Grocery Budget
11 Tips – Saving Money On Food When Food Prices Are Going Up

11 Tips – Saving Money On Food When Food Prices Are Going Up

With food prices going up it’s time we learn how we can get better at saving on food. There are ways to save money and it’s time we lean into these 11 tips.

grocery shopping

I hear from so many women worried about how they will feed their family on a budget when food prices are going up. We are all feeling the effects of our economy, but we can still feed our family nourishing and healthy foods. These are my best tips for saving money on food when food prices are going up.

Aldi's grocery ad sales

1. Grocery Stores Are Still Running Sales – Even With Food PRices Going Up!

We are still receiving grocery ads in the mail each week from stores running sales, even though food prices are going up. Lean into these sales, and take advantage of them by meal planning each week based on the sale items. Cook a few meals that week using the on sale produce to make a cheap meal. I mainly purchase produce each week, so I love getting more than enough when I see a produce item on sale.

Aldi's organic ketchup

2. Bulk Buy Family Staples

What foods do you eat every month that you could be purchasing in bulk? I’m thinking of foods like oats, rice, beans, bread, peanut butter, frozen blueberries, bananas, milk and cheese, butter, etc. Not everything has to be homemade to be considered cheap. I will not be making homemade ketchup, but I know I can get organic ketchup at Aldi’s for just $1.39 each, so I typically buy 12 when we’re running low. Also, when you buy food in bulk, and you’re paying a cheap price, this keeps you from running out and having to pay high prices, and we don’t want that especially with food prices going up.

Make room in your monthly budget for stocking up on staple foods when they go on sale, to save money on food. Our monthly grocery budget is $700 per month. $200-300 of that budget goes towards bulk buying foods that we’re running low on.

Another way to bulk buy foods is by contacting local farmers to see if they will sell you their produce in bulk, which will really help you save money on food. Here in California we have several farmers in the Fresno area that do just that. We are able to buy bushels of peaches, plums, and nectarines, as well as several different berries. We still have 10+ bags of sliced frozen peaches in our deep freezer to get us through the winter, and we bought them at stock-up cheap prices when everyone else is complaining of food prices going up!

homemade granola bars

3. Make Homemade Snacks

I have said many times before, snacks are budget busters. If you want to save money on food, do not buy expensive snacks. I think we like the convenience of them as a parent, and we also just want to make our kids happy. However, it’s causing our grocery budgets to explode and our kids often don’t feel hungry enough to eat their main meals. When I do purchase snacks I purchase cheap snacks like pretzels, crackers from Grocery Outlet when they’re $.99 per box or less, and I make homemade popsicles.

Great homemade snack options are:

raised garden beds

4. Plant A Garden and Grow From Seed & Plant Fruit Trees In Your Front and Backyard

Planting a garden does require an upfront cost, but it’s totally worth it in the long run to save money on food. Having a garden in the backyard is a great resource for growing your own produce. What are foods that you eat often in the summer and winter months? Grow those foods! We love to grow a variety of vegetables, and we plan on building more garden beds in the near future.

Not only should we all have some raised garden beds, but planting fruit trees is another great way to save money. We have several fruit trees in our backyard, like apricot, peach, plum, prune, fig, orange, grapefruit, lime, lemon, pomegranate, goji berry, and several herbs.

Invest in your future by growing your own produce! It’s so much fun and our kids have loved the experience! Read more about planting a garden here:

How To Grow A Backyard Garden From Seeds

save money on groceries with ibotta

5. Use Grocery Savings Apps Like iBotta and Fetch Rewards

There is a fine line between saving money, and purchasing items just because there is a cash back reward. You need to be careful. I only use these savings apps when there are items with cash back rewards that we actually use! Fetch rewards offers cash back rewards based on you scanning your receipts. Ibotta is a great tool that gives you cash back on food and household products. I have saved well over $300 in using this app, but it’s one you need to really be cautious with.

plant based burger

6. Eat Less Meat and Eat More Beans

Beans are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and PROTEIN! However, when you pair rice and beans together in a meal they make a complete protein that you just can’t find anywhere else. Ditch the meat a few times per week and eat more beans to save money on food. I have tons of “meatless” recipes on my website, but definitely start with this article.

Rice and Beans Recipe Collection

leftover rice warm rice cereal

7. Re-purpose Leftovers Into Different Meals

Have leftover rice from dinner last night? Make warm rice cereal for breakfast the next morning. Have leftover sweet potatoes, add them to pancakes or muffins. There are many ways to re-purpose leftovers. You can add leftover veggies or meat to soup or salads. Leftovers is a favorite word of mine in this house because it means I don’t have to cook as often. To save money, I often double a recipe and we eat leftovers at least 2 times per week.

8. Purchase From Azure Standard

Azure Standard is a faith-based co-op that sells all kinds of items at discounted prices. After placing my order online, I then pick up my order once per month at a certain local drop point. I absolutely love the quality of the food I have purchased and I will continue to order from them every month.

To learn more about Azure Standard (my referral link), read this article I wrote: My Azure Standard Review First Time Buyer! I also have several YouTube videos showing you my grocery hauls. I spend about $200-$300 per month purchasing from Azure each month, then the rest of my grocery budget goes to purchasing fresh produce and other items I need to complete our meal plan for the week.

9. Keep A Grocery Tracker Sheet of The Best Prices

This is a great way to keep track of the best prices to save you money when food prices are going up. I keep this in my Recipe Keeper (aka: recipe binder). When I find a great price on lets say peanut butter, I write in on my grocery tracker sheet. Then, I can figure out the best stock-up price and purchase only from that store when I run low.

10. Meal Plan For Lunch and Dinners

I typically eat dinner leftovers for lunch, but I still plan them out in my planner. Dinners are always planned out at the beginning of each week. Lately I have been shopping more at Aldi’s and Grocery Outlet and I’m blown away how much food I can get more the money, especially with food prices going up. Just this week Aldi’s had loaves of bread on sale for $.40 per loaf! I couldn’t believe it!

It’s important to meal plan to keep you out of the grocery stores several times we week. Often times we don’t know what to make, so we go to the grocery store for inspiration, and we end up spending double what we wanted to spend. Meal planning takes the guess work out of dinner time, and keeps you in control of your grocery budget.

Need some meal planning inspiration this week? Here’s our meal plan:

  • Sunday: Tostadas
  • Monday: Bean burgers with sweet potato fries and salad
  • Tuesday: Taco soup with chips
  • Wednesday: Leftover taco soup with chips
  • Thursday: Red lentil curry with rice and sourdough naan
  • Friday: Christmas party with friends
  • Saturday: Leftovers (eat up whatever is in the fridge)

11. Have A Recipe Binder To Keep Track of Your Favorite Recipes

You must have a recipe binder to keep track of your favorite recipes. A recipe binder makes meal planning easy, especially when food prices are going up. I have a wifi printer, so when I like a recipe I print the recipe using my phone. I then slip the recipe in a page protector and pop it into my recipe binder. I absolutely LOVE my recipe binder! I created this recipe binder to help you as well. Purchase this PDF file for only $10.00. I will send you a link with a video of me explaining simple steps of how to put your Recipe Keeper together. This recipe binder also makes a great gift. Just fill the binder with some of your favorite recipes.

PURCHASE YOUR RECIPE KEEPER TODAY – CLICK HERE

With food prices going up it’s time to take action and control your grocery bill by following these 11 tips. What tips do you have? Leave them in the comments below and lets save money of food together!

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how to save money on food
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2 thoughts on “11 Tips – Saving Money On Food When Food Prices Are Going Up

    • These are great tips and so important as prices sure are rising! We definitely are trying to eat less meat and more beans, lentils, etc. And making good use of leftovers and stocking up on sales. Every little bit helps!

    • Great tips, especially the buying bulk and making your own snacks. So true they’re a budget buster! Thanks for sharing.

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