As a mother of five, I am often asked about tips on how to save money on grocery bills for large families. A few weeks ago, a dear friend (Hi, Emily!) asked the same question and I decided I really needed to write down all the tips in one place.
I headed over to Facebook and asked my friends to weigh in. Between our church and the adoption community, we have many friends with large families. It is a blessing to be able to ask one another and share these tips with you!
Money Saving Tips
Meal Plan:
- I know, I know – it can be so hard. The good news? Once you start doing it, it will become second nature and you’ll wonder why you didn’t always do it.
- You can start with planning three meals a week and eventually work up to five and then seven! Just think about what three nights are you usually home?
- There are a few wonderful local bloggers to help you get started – Around My Family Table, Liz on Call, and Laura’s Crafty Life. Take a peek at how they do it and see which one resonates with you, then go for it! You can do this!
Order groceries on-line and pick up:
- Many of the moms weighed in on Walmart and Fry’s pick up options. We all agree that being in our home when we are ordering helps us not overbuy something we already have on hand. It also helps us plan for the week using what is already in the refrigerator.
- We also agreed that not going into the store saves us from the temptation to grab convenience foods that can be expensive.
Purchase non-perishable pantry items in bulk:
- Do you have a wholesale store near you? (Sams, Costco, American Discount Foods) If yes, purchase a membership and track your spending on items like paper towels and diapers for six months. More than likely, you will find that you are saving money compared to purchasing them as needed from your local grocery store.
Purchase meat in bulk:
- As soon as you get home, divide it into portions appropriate for your family’s size and freeze.
Use coupon apps:
There are many of these to choose from, so just choose a few that work for you, that you can keep up with.
- Ibotta – I love this app. This year, in just over two months, I’ve received $23 cash back. This is on top of coupons I’ve used at the store. Here is a the link to sign up – Click here.
- Shopkick – This one is so easy to use! You get points just for walking into the store. You can walk around and scan different products to get additional ‘kicks’, but usually I forget to do that part. Shopkick rewards you with gift cards, so I use this app to end up with a few Amazon gift cards at the end of the year as stocking stuffers! Click here to sign up.
- Frys – I use the Fry’s app for online grocery ordering. As I add each item to the cart, it shows me at the bottom of the screen if there is an available coupon. All you have to do is add the coupon before you add the next item. How easy is that? And don’t forget the fuel points you get! I usually save $.20 per gallon on my next fill up.
- Rakuten – First, sign up using my referral link. You’ll get the option of a free $10 gift card to Wal-Mart or $10 cash back from Rakuten. Once you spend $25 from any store through Rakuten, you will get this bonus.
Then every time you are going to shop online, go to Rakuten.
Search the site you want to shop on, click on it to activate the cash back offer and go from there. You’ll be referred to the brand’s website through a unique link that lets Rakuten see your purchases so it can reward you with cash back. You’ll be able to still use all the same coupons, deals, etc. as you would have if you had gone to the site directly. You just add a stop to Rakuten first.
Rakuten tracks your spending and credits your PayPal account or sends you a check in the mail quarterly!
Let’s recap! Meal plan, use those on-line ordering options, and use coupon apps. Every penny counts! We hope these money saving tips help you reach your grocery budget goals. Let us know if we missed anything!
