Tips for saving on rising grocery prices

It’s not your imagination. Food prices are rising. Food prices have risen 6% across the board. And that doesn’t even take into account shortages in both staffing and sourcing ingredients. 

The US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service has predicted food purchased at grocery stores will increase an additional 1 to 2% and food-away-from-home will increase between 2 and 3%.

So grocery prices could rise higher before they settle for a little while.  How can you combat rising prices? I have some tips. 

Buy foods you actually want to eat. 

I know that sounds so incredibly simple. But it’s true. You can reach for lower-cost items all day long, but if you don’t actually eat them and they rot in your fridge or sit in your pantry and expire, you’re wasting both food and money. 

The most expensive food you can buy is the food you throw away. 

Track your spending 

Track where you're spending, and see if there are things you can cut back on. One of the ways to do that is to skip some more convenient items in favor of items that you can make yourself. 

But I do understand the desire to buy convenience foods and my philosophy is if buying prepackaged food means I am not going to spend even more hitting up the drive-thru, that’s the better option for me. 

See what simple things you can make at home or things you can do to cut down on those costs. Things like shredding your own cheese, making pizza crust and bulk prepping.

Swap it

Make some simple swaps. Instead of buying a pack of individual yogurts buy the larger yogurt container and put it in some small pyrex dishes.  When looking at a recipe that calls for an ingredient you don’t frequently buy and might now use again, see if you have something you can swap out.

Frozen vegetables are your friend

I love fresh produce, but it can come with a hefty price tag. If you’re going to be cooking your produce anyway, consider frozen. It saves you a ton of prep time and it’s just as healthy as fresh. You can hear Jennifer Anderson, a registered dietitian discuss this on my podcast.

Meal plan like your life depends on it. 

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Shop your home before you shop the store. 

See what you have in your pantry and fridge right now and see how many meals you can make out of what you currently have. Then plug in some grocery store items. 

Rethink your leftovers. 

A lot of people don’t like leftovers because they’re boring. But I like to remix them. For example, I might make some BBQ chicken and then the next night we have BBQ chicken nachos. 

FREEZE it. 

If you have room in your freezer to freeze your leftovers do it. Last all four of my kids and myself were sick and my husband was traveling for work and I was so grateful that I had some things I could pull from my freezer and heat up. I’m not having to eat leftovers for days and days and I’m making life easier for my future self.

Order your groceries

Shop using something like Walmart grocery pickup or another free pickup service so you stay out of the store and away from impulse purchase temptations.