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Frugal grocery shoppers share 25 tips for cutting down grocery bills

"It's amazing how much we can save."

Image via Canva/SDI Productions

Frugal people share their best money-saving grocery shopping tips.

Groceries are more expensive than ever. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, food prices increased 23.6% from 2020-2024. And the average monthly costs for groceries in an American household of 4 people ranges from $996-1,603.

So saving money on groceries in more lucrative than ever. And frugal shoppers are full of tips, tricks and hacks to keep food costs low.

Looking to cut down on your grocery bill the next time you make a trip? These are 25 of the best money-saving grocery tips from frugal people.

grocery store, grocery, groceries, grocery shopping, grocery trip supermarket groceries GIF by Justin Timberlake Giphy

"Shop your pantry, fridge and freezer 1st. See what meals you can make from what you have on hand. It's fun to be creative. Meal plan using what you have, make a grocery list with what you need. Avoid recipes that need lots of ingredients you don't have on hand. Stick to your list when shopping. Ordering on line helps me from impulse buying at the store. Use the first in, first out method in pantry/fridge to cut down on food waste. Batch cook, soups, stews, casseroles, so you get more than one meal out of cooking. Avoid buying lots of snacks, individually packed items. These are tried and true methods for saving money on food. Like others have posted, shop fliers, sales. May need to use more than one store. I do Aldi weekly, Walmart on line order ever 6 weeks or so. Like anything else, the more you do it, the better at it you get!" - catjknow

"Check ethnic groceries. The Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Hispanic groceries near me have amazing prices on produce and meat, bulk spices and dried beans, etc. Plus a lot of things that are bougie or health foods are really just a normal food from another culture with a bigger price tag." - kaizenkitten

"Frozen vegetables. If you eat meat, be flexible and shop what’s cheap that week. If something’s reduced because it’s older, you can freeze it the day you buy it if you can’t cook it right away." - BanditSpark

"Get something in your stomach before you go. Never shop hungry. You'll tend to buy things you wouldn't normally get or opt for junk/ready to eat foods rather than affordable ingredients." - sassysaba

groceries, grocery, grocery shopping, grocery gif, grocery bill Shop Til You Drop Shopping GIF Giphy

"I use an app called Flipp to shop the sales ads in my area, then plan meals around what I have on hand + sales items. When things like chicken leg quarters, boneless chicken thighs, and beef/pork roasts are on sale, I buy twice what I need and freeze leftovers for an easy midweek meal, like tacos/quesadillas/casserole/pasta." - TN_Lamb888

"Start a 'Price Book' spreadsheet. Make a tab for every item you regularly purchase. Log the store, brand, price, weight, and price per unit. Start by logging the regular price of those items and then research every week and log what the sales are on those items. Eventually you learn what is an actual good sale, what is not actually a sale, and how often these things go on sale, so that you can buy in bulk at the best price. You also learn what stores consistently have the best price on your item, so you can plan a trip to go to that store when you are already close to it (example: if you don’t have a Costco or Sam’s Club where you live, you plan on going as part of an out of town trip when you are already traveling). The trick is to stick to buying the items that are really the best price and to not overbuy amounts that you won’t be able to use before they expire (though if you did you could always donate to a local shelter or food bank). I admit, it is tedious but it’s also interesting." - Victoriafoxx

"We eat way more plant protein than animal protein now. We aren’t trying to be vegetarian. But beans and lentils are so much cheaper than meat." - FoxUsual745

beans, eating beans, beans gif, bean can, can of beans Kristen Wiig Vegan GIF Giphy

"Also, reframing your mind to envision meat as a condiment instead of the centerpiece of the meal is super helpful for traditional meat & potato people. My guys love a good slab of steak and mashed potatoes, but are also just as satisfied with a baked potato loaded with hearty bean lentil corn chili, with 1/4 of a good steak roughly chopped and sprinkled on top. One steak for a 3person family, plus enough for someone to have it for lunch tomorrow, is much more doable than 3 steaks for a single meal." - Jena_TheFatGirl

"I volunteer for a stop food waste organization. I eat mostly organic whole-foods and haven't bought groceries since 2020 because I get to fill a shopping basket free in exchange for a 2–3 hour shift. That's my best hack. Second best is dumpster diving, which may or may not be legal in your area." - LittleEdithBeale

"Check and see if you have any salvage grocery stores in your area! They’re not super common everywhere but they have a wide range of food, even high quality stuff, at very reduced prices because the items are damaged or past their expiration date." - DS30y

"Buy in season. Look for end-of-day sales at the farmers markets. Make nutrient-dense food." - DaysOfParadise

"Read your grocery store’s circular, clip coupons from their app, and if they have a rewards program use it. With one of the stores near me, I can get a free 12 dozen eggs by redeeming 200 reward points." - muad_dibs

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"I use a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for purchasing vegetables. Not sure if CSAs everywhere are cheaper, but it is for me. There's a website called localharvest.org that has a CSA locator. I cook seasonally based on what my CSA has available. In May and early June it was a lot of salads, right now we're getting a lot of things like bok choy, broccolini, and carrots, so we're eating stir fry dishes or chicken with a side of sauteed or roasted vegetables. I quick pickle as much as I can from our weekly order to make things last (For example, we got a TON of chard at one point, and I pickled the stems with siracha. We've been using the pickles as a relish for tacos and sandwiches.). I also am in a small household, so I don't like buying anything perishable in bulk. We do have a chest freezer, so I buy meat in bulk at Costco. I also get things like cooking oils, vinegar, rice, and seasonings there. I try to keep us stocked up on anything we might need to supplement our veggie order for the week." - OK_Computer_152

"If grocery stores near you have an app, use it! On the Safeway app at least there's a lot of good coupons and deals that are only served in-app - I often pre-plan my shopping by plugging everything into the Safeway app and then comparing to other stores and that's how decide where I'm shopping that week." - sadhoursthrowaway409

"I use Instacart to make my shopping lists. I don’t use it to deliver groceries. It shows me what’s in the store and what’s not available. I can put together meals in advance and the BEST PART is that you can stay within your budget because it shows you your total as you add to the cart. It’s been a huge help these last few years for me to stay on budget. The app is also free." - jpp3252

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Woman who traveled abroad for 2 weeks realizes why she can't marry an American man

"I'm actually embarrassed to talk about this."

via Canva/Photos

A woman holding back her laughter.

One of the biggest topics in parenting these days is the mental and physical drain that comes with being the default parent in a family. The default parent is the one who is first in line when it comes to taking responsibility for parenting duties, whether that means making doctor’s appointments, ensuring the homework is done, or making sure the child has enough socks to make it through the week.

Being the default parent can lead to fatigue and burnout, and the parent can experience incredible anxiety when their attention turns away from the household or family. The situation is even worse when the default parent’s partner only does the bare minimum. Unfortunately, in American society, fathers are often the parents who do just enough to get by and are praised for it.

The notion that men don’t have to pull their equal weight in American family life is so ingrained that when Emma Hughes, a travel nanny with over one year of experience in childcare and family support, visited Sweden for two weeks, she experienced extreme culture shock.


"I've been in Sweden now and I think I've been ruined for American men," the 24-year-old said in a viral Instagram video. "Specifically raising a child with an American man in America, because these Scandinavian dads? Chef's kiss …"

"I'm actually embarrassed to talk about this because all of the observations that I've made have really revealed to me how deeply ingrained [expletive] dads have become like in my brain, and it's just like the default,” she continued.

The notion that fathers only have to do the bare minimum was so ingrained in Hughes’ psyche that she couldn’t understand seeing so many involved fathers in Sweden.

sweden, swedish dad, swedish fathers, soccer, swedish child A dad playing soccer with his child.via Canva/Photos

"When I see more dads pushing their strollers in the park on a Saturday morning than moms, what does my brain think … That's weird, there is something abnormal about that,” Hughes said. “When I see dads at the grocery store with their kids. When I see dads out at restaurants or in public. It is so deeply telling of a lot of subconscious stuff that I have going on in my brain after working with so many families."

She said that even the best dads she's worked with in America would be considered the "Scandinavian bare minimum." She applauded one Swedish father who purchased a new size of diapers for his baby without being told to do so by his partner.

swedes, swedish couple, scandanavia, swedish flag, happy swedes A couple holding up the Swedish flag.via Canva/Photos

"Like I watched a Swedish dad go to the grocery store and come home with like four bags of groceries and in that trip he had bought size two diapers for a baby that had previously been wearing size one and was ready to move into size two but that conversation had not happened between the mom and the dad,” she said.

Given Swedish dads' dedication towards their parenting responsibilities, it’s fair to assume that their partners are much happier and stress-free than those in the States. But what about their kids? Researchers at the United Nations who studied “child well-being in rich countries” found that Swedish fathers also ranked high by their children. The survey asked children in 28 countries if it was easy to talk to their dads, and while 67% of children in the study said their parents were easy to talk to, Swedish fathers scored higher at 72.4%. Meanwhile, the U.S ranked 25, out of 28, at just 59.7%.

sweden, swedish dad, swedish fathers, swedish child, dad reading note, A Swedish dad reading a note. via Canva/Photos

Ultimately, Hughes makes an important point that Scandinavian men have set a high bar for being fathers and that American men need to step up. The positive sign is that in America, the discussion around default parenting has been getting louder and louder, and hopefully, that will prompt more American men and women to set higher expectations so that one day, American men can catch Sweden’s.

This article originally appeared in May.

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Woman who opens food at the grocery store before paying has started a huge debate over shopping ethics

Is it okay to snack on groceries while you shop?

@cecilybauchmann/TikTok

We may never reach an agreement on this.

To snack, or not to snack while grocery shopping? That is the question. At least, that’s been the question for as long as grocery stores have existed: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer through "hanger" and cravings, or take into your arms precious sustenance that fuels you through the shopping trip, so long as you pay for it later.

Apparently, there is very little gray area with this subject. People seem to have very, very strong opinions as to whether or not eating food at the grocery store is appropriate behavior.

Case in point—the heated comments that were ignited after TikTok influencer Cecily Bauchmann filmed herself placing an empty sushi container on the checkout conveyor belt.

“I also opened this in store. I’m sorry, I was so hungry!” Bauchmann explains to the cashier through a giggle.

As she revealed in her caption, this is a regular shopping routine. “Me every time at the grocery store,” she wrote. “Opening food at the grocery store is a normal thing.”

@cecilybauchmann OPENING FOOD IS A NORMAL THING AT THE GROCERY STORE K?🍓✨#relatablemom #relatablemomlife #groceryshopping #groceryhaul #grocerystore ♬ original sound - Cecily Bauchmann

And thus, the war was waged.

“My mama never let us do this and I get lowkey embarrassed when anyone I’m with does this :///” one person wrote.

“Idc how hungry I am, I'd never do this,” another wrote.

One even called out: “It isn’t mine until I pay for it. In my head it’s considered stealing.”

On the other hand, several sided with Bauchmann, saying that they do it themselves when hunger strikes.

“I do that too. If you pay for it at the end then I see no problem,” one person commented.

Many noted that for parents with hungry (and impatient) kiddos, pre-checkout snacking is the only real option for a smooth shopping experience.

“My mom only does this sometimes if we go grocery shopping and my lil siblings really want it,” one person shared.

“I let my child eat a bag of goldfish we hadn’t paid for yet while at Target. I didn’t know this was a controversy?” another seconded.

Even cashiers couldn’t seem to agree.

“When I’m a cashier I get annoyed sometimes when people hand me their trash to scan,” one noted.

Another argued, “I’m a cashier, it’s pretty common lol. I just offer to throw it away for them if it’s empty.”

Still, another wrote, “I worked at a grocery store for 5 years. As long as you don’t eat food that’s cost is by weight and you don’t make a mess it’s fine.”

Zero consensus to be had.

Morals and etiquette aside, what’s the legal stance on this? In the UK, the answer is definitive. It is against the law to snack while you shop. But in the United States, things aren’t so well defined.

According to Betty Wang, attorney and contributor to Find Law, U.S. law requires two elements in order to define an activity as shoplifting. One, taking the item (duh) and two, intentionally evading checking the item out.

Therefore, the argument of “as long as they pay for it later” does somewhat hold up in court, so to speak. However, things change when an item is priced by weight, since you are technically not paying for that which was already consumed.

Also, most stores have individual discretion known as shopkeeper's privilege, meaning that, legally speaking, there really is more of a gray area. Basically, unless you get called out for the snacking by an employee or loss-prevention officer, it’s pretty fair game.


Will there ever be a general consensus on this? Maybe not. We humans have very different moral codes a lot of the time, even when it comes to mundane activities. Sometimes you never know what seemingly harmless thing to you is actually a social faux pas to someone else. But hey, it keeps things interesting.

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