You can save an enormous amount of money by always buying whole chickens instead of separated breasts or thighs, for example, but that can take a lot of work.

Individually, none of them will represent an enormous swing in your financial favor. But over time, these changes will add up. There you have it — a pain-free method for reducing your grocery bill.

All you need to do is make a few slight alterations to your usual routine and never forget why you started to read this guide in the first place: because you have plans. Not really. Never forget that Big Something, especially when the going gets tough and that steak burrito is calling your name.

You have plans. Good luck! Ready to tackle another budget category? Or maybe you'd prefer to take a step back and consult with a free budgeting specialist? Debt repayment programs and information. Consolidation without a loan. Today is the day we conquer your debt.

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And it all begins with eating out. and I pledge that I will do it less often. This number represents your RMPM — Restaurant Meals Per Month. Pantry Days Occasionally, you should plan on skipping the grocery store altogether and instead make meals percent based on the food you already have.

What does this all mean in numbers? Take your time. Be patient with yourself. Celebrate the little wins and remember the big picture. Step 3 — Grocery Game Theory The best grocery gamers can do two things very well: they can plan meals and they can execute those plans.

But is that enough? Because here comes the final step. Prepare to be mildly inconvenienced. Step 4 —Cutting the cost of convenience We are constantly paying for convenience.

Bring Balance To Your Budget. If the ends don't quite meet, we can help show you how to make your life affordable. Financial counseling is free and available anytime. What's next? Upcoming educational webinars Visit our blog Learn about our services.

Ready for more? Begin online debt analysis. See how much you can save by consolidating your debt with MMI. Take the next step. Begin on the phone.

Give us a call and we will walk you through the process. Browse our guides. Reduce spending in every budget category! Learn More. MMI is a proud member of the Financial Counseling Association of America FCAA , a national association representing financial counseling companies that provide consumer credit counseling, housing counseling, student loan counseling, bankruptcy counseling, debt management, and various financial education services.

Since , Trustpilot has received over million customer reviews for nearly , different websites and businesses. See what others are saying about the work we do. MMI is certified by the U. Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD to provide consumer housing counseling.

The mission of HUD is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD provides support services directly and through approved, local agencies like MMI. If you buy groceries online, the Chase Sapphire Preferred may be a great option.

It offers 3X points on online grocery purchases excluding Target®, Walmart® and wholesale clubs , along with discounts and credits on Instacart. This means you'll effectively earn 3. You could potentially get even greater value if you take advantage of Chase's various airline and hotel transfer partners to book trips.

Read our Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card review. Most grocery stores offer loyalty programs that are free to join. By signing up, you can benefit from member-only discounts that automatically deduct at checkout — without the need to clip coupons. After you've signed up for your favorite grocery store's loyalty program, maximize your savings by clipping coupons for additional discounts.

Look out for the weekly circular in the mail and sift through the pages for deals that matter to you. Cut out any coupons and save them for your next grocery run. There are also digital options that are just as easy to use, if not easier. Download your favorite grocery store's mobile app, browse available discounts and click to load coupons onto your digital loyalty card.

Then when you checkout in-store, the discounts will automatically be applied. Wholesale clubs like Costco can help you rack up savings for buying in bulk. If you have a large family, joining a wholesale club can be a good idea. This may not be an option depending on your cash flow.

Also, note that clubs come with membership fees. The cost can be worthwhile if you frequently stock up on items. Plus you can optimize savings by using the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi which has no annual fee, but requires an active Costco membership.

Read our review of the Costco Anywhere Visa Card. You may also want to consider eating first or leaving the kids at home to avoid spur-of-the-moment items. Supermarkets are always running various promotions that can help you save on everything from staples, like milk and eggs, to sweets, like ice cream and cookies.

Consider buying items on sale whenever possible, especially if the cost is normally high. Sale items are often displayed in prominent locations throughout the store, such as at the entrance and ends of the aisles. While buying pre-cut veggies or pre-shredded cheese can save you time while cooking, stores often charge more for the convenience.

Opt for whole items, like fresh or frozen veggies and block cheese, to save money. If you live near various grocery stores, consider shopping at a few and comparing prices.

You can learn which store has the items you need for less and also look at the sales they run. If you currently shop at a high-end grocery store, consider switching to a store that's known for more affordable food prices like Walmart, Aldi or Trader Joe's.

Supermarkets put costly, name-brand items at eye level, which can tempt you to spend more money on high-cost items. Next time you go shopping, opt for a generic brand to save money. If you bring reusable shopping bags to the store, you can often receive a discount on your order total.

Depending on your city and state, stores like Target and Whole Foods Market can give you up to a cent discount per bag you bring. There are a handful of rebate apps, such as Ibotta and Rakuten , that give you cash back for buying groceries. You can register for free with one of these services to save more on top of loyalty benefits and credit card rewards.

Depending on the app, you may need to link a loyalty card or submit receipts to receive a rebate. While inflation is slowing down, grocery prices continue to be high as a result of supply chain shortages and post-pandemic consumer demand.

Aldi is the most budget-friendly grocery store in America, according to a February study by Marketforce. Aldi is in 39 states and will be the country's 3rd largest grocery retailer by the end of Check out the USDA's Official Food Plans for more tailored information. Traditional Medicare does not offer a grocery allowance.

However, some Medicare Advantage plans, like some Special Needs Plans SNPs , do. Reach out to your provider to understand your benefits. Groceries can take up a sizeable portion of your budget, especially in times of high inflation. Fortunately, by maximizing discounts and other opportunities to save, you can offset these costs.

It also helps if you have a credit card that earns a high rewards rate on grocery purchases. Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox.

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The savings can add up each trip and help offset the increased cost of groceries. Here are 11 tips you can follow to save money on your next grocery run. 1 I'm talking about Aldi, Market Basket, WinCo Foods, Food 4 Less, Costco, Walmart and Trader Joe's. But don't get too comfy at just one of those 1. Find alternative protein sources. · 2. Frequent low-cost grocers. · 3. Plan before you shop. · 4. Use a store loyalty card. · 5. Utilize shopping

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Reduced-cost grocery savings - A good motivator to decrease your grocery spending can be rewarding yourself for a job well done. This can be as small as an occasional trip to The savings can add up each trip and help offset the increased cost of groceries. Here are 11 tips you can follow to save money on your next grocery run. 1 I'm talking about Aldi, Market Basket, WinCo Foods, Food 4 Less, Costco, Walmart and Trader Joe's. But don't get too comfy at just one of those 1. Find alternative protein sources. · 2. Frequent low-cost grocers. · 3. Plan before you shop. · 4. Use a store loyalty card. · 5. Utilize shopping

The right supermarket shopping strategies can help you keep costs down. Some shoppers head to the grocery store without taking inventory of what they already have at home. Before you buy one too many loaves of bread or gallons of milk, check your refrigerator and pantry.

It helps to limit your trips to the store, too, according to Steve and Annette Economides of MoneySmartFamily. About those impulse buys: Using a grocery list and sticking to it can help fight the urge to spend more than you'd planned.

Consider shopping alone so you can get in and out quickly, without kids lobbying for items not on the list or in your budget. You should actively assess the prices of the items you buy on a regular basis so you know when to pounce on a deal or pass. Pay attention to prices at more than one local store to learn where deals on certain products are better.

Subscribing to the Sunday paper is worth your investment, says Kurt Jetta, founder of retail and consumer analytics firm TABS Analytics. He says paper circulars are rife with grocery deals like buy one, get one free. Look in the paper for coupons that apply to the items you know you'll be buying.

But be leery of promotions that have too many conditions or are difficult to redeem, Jetta says. Offers like "buy one, get one half off" may encourage you to spend more and buy more than you need or can use.

Check your mail for grocery store coupons. Online grocery services and subscriptions are convenient, but they can also be costly.

Additionally, some grocery orders at Amazon are fulfilled by third-party sellers. These could carry shipping costs, which add to your bill. Your burn rate refers to how frequently you use up products, say Steve and Annette Economides. They recommend figuring out how long certain products last you, then stocking up on deals accordingly.

If you have room in your freezer to buy a few extra sale-priced chickens, go for it. You probably already have a favorite potato chip or a top pick in laundry detergent, so use your brand loyalty to your advantage.

Follow your favorite brands on social media or sign up for their mailing lists. Tide laundry detergent deals and offers are sent directly to the inboxes of email subscribers.

For some products, you can do without the brand name altogether. Check your credit cards to see if you can earn cash back or other rewards when grocery shopping. You'll need to track details like spending caps, possible annual fees and rotating categories.

To reap the best return, pay the card off in full each month rather than carrying a balance. Otherwise, interest charges may eat up your savings.

Split your purchases across multiple stores to pinpoint the best deals at each, and hone your system. Grab your meat and produce where you can find it freshest for the best price, and hit the wholesale club once a month for the things you can stock, save and use over time.

Speaking of wholesale clubs , they sell food in bulk at low costs per unit, which is especially appealing for large families. Be prepared to spend more at the outset as you invest in large quantities.

If you do, check out their gas price perks, too. The price per unit ounce, pound, gram, etc. of different packages is often printed on the pricing display near the product.

You also can use a unit price calculator to determine the cost per unit. The information is helpful since some stores sell identical products in different sizes.

Warehouse clubs, dollar stores, discounters and big-box stores are all options for saving on groceries:. Just about every store will give you a refund or exchange the store brand for the national brand. Impulse buys are the enemy of your wallet. All those extra items you grab on the way to check out are like small leaks that can sink your financial ship.

You can always go the old-fashioned route and use a pen and paper. But if you prefer to go digital, there are a number of free apps that will get the job done including Out of Milk and Pantry Check.

Robin H. I scan everything before I put it into my cart and know my total before I get to checkout. We have iPhones that sync so I can send my husband with the electronic list. Read our article on budgeting with cash and how to make the envelope method work. As Clark.

Using a recipe ingredient matching site check out SuperCook. com is also a great strategy as you look for ways to save on groceries. These kinds of sites help you with meal ideas based on what you have at home and what items are on sale in a given week.

Be sure to remember the regular prices of the 10 most common items you buy at the grocery store. That can help you identify sales cycles. Facebook poster Kathy W. Loss leaders are the items advertised on the front of the supermarket sales circular.

With a little meal planning savvy, this is a great way to save big money on your grocery shopping! Not sure what unit pricing is? Which is a better value? Not so fast. The count package may have a unit price of 70 cents per napkin, but the count package might have a unit price of 67 cents.

In this example, the count package has a lower unit price and offers more value for your dollar. You used to have to buy copies of the Sunday newspaper to get your grocery coupons. But now the Sunday coupon circulars routinely show up in your mailbox.

Several members of Team Clark have experienced great success with cash back apps like Ibotta. By combining the use of several apps, you can really speed up your efforts to save money on groceries! Warehouse clubs can be a great place to do your shopping because of the value they offer.

And there are certain items you can buy at a warehouse club and store for later use. Products like honey, dried beans, maple syrup and rice are just a few things that are so shelf-stable that they never really expire. If you notice an error on your receipt after checking out, take it to the customer service desk and let them know.

Some grocery stores are really generous when it comes to fixing a pricing problem. Did you know you can put hundreds of dollars back in your wallet every year just by changing the plastic you use at the supermarket register?

Of course, this tip is only for those who pay off their bills in full each month. Many stores will have a dedicated rack or shelf.

Senior discounts are a dying breed of savings, but some grocery chains still offer them.