Saving money at the grocery store is something everyone is looking to do lately. Inflation spares nobody, and food has been no exception.

One of the biggest monthly expenses for families was already their grocery bill. And recent price increases are easily enough to put a family under water for the month.

We are here to provides some tips and tricks to help you stick with your grocery budget.

Make a List...and Stick To It!

Making a list for the store is easy. Only buying the things you put on that list...not so much. While shopping, you can't let your eyes (Or your stomach!) wander.

Sure, there may be a great deal on Oreos. But, a few great deals and you're staring at a massive bill when you walk out the door.

Sticking to your list will help avoid any unexpected expenses.

Make a Weekly Meal Plan Ahead of Time

Meal planning goes hand in hand with making your list. Plan your meals for the week, add the ingredients to your list, and go into the store with a rock solid plan AND a rock solid budget.

Not only that, but it also makes scheduling easier for the week. No need to think about what's for dinner each day. Just look at your meal plan and execute.

Take Advantage of Grocery Pickups

Many grocery stores offer pickup services where you shop online and pickup your items without stepping foot in the store. These options are super convenient, but also offer a great advantage for budgeting:

You can see your total as you shop!

With every item that you add to your cart, you see your total rise. Set your budget amount and add your items to the cart. If you are under your budget, GREAT! If not, go through and remove any unnecessary items to get yourself under budget.

This also helps you stick to your list as you can search for each specific item, which makes it harder to add extra items while you are browsing.

Sign Up for Reward Programs

This one is pretty straightforward, but signing up for reward programs is one of the easiest ways to save money. They offer exclusive deals that you wouldn't get otherwise. They are free to sign up for. So, there is no reason not to sign up for as many as you can.

Many programs also offer other benefits like cheaper gas prices and free turkeys at Thanksgiving. These are just added benefits that will help your budget elsewhere too.

Buy Store Brand Products

Grocery stores normally offer their own brand of many products. These are almost always cheaper than the name brand and, the quality isn't much different either. (Paper products might be an exception. The napkins can be super thin!)

We've started buying Great Value brand products for almost everything. It is much cheaper and a lot of times we even like it better than name brands.

Check Prices at Other Stores

Don't just shop at your "normal place", or the closest one to your house. Expand your search for cheaper prices. Taking a trip to other stores could come up with cheaper results.

Take your most recent grocery bill and compare prices. You never know, switching stores could end up saving you more than you think. (We shop at Walmart. No judgement where you get your groceries from!)

You could even buy items from multiple stores. Buy your meat at one store, your produce at another, and the rest of your groceries at a third. This is a little harder when you have kids. But if it's what's needed to stay under budget, then it's an option.

Shop Wholesale Clubs

Wholesale Clubs (Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's) require a membership to get in, but they offer prices that are much better than grocery stores. These trips are usually a higher up front cost (you are buying larger quantities). But, overall the per item price is considerably cheaper.

Items that you eat/use a lot of are much better off bought from wholesale stores. Just make sure you buy items that won't go bad before you can eat them. Otherwise, you are just wasting more than saving.

Use Cash Back Apps

There are loads of cash back apps out there. You can check out our list of the Best Cash Back Apps. Just scan your receipt or apply some coupons and get cash back instantly. This isn't going to offer a lot of savings most times, but it's not out of the question that these could be a difference maker.

And speaking of coupons...

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons!

Gone are the days of weeding through the coupons and ads in the Sunday paper (although you can still do that if you want!). Coupons have gone digital now and you should always take advantage of these offers. It is one of the easiest ways to save money. We even have a Coupon Page where you can find the latest coupons to print and use on your next trip!

There is just one caveat to using coupons! And that is not to buy anything just because there is a coupon for it! Stick with your list here still and use a coupon for any items you are buying. But DON'T go out of your way to purchase an item just because you find a coupon for it!

Final Thoughts

There you have it! These are some of the things we do or have done to try and lower our grocery bill each month. Try them out and see what works best for you.

Do you have anything you do to stick to your budget when grocery shopping? We would love to hear about them! Leave a comment below and let us know what has helped you survive as a Paycheck 2 Paycheck Parent!