23 Ways To Save Money On Groceries In 2022
Updated 2/11/23
It’s 2022. Grocery prices are increasing quickly and dramatically. There are major price hikes on virtually every item in the grocery store. If you’re struggling to get food on the table without blowing your entire paycheck, you need easy-to-implement tips now.
A $9.00 box of cereal. $8.75 for fruit snacks. $8.59 for Velveeta Shells & Cheese.
A year ago, you would think these grocery prices were a joke.
But these are real prices that people are seeing in groceries today, per comments on one of my recent Facebook posts.
Prices are increasing. Your paycheck (probably) isn’t. In fact, grocery prices have gone up 49% between may 2020 and January 2022. That is a shocking increase. What is your game plan?
This is a comprehensive guide detailing the most effective ways to save money on groceries right now. 2022. Amid supply chain issues and high inflation. No apps to download, no coupons to clip. Just straight and to-the-point tips to help you save significant money on groceries.
1: Identify Cheap Foods That You Really Like
There are certain foods that are almost always affordable. Start incorporating MORE affordable foods into your diet, like:
- Cabbage
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks
- Eggs
- Oats
- Beans and lentils
- Sweet potatoes
- Carrots
- Bananas
- Frozen fruits and vegetables
- Ground beef, ground turkey, and breakfast sausage (purchase frozen meat to save $$)
2: Eat More Breakfast Foods
Have you ever noticed that most common American breakfast foods are super cheap? Eggs, toast, English muffins, sausage, peanut butter, oatmeal, and fried potatoes are very affordable. And who doesn’t love breakfast-for-dinner every once in awhile?
3: Identify Cheap Recipes To Add To Your Meal Rotation
You probably have a few go-to recipes that are budget-friendly and easy to make. Why not learn a few more ultra cheap recipes to incorporate into your meal rotation?
There are more than 500 recipes on Cheap Recipe Blog – and millions of cheap recipes on the internet. Check out these budget-friendly recipe sources:
4: Figure Out What You Can Cut Out
With shockingly high prices in grocery stores, now is the time to make some sacrifices in order to save money on food.
This will be different for every person, but here’s the idea:
- Skip coffee shop coffee in the morning and make it at home
- Opt for a home-cooked meal instead of going through the drive-through
- Plan your schedule around using up leftovers (don’t throw them out!)
- Eat one less meal out a week and cook at home
- Drink less soda, carbonated water, juice, sweet tea – and drink more water
5: Cut And Peel Your Own Fruits And Vegetables
Grocery stores make a killing selling ready-cut and peeled vegetables. These are great time savers, but the markup is extraordinary. Do the work yourself.
6: Don’t Go Shopping Without A List
Now is not the time to go to the grocery store without a list. Plan your meals for the week, write down everything you need, and stick to your list when you go shopping.
7: Use Your Food Scraps
Now is the time to make use of your food scraps instead of throwing them away:
- Save leftover bacon grease to fry eggs
- Save odds-and-ends of vegetables, fruit or meat and add to an omelet or salad
- Save carcass from a rotisserie chicken and make homemade chicken stock
- Save vegetable scraps to make a batch of homemade vegetable stock
8: Avoid Additional Trips To The Grocery Store
Food prices are increasing: And gas prices are as well. Avoid making additional trips to the supermarket to avoid additional and unnecessary food purchases – and to cut down on gas usage.
9: Stretch Your Meals
Meal stretching is more of an art than a science. The idea is making one food item (usually a large quantity of meat) and using a little of that meat in recipes over the next few days. For example:
- Day 1: Make pulled pork in the slow cooker – eat with a side of veggies
- Day 2: Use leftover pork to top baked potatoes (along with other toppings)
- Day 3: Use leftover pork to add to soup
- Day 4: If you still have some pork left, use it as an omelet filling along with sautéed veggies
10: Inventory Your Fridge And Pantry
Make sure you know what you have on hand at home before you go grocery shopping. Dig deep. You may find cans of food you didn’t know you had. As long as they’re not (too) expired, make an effort to use this food in upcoming meals.
11: Make Use Of All Leftovers
Making a larger quantity of food – doubling a recipe, for example – is often more budget-friendly than making a single recipe. This tip will also help save time, as you’re only cooking and cleaning up once.
Enjoy the same meal the next day, or repurpose your leftovers into something different. In either case, make sure to use ALL of your leftovers.
12: Consider Meal Sharing
Consider doing a meal exchange with a neighbor, friend or family member. Find an affordable recipe, make a double or triple batch, and have the other person do the same. Voila! Two meals, one cooking session.
13: Don’t Shop On An Empty Stomach
This old advice is GREAT advice because it really works. If you grocery shop on a full stomach, you’ll probably avoid all impulse purchases, which can add a lot to your grocery bill.
14: Skip The Expensive Sauces And Condiments
Some of the most costly items in the grocery store are specialty sauces and condiments. Instead of buying various jars of sauces, consider trying to make a lower-cost version at home using ingredients you already have.
15: Shop Where Your Money Goes The Furthest
Where you shop matters. I did a supermarket price comparison challenge to determine which grocery store is the cheapest (I compared 8 stores). There was a clear winner: ALDI.
The total cost for 21 common grocery items (milk, pasta, eggs, etc) was twice as much at a natural foods co-op than it was at ALDI. Other stores (Trader Joe’s, Target, etc.) fell somewhere in the middle.
If you can, shop at ALDI or another discount grocery store, or even a salvage grocery store that sells heavily discounted groceries that other grocery stores will not sell.
16: Explore Your Grocery Store’s Deals
Some grocery stores have special deals that you may not know about. For example, they may sell bruised fruits and vegetables at a discount. Or they may discount certain food items at certain times of the day or week. Explore your grocery store and don’t be afraid to ask management if there are any deals or discounts to be found.
17: Explore Meatless Or Less-Meat Recipes
Meat is usually the most expensive food item on your grocery list. According to the USDA, meat prices have increased the most – with prices up to 43.9% higher than they were a year ago. By going meatless every once in awhile (Meatless Mondays, for example) – or just simply eating less meat – will help you save money over time. Try one of these recipes:
18: Stock Up When You Find Deals
In 2022, grocery prices keep rising. If you find a deal on food that you know you’ll eat – and you have the money to buy it and space to store it – stock up now. The prices may keep going up, but if you buy it in bulk now, you’ll lock it in at today’s price.
19: Substitute Ingredients And Modify Recipes
So many recipes are adaptable and will still taste great even if you substitute ingredients or leave out certain non-essential ingredients.
For example, if you’re making a recipe that calls for pinto beans but all you have is black beans – it will probably still taste great. If you’re making a pasta sauce that calls for smoked paprika – an ingredient you don’t have on hand – just leave it out!
20: Know Your Cheap Fruits And Vegetables
Many people doubt that it’s possible to eat healthy and on a budget. It can be more difficult, but it’s not impossible.
Frozen fruits and veggies are a great option and are surprisingly versatile. Frozen fruits can be used to make smoothies, fruit crumbles, and fruit sauces. Frozen vegetables are great when making homemade soups, casseroles, and side dishes.
What are some budget-friendly fresh fruits and veggies? Bananas, apples, carrots, cabbage, sweet potatoes, celery, broccoli, onions, and potatoes are usually quite affordable.
21: Buy Generic
Break your brand loyalty and consider purchasing generic grocery items, which usually cost 25% less than their name brand counterparts.
22: Buy Secondhand
Cooking requires the use of tools and appliances. If you need to purchase a rice cooker, Dutch oven, pressure cooker or any other kitchen appliance or tool, consider buying it secondhand.
My go-to when I need an item like this is Facebook/Meta marketplace. I recently bought an espresso pod machine for 80% less than what it would have cost new. Also consider buying at a thrift shop or garage sale, or one one of many apps such as LetGo or OfferUp.
There’s always a slight risk when you buy something secondhand – namely, that it won’t work – but the savings are just too good not to try.
23: Choose Restaurants Wisely
If you’re going to go to a restaurant to eat, choose one where your money will go the furthest. Pizza and Mexican restaurants (hello free chips & salsa!) are usually quite affordable. Check out restaurants with good happy hour deals on food or other discounts.
Start Saving Money On Food!
Saving money on food isn’t hard – but it may require that you make some changes to where you shop, what you eat, and what you spend your money on.
For more information, see the following articles:
How To Feed A Family Of 4 For $100 A Week
Awesome – going to drink more water, buy frozen berries, re-make my meat into other meals, keep shopping at Aldi’s, etc. Thank you, Haley!
Way to go, Meredith! You’ll save money this way.
I love these tips! I already do about half of them but will try a few more to cut spending on groceries. Thanks Haley!
I hope they’re helpful, Annie!
Don’t disagree with any of these tips. I’ve been stocking up since the beginning of this nightmare and other than dairy, eggs, condiments and fresh food I’m stocked up for a year on rice, pasta, multiple types of beans and canned goods. But a couple of things I noticed is you didn’t mention is Family Dollar which needs to be renamed to Family Dollar and a quarter. Canned soup at my Walmart is minimum $1.48 but now $1.25 at FD1/4 also has paper towels, Kleenex, etc. You can fill in a whole lot of holes with little cost. Also coupons. I happen to live in very small town in Midwest and I’m limited to Wally, small store and a smaller store who has the highest prices in town. No Aldi’s but aren’t your pre-sliced veggie’s more expensive than purchasing a bag of carrots and celery?
Hello! So smart to stock up on those groceries. Also, yes, Family Dollar/Dollar General/other dollar/discount stores offer great deals on lots of different types of foods. Most are pretty processed and I’m all about cooking fresh food on a budget, but your point is well taken.
And yes, pre-sliced fruits and veggies are a ripoff, in my opinion, and I definitely don’t recommend purchasing them. Do the work yourself to save money. Thanks!
Hi I live in Australia. I already practice many of your tips thanks. Worth mentioning I think. Apart from food, cleaning products, toilet paper and tissues, birthday cards, cat and dog food and treats, personal products, some food lines and lots more will save an incredible amount at the Reject and $2 dollar stores. Same products, half the price or less. Also op shops for household items and clothing. Make saving a fun project instead of a chore! Cheers Lilla.