With the economy the way it is these days, people are always looking for ways to save money, including our family. You know, we constantly struggle with ways to pinch a penny at the grocery store. Does it really save money to skimp on produce? Or, are you better off buying a lot of produce and hoping it doesn’t go bad?

It just donned on me the other day that  if my family decides to eat less meat that we will actually save a lot of money. We’ll eat healthier too. I’d say we usually spend $125-150 per week on groceries, for a family of 4. Recently, we went on a full shopping trip and we bought a lot of produce and not a lot of meat. We walked out of the store spending a mere $97.00, saving us upwards of $40-50!

The plan:

There are  7 days in a week.

4 days we can still eat beef, pork, chicken, etc.

1 day  we will eat tofu (it costs under $2.00 for a 1 lb. package at our local store)

1 day we will eat canned tuna, crab or chicken

1 day we will eat pure vegetarian (using beans as our protein)

If you are used to spending $4-5/lb. on chicken, beef and pork, you will be saving up to $20+ per week! Not bad, eh?

*Don’t like canned meat or tofu?  Eat beans instead or step outside the box a little and try some new recipes with tofu and canned products. There are actually a lot of great recipes for canned meats and tofu. It takes a while to get used to new foods sometimes, but you could potentially shave $100 or more off your grocery bill per month!

As summer is drawing closer, be sure to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables (cheaper is better if you’re on a budget) and if you have the time, plant a garden. You can save a ton of money by doing so. If you have extra produce at the end of the growing season, you could always sell some at a local farmers market for some added pocket change.

The bottom line is that you CAN save a nice amount of money on groceries if you have a plan. Buy fresh vegetables and fruits and cut back on the meat!

A couple of years ago, we never paid attention to prices of things (at all, really). We didn’t have kids and we just didn’t really have any concern for where our grocery money was going. This has all changed tremendously since we had our children. We would love to share with you our tips on saving money at the grocery store.

1. Pay attention to sales! ALWAYS look at your weekly grocery store ads. Don’t just look at the store that you prefer either, because their competitors usually have something up their sleeves to get you to come in. I suggest looking to see which store has more things on sale that you already need. Go to the store that has only a few things that you need on sale first, then go the other store for the majority of your shopping.
2. Before you go, write a grocery list of things you need. Keep an open mind about some items, in case you see any deals that were not advertised.
3. Keep an eye out for clearance/reduced items. This is another key reason why you should keep an open mind. For example, say that you want to get some frozen garlic bread to accompany a pasta dinner you are going to make. If you see some day-old bread on the clearance rack that is less than half the price of the frozen bread, grab it!
4. Use coupons. I am sure you have heard this before, but ONLY use coupons for things you would have bought anyways. Coupons can actually bring you a great savings, especially if there are no generic options for the items.
5. Buy generic (or at least what is on sale)! Really compare prices (even if you are bad at math, like myself), a lot of times the stores will have a price per ounce listed on the shelf’s price sticker. Lower means cheaper.
6. Stock up when you find a good deal. Even though it might seem like you are paying a lot up front, you are saving money in the long run. Just resist the temptation to buy things that you don’t need in lieu of your savings!

If you have any more suggestions, feel free to add them! You can also check out this tip, specifically about saving money on chicken. We hope this helps you to save some money at the grocery store, your piggy bank will thank you!