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After Christmas is always when I start to re-evaluate my family’s grocery shopping list. Especially because January is the time of the year when money is at it’s tightest. I’m always thinking of how I can keep my food bill low and be healthier along with it.
Over Christmas, there are so many sweets, chocolate, biscuits, crisps, and just copious amounts of food in general that I need a bit of a health kick. Luckily, eating well generally means that the grocery shopping bill is considerably lower than you would expect.
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I use the simple tips and hacks that follow to keep my grocery shopping bill low consistently all year round as my growing family eats more and more!
How Can I Keep my Grocery Shopping Bill Low with a Growing Family?
Write a shopping list, ALWAYS
Does a recipe require something like 2 sticks of celery and you don’t know what to do with the rest? look for other recipes that use the same ingredients.
Freeze leftovers for nights off from cooking
If you’re buying lots of fresh ingredients for a particular meal, cook those meals first. Then freeze the leftovers and have them later in the week or save them for when you just don’t feel like cooking. That the fresh ingredients don’t go to waste and you have meals for another night. Win-win.
How to shop savvy with a Money-Saving Grocery Shopping List
Don’t get enticed into deals. unless it’s something that is a regular on your list and actually saves you money. Don’t buy it, you really don’t need 3 bags of chocolate for the price of 2.
Do you really need to buy the leading brand of baked beans or tomato sauce? you may even find that supermarket own-brand has less sugar and fat in it as well as being a lot cheaper.
Is there really a difference between own brand kidney beans and branded ones? only the price tag.
These are some great money-saving tips for my food shopping, take a look! Click To Tweet
The Secret of a Money-Saving Shopping List
Once you’ve decided what your eating for the week, or what you want to cook, write ALL of the ingredients. Yes I know, you probably have pasta already and you know that you don’t need potatoes. then go through your cupboards to check if you already have some of the items you wrote down. This is a good way to 1. make sure you buy everything you need when you go grocery shopping and 2. make sure you don’t buy something you already have. It also means you become more aware of what you already have lurking in the back of the cupboard or fridge.
Fresh ingredients are great, although certain fruit and veg is worth buying frozen. This helps to reduce cost and waste. Frozen fruit and veg are picked and then frozen, sometimes within a day. This helps to lock in that goodness, whereas that head of broccoli in your fridge has started to lose nutrients since the second it was picked. This is also a great way to make sure you always have some veggies for your family’s meals.
Related: Eco, How to Go More | Learn to Love your Local Market.
If your a family of meat-eaters, try and go meat-free two nights a week. Buying less meat not only helps to minimise one of the most expensive items on the list, but it also helps to get your children used to eating a variety of fruits, vegetable, grains and pulses.
If you really cannot resist a deal, then try to make sure it’s worth it. Check the individual price of each item. Is a 25p saving really worth it for something you don’t usually buy with your grocery shopping?
If you have the space to store it and the money in the first place to buy it. Then buy in bulk. Even if that means buying a 24 pack of toilet roll instead of a 4 pack. Be sure to check the price per 100g, this will give you a true answer if buying in bulk is worth it.
Stick to the grocery shopping list as much as possible. A shopping list is a great way to stop impulse buying and keeps the costs down.
Following these simple steps should help you write a grocery shopping list that helps you save money and keep your family healthier as well.
Do you have a great tip on keeping your family’s food bill low? or grocery shopping hacks? Share them with us below.