Save More By Cutting The Grocery Bill In Half

Many Americans live paycheck to paycheck, unable to get ahead because of their tight budget, without room to throw extra at debt to make things a little more comfortable. However, many do not realize their grocery bill is a fantastic place to find extra funds. Almost everyone can shave off extra, especially if you are willing to put a bit more time and creativity into cooking. There are five simple tips everyone should try to reduce their grocery budget without taking up too much extra time. With these tips, everyone can find breathing room in their budgets!

Freeze Produce

Fruits and vegetables top the list of food waste in American families, as many forget to eat the produce they purchased and have to throw it away when it goes bad. Every bit of food tossed is money wasted. Though no one wants to waste money, things do happen and produce starts to go bad. The best solution is to freeze the produce. For instance, dice celery and carrots for soup and slice onions and peppers for stir-fry dishes before putting each in freezer bags and then into the freezer. It only takes a few moments, but freezing produce extends the shelf life or the produce, reduces waste, and saves money over time.

Another great trick is to freeze produce purchased in bulk from a farmer’s market or grown in your backyard. Does your family love green beans? Purchase a bushel from a local farmer or grow several plants and freeze for later consumption.

Continue reading to learn how to save money when purchasing cheese.

Shred Your Own Cheese

Shredded cheese is a convenience food, and these foods tend to cost more because of the convenience. The average bag of shredded cheddar cheese contains roughly two cups of cheese and costs around five dollars, which means each cup costs roughly 2.50 dollars. Compare this price to a twenty-four-ounce block of cheese that costs around eight dollars. This equates to roughly seven or eight cups of cheese, which breaks down to as little as one dollar per cup.

Aside from saving money, it is a good idea to shred your own cheese because companies coat the shredded cheese in cellulose, which is an anti-caking agent that ensures the cheese doesn’t stick together in a lump.Unfortunately, it makes cheese unhealthier.

Continue reading to learn how visiting multiple grocery stores works to everyone's advantage.

Visit Multiple Grocery Stores

Visiting multiple grocery stores can help shoppers save lots of money, since every store has different prices for their items. Consider what items you purchase the most, and create a price book to compare the prices at each store before deciding where to regularly purchase each item. For example, the same brand of peanut butter could be fifty cents cheaper at one store, which might not seem like much, but little numbers add up quite quickly.

Discounted grocery stores should be the first visit for shoppers looking to save money on groceries. Aldi is one of the most popular, but different areas will have different options. Discounted stores tend to have fewer choices, but they can help shoppers save quite a lot of money.

Continue reading to learn how making it at home can dramatically reduce a grocery bill.

Make It at Home

Everything you purchase at the store can be grown or made at home. The cost of premade items tends to be more expensive than if you make it at home yourself. For example, a gallon of milk costs less than two dollars, depending on your location. You can create an entire gallon of yogurt at home for less than three dollars once you purchase a cup of starter yogurt. Use jams, jellies, fruit, and honey to create the flavors you want. Purchasing a quart of premade yogurt can cost four dollars or more, so this saves lots in the long run.

Don’t set your goals too high at first. Start by picking or two things to make at home based on what you use the most. Perhaps your kids love granola bars, so try a few recipes to see what you love the most. If your kids eat oatmeal packets often, try making them yourself with individual ingredients. The options are endless, and each will save you money.

Continue reading to learn about the future of coupon cutting.

Coupon Apps

Coupon apps are the future of cutting the grocery bill in half. More store now are accepting eCoupons or offering coupons loaded onto their rewards card. Here are a few apps to try.

With Saving Star, users link their loyalty cards to Saving Star and redeem their grocery offers. They even allow users to submit pictures of their receipts. Another app, Ibotta, is one of the most popular apps offering exclusive rebates for dozens of stores. You can even get ten dollars for referring friends! Check the app each time you head to the store because their offers always change. The third app, Fetch Rewards, is new, though it offers savings for nearly two hundred brands. Users simply submit their receipts for rewards on their purchases. Finally, use Checkout 51 every week on Thursday, which is when they update their offered rewards. All shoppers need to do is pick the offers they want to redeem, purchase those items at the store, and then take pictures of their receipts to submit them.