If you feel like the prices of your groceries are getting out of control, you are not going crazy! According to The State of Personal Finance study by Ramsey Solutions, 84% of people have noticed higher grocery prices in stores in the past three months. And they are right! Going by the USDA report, the recent ‘food-at-home’ (food bought from online grocery stores or supermarkets) Consumer Price Index (CPI) has jumped 12%! While some of this food shortage is because of panic buying and factory shutdowns, the price surge is still happening and is likely to continue till the first half of 2023 (thanks to inflation!). This can make figuring out how to have money for groceries almost impossible.
But even in today’s challenging climate, there are crafty and clever ways to save money on your groceries. Follow along as we guide you with some essential tips on how to practice smart shopping strategies to stretch your grocery budget, for now, and in the future! The more you practice these strategies, the more likely they are to become habits. So - start today!
Did You Know?
Five Tips to Save your Money on Groceries
Smart budgeting, coupon-clipping, web searching, grocery apps, credit card point earning… there are tons of ways to cut down on that grocery bill. Pull up a chair!
Redefine Dinner
Raid your pantry first
Challenge yourself to look into your pantry or your fridge first and fix a meal with the ingredients you already have. Make use of your freezer and use stored frozen food whenever you can. Why stock up on more groceries when you have a couple of unopened cans of black beans and nacho chips and some salsa on your shelves? Thrown in together and voila! your yum-worthy nacho snack is ready for your backyard grill nights.
Check out 📸@thrivingonplants for some awesome tips.
Think before you buy in bulk
Number Crunching Before Shopping
How about some number crunching before you make your way to the grocery store? While dropping by the grocery store, keep a check on the amount of money in your cart to avoid unnecessary surprises at the checkout counter. This will definitely make you stop and think: Wait! Do I really need that fancy $52 Spinach Cream jar that isn’t on sale?
Thank goodness for the internet!
The bottom line is that on an individual level, not all these methods might protect you from food inflation. But small changes can add up over time. As inflation sadly continues to hit Americans, it depends on the amount of time you are willing to spend on budgeting and making the right decisions while grocery shopping. Besides, even when inflation gets more under control, saving money never goes out of style!
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