It’s hard to control the cost of some monthly bills and expenses. Other than telling my kids, “Shut the front door! We are not paying to heat the outdoors!”, there’s not much I can do to lower the price of the heating bill in the winter. And while I can’t totally control the grocery prices, this is one area of the budget that I feel like I have a little more control over and I like to find ways to keep the grocery bill as low as I can each week. Here are a few tips and tricks that I have learned about how to save money on groceries.

Write a list and stick to it

One of the easiest and most helpful ways to save on your grocery budget is to make a list of the items you need (and stick to it when you are in the store). When I make my weekly menu plan, I make a list of all the ingredients I need to make those recipes. I double check the items I have in my fridge and pantry to make sure I don’t buy something I already have on hand.

Use a grocery list app

I use a grocery list app that has made my life so much easier. I can add items to it whenever I think of them and there’s no more forgetting the grocery list at home because I always have my phone with me. The app is called Grocery IQ and here are a few things I love about it:

• All of your items are sorted by each section or aisle in the store. Dairy, produce, meats, canned goods, etc. You just enter your items on your list and the app automatically sorts them for you.
• As you are shopping in the store and putting items into your cart, you can “cross the item off your list”. You just check the little box next to the item and it moves it down into the “purchased” section.
• You can have lists for as many stores as you want. I currently have lists for 3 of my favorite stores that I shop at. I have certain items that I buy at each store and so I can keep each list separate for my weekly shopping trips.

Get to know your prices

It is very helpful to know the regular non-sale prices on the groceries you buy on a regular basis. That way if an item is on sale at any of the stores you shop at, you will know if it’s a good deal and if you should stock up on it.

Make a menu plan

Creating a menu plan for your meals will save you both time and money. Not only will you have a list of meals to refer to when you’re trying to figure out what to make for dinner, you will also be more likely to make a grocery list and only buy the items you need.

For tips on how to create a menu plan and how it can save you money, check out my posts:

Weekly Menu Planning

How to save money with meal planning

Stock up during sales

If you have certain items that you use all the time, the best way to buy them is when they are on sale and stock up! Why pay full price if you don’t have to? This works great for toiletries, laundry soap, canned goods, pasta, etc., but if you have an extra freezer then you can stock up on perishable items too. Whenever I see butter on sale for $2.50 or less, I stock up and put it in my freezer. Cheese lasts a long time just in the fridge and whenever our favorite local brand is on sale I buy a few extra blocks. Know your limits though. Don’t go broke buying something just because it’s on sale. You know how often you use something and you will start to learn how often certain items go on sale in your local stores.

I have a funny little story about stocking up. My husband and I had been married a couple of years and I was really getting into using coupons and stocking up on items when they were on sale. The brand of deodorant he uses had gone on sale a few times and I also had coupons for it, so I bought a few extra sticks. Apparently I had done this a few more times than was necessary because he came to me one day and said, “Honey, I know you love me and don’t want me to stink, but do I really need 6 sticks of deodorant?” Haha, I learned that deodorant does actually last a while and I didn’t need to be quite so exuberant when it was on sale.

For more tips on saving on groceries check out my post A few more ways to save on groceries