cut your grocery bill without cutting coupons

Many of you know that I am a huge advocate of cutting coupons to save on our weekly grocery bill. However, what if you don’t have access to coupons? Or what if you don’t want to put the effort into clipping coupons? That’s fine! It’s not for everyone…and even if coupons aren’t for you, there are still ways you can significantly reduce your grocery bill each week. Here are 4 to get you started.

1) Plan Ahead: yes, I often talk about planning ahead to save time, but planning your weekly menu in advance will also help you save significantly on your groceries each week. Even if this is the only thing you do, you’ll greatly reduce your grocery budget. If you have a moment to glance at the sale ads, plan your weekly meal around the meats and produce that are on sale that week…saving you even more.

2) Shop at Discount Stores: I’m not sure what stores are in your area, but there are stores by me, such as Aldi, that don’t take coupons and don’t have sales, they just have really low prices all the time. I don’t shop at Aldi all the time…just because I can get even better deals by using coupons, rebates, and shopping the sales; but if you don’t have the time to do that, Aldi will save you lots of money! Aldi usually carries a variety of non-brand-name foods that are very comparable to brand name products. They have great prices on produce, milk, tortilla chips, and baking products, to name a few.

3) Cook From Scratch: I know some of you are thinking that you don’t have time to cook from scratch, but I grantee it will save you both money…and calories! Processed food is usually very high in sodium, calories, and fat, so cooking from scratch will benefit your family in multiple ways. Look for simple, inexpensive recipes using easy-to-find ingredients. Also, make double and triple batches of your family’s favorites and store them in the freezer. I will often set aside a couple days each month for mass baking and freeze snack items for lunches, dessert, etc.

4) Shop Once Per Week: The more you go to the store, the more money you will spend. Even if you have a ridged grocery budget (which I highly recommend) it’s still easier to save when you don’t even enter the store…imagine that! So this goes back to planning ahead; because you will have to plan your shopping list for the entire week so you only have to go to the store once.

By implementing these simple concepts, you will be able to save your family hundreds of dollars each year…which is defiantly worth it if you ask me!

What about you; do you have any other ideas for saving money without using coupons?