Generics these days are often just as good as name-brands, and in some cases they’re even better,” Ramhold said. “If you have been shopping for generics, take a look at your usuals to see if there’s anything else you can try a generic swap for.”
But don’t worry too much if you find a generic option that you don’t like. It happens, but that’s what the savings from your other generic goods are for. You can stick with non-name-brand goods as much as possible while splurging here and there on what you really enjoy.
Be careful about buying generic medication, though. While many generic options are just as effective, you’ll want to consult your primary doctor for any prescriptions you take.
Get Some Groceries in Bulk
It doesn’t always make sense to buy groceries in bulk, but there are times when doing so can truly save you money.
“If your grocer offers $1 off each bottle of ranch dressing if you buy five and you use a lot of it, go ahead and make the purchase. You’re going to use it regardless,” Bakke said. “If Costco has a 50-pound bag of potatoes on sale for a ridiculous price and there’s no way you’ll consume all of those spuds before they expire, pass. That’s wasted money.”
Stock Up on Nonperishables
Similarly, you can stock up on nonperishable items like paper products. This is especially handy if you or someone you know has a warehouse club membership — say, one to Costco.
“For instance, stocking up on things like paper products, including toilet paper and facial tissue in bulk, can ensure you don’t have to worry about picking up those items at the grocery store every week,” Ramhold said. “In fact, depending on your household size, you may be able to get away with purchasing these kinds of things once or twice a year, and because the bulk buying takes care of those, that frees up more funds in your budget on other weeks to put towards actual groceries.”
With fewer runs to the grocery store, you can also reduce the amount of impulse purchases you make.
Use QR Codes and Similar Savings Opportunities
Many major grocery stores offer loyalty programs that automatically apply discounts to certain in-store or online purchases. If you use a cash-back credit or debit card, you can also earn rewards and later redeem them for extra cash or savings.
Another way to save money is to use QR codes. “My grocer, Kroger, recently started offering QR codes for additional savings,” Bakke said. “You scan the code and once you check in and check out with your rewards account, the discounts are applied. This is new to me but once I started doing it I’ve saved a bundle.”
Make Multiple Recipes Using the Same Ingredients
Whenever you find sales on ingredients you know you can use across multiple meals, take advantage of those too.
“If you can save a ton by buying [several] pounds of ground beef but you don’t need it immediately, take the discount but make a plan in order to use it soon,” Bakke said. “If you need to buy almond flour for a particular recipe but only need a certain amount of it, make sure you have a backup recipe so the excess doesn’t go to waste. You can save a bundle on groceries, but at times you need to be creative about future meal plans in order for the savings to be realized.”
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