Cutting your grocery bill by 90 percent might sound weird, but it’s not completely impossible; you just need to have the right strategies.
Along with inflation, food prices keep climbing; therefore, being savvy about your grocery shopping can make a huge difference to your budget, especially if you’re trying to save money on a tight budget.
In this article, I’ve shared some of the most practical tips that can surely help you cut your grocery bill in half, even 90 percent, and most importantly, you won’t have to compromise with the quality.
Tips on How to cut grocery bill by 90 percent
So, here are some important tips that will help you to cut your grocery bill by 90 percent or at least in half.
1. Grow Your Own Vegetables
Growing your own vegetables is one of the best ways and my first choice to reduce your grocery bill by 90 percent. You can grow fresh tomatoes, lettuce, or radishes right from your garden (Backyard/Roof) instead of buying them at the grocery store.
Some of the fastest-growing veggies like lettuce, spinach, and radishes are perfect choices if you’ve got a backyard or rooftop garden.
They’re really easy to cultivate and can provide you with a lot in a short period of time. If you don’t have a big space, you can consider setting up an indoor herb garden with basil, cilantro, and parsley. When you’re growing your own food, you’ll have self-satisfaction and an excellent feeling, plus you’re saving money; it’s like cherry on top.
For many people, growing vegetables, herbs, and fruits is a fun and rewarding hobby that can transform anyone’s cooking experience and help them eat healthier and one hundred percent organic.
2. Plan Your Meals
Meal planning is another important thing when you want to cut grocery costs by 90 percent. You can make a weekly meal plan for your family that includes what you’ll cook each day and how much you’ll spend on it. Meal planning techniques will prevent you from last-minute grocery runs and impulse buys.
Simply make a grocery list and stick to it to avoid unnecessary purchases; just buy only what you need.
Moreover, you’ve to turn leftovers into new meals. It’s another way of saving money on Groceries. For example, Sometimes, when my mom cooks chicken and we can’t finish it, the next day, she turns that chicken into soup or casserole.
Therefore, I suggest meal planning and using leftovers creatively because it’ll minimize food wastage and make the most of what you buy, although there are at least 250 ways that can help save money on everything like groceries, electricity, transportation, etc.
3. Use Coupons and get Discounts
Another thing that can play a big role when saving money on groceries is discounts and coupons. You can start collecting coupons from newspapers, online sources, and store apps usually available on Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
Many stores have loyalty programs you can also sign up for to gain access to exclusive discounts and rewards. You can keep an eye on sales or promotions to buy groceries in bulk when prices are low.
Using coupons and taking advantage of discounts can help you save a significant amount on your grocery bill, especially when you see it at the end of the year.
Moreover, If you’re proactive and organized with your couponing strategy, you’ll find that you’re getting the best deals possible.
4. Buy in Bulk and Stock Up
Another smart way to save money on groceries is buying them in bulk; I’m not talking about veggies but other products that you can keep for a long time, like rice, beans, pasta, etc. You can buy them in large quantities to reduce the cost per unit.
So next time, if you find these items on sale, just buy them extra and take advantage of the lower prices.
But, you want to make sure that you store items in airtight containers because nobody likes spoilage and waste. My mother also buys groceries in bulk. Instead of a 1 kg oil bottle, she prefers a 5kg container just to save a few cents.
But she follows the same strategy with too many things, and at the end of every month, we realize, we have said many dollars, and if we see at the end of the year, we realize, oh it’s not a few dollars, but they’re hundreds of dollars. So if you’re also trying to save money, you start saving even in cents and put them in the stock market, because, in the long term, you’ll see a huge impact.
So, if you’re buying in bulk, taking advantage of sales and discounts can save you a lot and help you keep your grocery budget in check.
5. Choose Store Brands and Generic Products
You should focus on buying groceries from store brands or generic products; it’s still a simple and very effective way to save on groceries, especially when you want to cut your grocery bill in half.
Generic brands also offer similar quality to name brands at a lower cost, but sometimes they’re not clean enough as compared to name brands, for example, rice. But we have water in our home that we use to wash them again.
On the other hand, some famous brands clean the same rice and include their washing cost. My mom always buys generic products and cleans them by herself because, many times, the quality is the same.
So store brands are as good as name brands, especially when talking about quality, and, more importantly, they’re cheap. If you seriously want to save money on groceries and cut grocery bills by 90 percent, switch to store brands for your everyday items; it’ll help you reduce grocery expenses without sacrificing quality.
6. Cook at Home and Avoid Eating Out
Another effective way to cut your grocery bill by 90 percent is to stop eating out and start cooking at home. Moreover, why I prefer homemade meals because they’re much cheaper and healthier compared to dining out and eating frozen foods in restaurants, which are too expensive.
Therefore, you must cook your own meals, and it’s your choice what ingredients you want depending on portion sizes and family members. Homemade foods will provide you with better nutrition and lower costs.
Avoid eating out as much as possible; it’s not just good for your pocket but also your health; as I said, many restaurants sell frozen foods; you might be surprised to know that a study by the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) reveals over 90% of food service operators use frozen foods. You must be smart enough to know that frozen foods aren’t good for your health; they are not truly fresh.
I wholeheartedly request that you Invest time in cooking at home not just to save money but also to keep yourself healthier. You can do experiments at home, try many different recipes, and enjoy home-cooked healthy meals, which are much more nutritious than frozen foods.
7. Utilize Seasonal and Local Produce
Another effective way to save money on groceries and cut 90 percent of the bill is by buying seasonal and local produce.
Seasonal fruits and vegetables are fresher and cheaper because they’re crops at certain times of the year. When you buy seasonal vegetables and fruits from your locality, you’re not just getting cheaper and fresh items but also supporting farmers.
Therefore, you can visit local farmers and buy groceries at a cheaper price, and it’s also a great way to enjoy high-quality ingredients while saving money.
8. Use Food Storage Wisely
Another effective way to save money on groceries is proper food storage; through this technique, you can extend the life of your groceries and reduce food wastage. You can freeze leftovers and excess food to keep it from spoiling or simply don’t cook too much that you can’t finish.
I prefer using airtight containers to store dry goods and keep them fresh for a long time. By doing so, you’ll reduce food wastage and get the most out of your grocery purchases. Using your airtight container, you’re taking care of your food and maintaining the quality of your ingredients.
This food-saving technique will help you avoid unnecessary expenses when replacing spoiled grocery items.
9. Reduce Meat Consumption
Meat is costly, and usually, most people can’t also grow it at home, as it comes from animals, so you can reduce meat consumption when you want to save money on your grocery bill or especially when your aim is to cut 90 percent.
Having meatless meals, such as vegetarian or vegan recipes, is the best choice; they’ll easily cut down on costs, but nutrition is important, like rich protein; if you’re not consuming meat, you’ve to complete it through plant-based products like Soybeans, Nuts and seeds, Quinoa, Broccoli, etc. So this source of protein is a little cheaper; as I’ve said before, you can buy it in bulk, too, whenever you see discounts or get a coupon.
But I’m not saying you’ve to stop eating meat completely and be a vegan or vegetarian; you can consume that. I just want you to consume less meat and incorporate it with plant-based meals, as this technique will help you save money on groceries.
Even if you’re buying meat, you should still buy it in bulk and freeze portions to make the most of your purchase. And more importantly, don’t waste it at any cost because it’s a bit more expensive than groceries.
10. Practice Smart Shopping Techniques
You should implement some smart shopping techniques to find out the best deals and stick to your budget. For example, you can use price comparison apps and websites to check prices in different stores and find out where you’re getting the best value, especially when you want to save money on groceries online.
You can also keep a calculator handy while shopping just to track your spending and avoid impulse buying or overshooting your budget.
If you implement these simple, smart shopping strategies, you can save a lot on grocery purchases and maximize your savings on groceries.
11. Limit Processed and Convenience Foods
You should avoid processed and convenience foods because they’re usually expensive and less nutritious if we compare them with homemade options, which are nutritious and fresh.
Therefore, I suggest you stop buying pre-packaged meals or food items and simply go for cooking from scratch using basic ingredients like my mom. It’s not just an effective way to cut grocery bills by 90 percent but also keep you healthy.
So, reduce your reliance on processed foods and start home cooking, save money for the future, and enjoy meals that are better for your health and tasty as well.
12. Use Leftovers Creatively
You must creatively use leftovers and stretch your grocery budget. My mom never let leftovers go to waste; she cooks enough that we can finish it on the same day, and if we can’t, she turns it into another delicious dish.
For example, she sometimes transforms leftover roast chicken into a flavorful soup. And there are many more healthy and cheap recipes, you just have to learn how to use up all your food. It’ll help you minimize waste and get the most out of your grocery purchases.
13. Review and Adjust Your Budget Regularly
Last but not least, you can regularly review and adjust your grocery budget because it’s important to stay on track with your savings goals, like saving 90 percent on grocery bills.
Tracking your spending will help you identify areas where you can cut bills and make adjustments as needed. Periodically, if you reassess your grocery’s weekly or monthly budget, it’ll help you stay mindful of your expenses while ensuring that you’re meeting your financial goals.
So keep a close eye on your grocery budget and make necessary adjustments at least once a month, if not in a week; it’ll surely help you control your spending and continue to save money for the future.
Conclusion
Are you confused about how to cut your grocery bill by 90 percent or even if it is practically possible to achieve that goal? So yeah! Reducing your grocery bill by 90 percent is completely achievable with the right strategies and approach.
For example, growing your own vegetables, herbs, and fruits is my first recommendation; besides meals, planning is equally important. If you can take advantage of using couponing and discounts, it is like the cherry on top. Trust me, these are simple but highly effective tips to save money on grocery items.
I recommend growing groceries because of its daily essentials; for once, you can avoid fruits or herbs, especially when you’ve got a small home garden, but not vegetables.
Another simple tip you can implement to cut grocery bills by 90 percent is buying groceries in bulk, especially seasonal and local produce, and visiting a local farmers market. Besides this, you must avoid eating outside in restaurants and develop habits of cooking at home and eating healthier and fresh meals at home.
Another important thing is that please never let leftovers go to waste when you can turn them into another delicious recipe; it’s not just healthy and tasty but also an excellent way to save money on groceries.
You can implement all these money-saving tips on groceries and cut grocery bills by 90 percent or at least half. Try to implement as much as possible.
FAQs
Here are some of the most important things you need to know if you want to save money on groceries.
How can I save money on groceries without using coupons?
It’s very easy to save money on groceries. You just have to follow some simple things like planning your meals and buying groceries in bulk; seasonal fruits and vegetables are also a good choice for lower prices, and you can also opt for generic brands and avoid processed foods and eating outside.
What are some effective meal-planning strategies to reduce grocery costs?
You make a weekly meal plan and stick to your grocery list. Besides this, using leftovers creatively is also important; never waste; simply turn it into another delicious dish. You can also buy things from sales and make something you already have and cut costs.
What are the benefits of buying in bulk for grocery shopping?
The first benefit of buying groceries in bulk is that it lowers the cost per unit for non-perishable items. Moreover, some stores give discounts on large buying because the cost per unit is less for large quantities. Moreover, you won’t like spoilage and waste, so to store them properly, use an airtight container.
Is it really possible to cut the grocery bill by 90 percent?
Yes! It’s possible to cut 90 percent of your grocery bill, but you need to have some space, like a rooftop, backyard, etc, where you can grow your own vegetables and herbs; that’s my first choice for reducing the maximum cost.
Besides this, never let your food go to waste while you can turn it into another delicious dish, and you can also make a budget and stick to it.
