13 Smarter Ways To Shop For Groceries

You spend a lot of time and money grocery shopping. While this is a necessary task, you’re probably interested in finding ways to streamline and save money on this process.

When following a moderate budget, the average 20- to 50-year-old man spends $69.50 per week on food at home, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Women in this age group spend slightly less, at around $55.70 per week.

If you’re spending more than this — or the amount you’re spending doesn’t fit your budget — it’s time to make a few changes. Thankfully, shopping smarter for groceries will likely be a lot easier than you think.

Making a few adjustments to the way you shop can change your outlook on grocery shopping for the better. Here are 13 tips to help you save as much money as possible, without sacrificing your favorite items or making any major adjustments to your shopping list.

It might sound simple, but if you’re not already using coupons, Natalie Warb, a financial expert at Coupon Birds, said doing so is a quick and easy way to reduce your total shopping bill.

“While the type of coupon and offers may vary from store to store, the cost benefits of utilizing coupons will remain the same,” she said. “They can even be used outside of the grocery store such as in restaurants and gyms.”

Grocery delivery can be convenient, but Warb said it isn’t the savviest way to shop.

“By visiting the grocery store, shoppers can keep an eye out for additional deals they may miss online, reduced items near the end of the business day and check the best-before dates on food items before adding them to their basket,” she said. “Overall, while delivery is convenient, visiting the grocery store gives us a better chance at making savings.”

Cash-back apps put money back into your pocket every time you make a qualifying purchase, and they’re often really simple to use.

For example, with Upside, you can earn up to 45% cash back on grocery store purchases at participating retailers. Simply download the app, search for offers at a grocery store near you, claim the offer, pay as usual with your credit or debit card and check in or submit a receipt. You’ll earn cash back for your purchase, which you can then redeem for a gift card or have it deposited in a bank account or PayPal account.

Since many major grocery chains have reward programs linked to discounts on gas, Shelley Hunter, consumer expert at GiftCards.com, encouraged using this to your advantage.

“Stores offer double, triple and sometimes even quadruple rewards points when you buy gift cards from their stores as part of certain promotions,” she said. “After saving money by earning and using fuel points, you can hang on to the gift cards rather than giving them to someone as gifts and instead use them to buy things you need — e.g., groceries and household items.”

Combining different types of promotions can allow you to maximize your savings, Hunter said.

“If your grocery store doesn’t have a fuel points program, you can still layer your purchases with deals and promotions — particularly those that provide you with a reward,” she said. “For example, many people who buy gift cards can do so as part of promotions that reward shoppers after the initial purchase with loyalty points, more gift cards and other rewards you can later use to buy something you need.”

“As inflation continues to impact grocery costs, it is easy for shoppers to fall for the oldest trick in the book — buying items at the corners of each aisle,” said Brad Godwin, senior vice president and head of partnerships at Shopkick. “Items on the corners are often more expensive than getting the same one placed down the row.”

He said walking just a couple more feet can allow you to save money on your grocery bill.

You might think shopping at a membership-only warehouse club only makes sense for larger families, but it can also be a good idea for singles, couples and seniors, said consumer finance expert Tanya Peterson, vice president at Achieve, a digital personal finance company.

“Many things come in smaller quantities, many food items don’t perish easily and you’ll find plenty of individually packaged and multi-packs of grocery items,” she said. “Or purchase and split up goods with family, friends or neighbors.”

When you go shopping at a warehouse club, she recommended staying on track by making a list and a budget — and sticking to them.

While Peterson continued to emphasize the importance of making a shopping list, she said it can pay to be a little flexible with it.

“Try working around what’s on sale and any truly great deals you find,” she said. “Plan menus around the sale ads your grocery store(s) issue each week, if you can.”

She also recommended finding and looking through clearance areas in the store.

“You can ask store personnel which days and times of day they generally restock these areas,” she said. “Also look for good deals on items ready to expire — for instance, meat that must be used within a few days.”

“In some areas, you can do this year-round — in other areas, you’ll be able to start doing this very soon,” Peterson said. “Look for ‘B’ or ‘number two’ produce.”

She said this type of produce doesn’t look perfect, but has all the nutritional benefits and can allow you to save half or more off the full price.

“Learn what produce is in season and try planning menus around that,” she said. “You can generally save up to 15%.”

Sometimes it’s not only what you buy, but the size of the package that can result in savings Peterson said.

“Frequently, mid-size packages will offer better value than larger sizes,” she said. “Some stores display unit pricing on the shelf, but it’s often just as easy to check yourself using your phone’s calculator.”

This might add a little extra time to your shopping trip, but the savings will be well worth the effort.

Haven’t already downloaded the app for your favorite grocery store? If not, Peterson recommended doing so.

“Several of the large chains now offer apps with significant digital-coupon savings on designated items each week,” she said. “The trick is knowing how to use them.”

If you don’t quite understand how to navigate the app from the online instructions, she advised stopping by the customer service counter in the store and asking an associate to teach you.

You might think it makes sense to always opt for organic produce, but that isn’t necessarily the case.

“Organic veggies and fruit are pricey, but there are ways to save, especially when it comes to what not to buy,” said Andrea Woroch, a consumer and money-saving expert.

She said you can opt for produce items listed on the “Clean 15” list — i.e., conventional produce with the least amount of pesticide residue — in order to save from buying organic in these cases. Some of these include avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, onions and frozen sweet peas.

“Not only is it important to review receipts for potential clerical errors, which could cause you to pay more for a grocery good if the sale was incorrectly applied or the wrong key code was entered for a produce item, but you could earn money off future purchases, as well as cash back,” Woroch said.

She also said it’s important to check your printed grocery receipts because some stores give coupons on them.

“I just got a coupon for $10 off my next purchase at Sprouts,” she said.