This post is part of the Money Made Simple series — practical, no-fuss money habits from real life experience. No financial expertise required. Grocery prices are all over the place right now, and if you’re looking for real ways to lower your grocery bill, you’re not alone — it’s easy to feel like you’re spending more and getting less every single week.

I’ve been there. When I was first starting out on my own, every dollar in the grocery cart had to count. Over the years I built a simple routine that actually works — no extreme couponing, no binder full of Sunday circulars, no complicated tracking system. Just real-life habits that help you spend less and still eat well.

These are the exact steps I follow every week.

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1. Check the Weekly Sales Before You Plan Anything

This is where I start every single week — before I make a list, before I plan a single meal.

The weekly sales change everything. Chicken on sale? Chicken meals this week. Ground beef marked down? Chili, tacos, or a casserole. Pasta and canned tomatoes on special? That’s three dinners right there.

Let the sales drive your meal plan, not the other way around. This single habit can lower your grocery bill by $20-30 a month without any extra effort.

2. Shop the Produce Section First

Fresh produce changes week to week depending on what’s in season and what the store needs to move. If you build your meals around what’s on sale in the produce section first, you naturally spend less and eat healthier without even trying.

Asparagus marked down? That’s your vegetable this week. Zucchini on special? Into the soup it goes.

3. Look Below Eye Level — Stores Count on You Not To

Grocery stores put the expensive name brands right at eye level. That’s not an accident — it’s merchandising strategy.

The cheaper options are almost always on the bottom shelf. Same product, smaller price, different label. Once you notice it, you’ll never shop the same way again. You will easily lower your grocery bill by doing this when you shop.

4. Buy Store Brand — It’s Usually the Same Product

Store-brand pasta, canned goods, spices, broth, dairy — most of the time it comes from the same manufacturer as the name brand, just in different packaging. Sometimes the store brand is actually better.

This is one of the easiest swaps you can make and you’ll feel it immediately in your weekly total.

Budget-friendly casseroles are perfect for weeks when you’re working the sales. Here’s one of our family favorites that uses simple pantry staples — Easy Rice Crispy Chicken Casserole.

5. Use Coupons — But Keep It Simple

You don’t need a system. I use what’s easy and available:

Your grocery store app almost certainly has digital coupons you can clip in one tap. Most people ignore them. Don’t be most people.

A few coupon sites are worth checking before a big shop. And here’s one most people don’t know — emailing a brand directly sometimes gets you starter coupons or samples. It takes two minutes and works more often than you’d think.

Adding this habit to your shopping and meal prep routine is of the simplest grocery saving tips that changes the way you shop.

6. Check Unit Prices — Bigger Isn’t Always Cheaper

The big container looks like the better deal. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn’t.

The small yellow unit price label on the shelf edge tells you the price per ounce or per count. That’s the number that actually matters. Check it every time — especially on things you buy regularly like cooking oil, cereal, or cleaning supplies.

Those tiny numbers make a real difference over a month of shopping.

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7. Use What You Already Have to Lower Your Grocery Bill

Before you add anything to your list, look at what’s already in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Odds are there’s a meal hiding in there.

I built a free Cozy Meal Planner to help with exactly this. Grab the downloadable version ($5) to use it offline anytime.

One of my favorite ways to stretch produce and reduce waste is making homemade vegetable broth from scraps I save in the freezer. It costs almost nothing and adds real flavor to everything.

Here is my recipe for making the vegetable broth and the vegetable soup — How to Make Vegetable Soup from Leftover Vegetables

This is exactly why I built a free interactive Cozy Meal Planner — because knowing what you have before you shop is the single biggest way to stop wasting money. It has a pantry tracker and a freezer inventory built right in, so you can see at a glance what’s Good, what’s Low, and what’s Out before you ever write your shopping list.

And because I know a lot of us shop every two weeks rather than every week, the meal planner has a Week 1 and Week 2 toggle so your planning actually matches how you shop.

Bookmark this page. Use it right here — no download, no account, no app needed:

Your pantry and freezer are already working for you. Now you have a way to actually see them.

Glass storage containers make it easy to see exactly what you have at a glance — no mystery leftovers hiding in the back. These are the ones I use.

8. Make a Few Staples from Scratch and Save Money on Groceries

This one sounds harder than it is — and the savings are real.

I make my own mayonnaise, my own vegetable broth, and I grow a small herb garden on my porch. None of it takes long, but all of it cuts down on what goes in the cart every week.

Store-bought mayonnaise, broth, and fresh herbs add up quietly. Making them yourself costs a fraction of the price and honestly tastes better. My homemade avocado oil mayonnaise takes about five minutes with an immersion blender. This is the immersion blender I use — it's been in my kitchen for years. I use Chosen Foods avocado oil — it's what I use for mayo and everyday cooking.

My vegetable broth costs almost nothing — I save vegetable scraps in a freezer bag all week and simmer them when the bag is full. I use these freezer storage bags — they seal well and hold up in the freezer for months.

The herbs are the easiest of all. A few pots on a windowsill or porch — basil, rosemary, thyme — and you stop paying grocery store prices for a small plastic clamshell that goes limp in three days.

Homemade Avocado Oil Mayonnaise — How I Learned to Make Homemade Avocado Oil Mayonnaise

Vegetable Soup from Leftover Vegetables — How to Make Vegetable Soup Using Leftover Vegetables

Wide mouth mason jars are endlessly useful for storing homemade mayo, broth, and pantry staples.

9. Buy from the Local Farmers Market

Along with making things from scratch, shopping local can be beneficial for everyone. Buying larger quantities here can provide a bunch of options for meals, sauces, seasonings, and more.

Many farmers markets sell cartons of fruits and vegetable when they are in season at a fraction of the cost - because they need to sell. As an example, I purchased two cartons of tomatoes and made, soup, sauces, froze some tomatoes for future use and did some canning.

If you want to get into canning and preserving your own food, FluxingWell has a great section on it — Lisa goes into much more detail than I would!

Final Thoughts

None of these habits require an overhaul of your routine. Start with just two — check the weekly sales and swap one name brand for store brand — and see what happens to your weekly total.

Small consistent habits make a bigger difference than dramatic changes. Your grocery budget is one of the most flexible parts of your monthly spending once you start paying attention to.

Adding any of these habits can lower your grocery bill by $20-30 a month without any extra effort.

Want more simple money habits? This is part of my Money Made Simple series — start with Where Does Your Money Go? and Frugal Habits That Stuck.

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About the Author

Hi, I'm Mary Ann, creator of My Tasteful Threads cozy lifestyle blog where I share cozy reads, meaningful travel ideas, handmade crafts, and simple everyday cooking. Most evenings you'll find me with yarn in one hand, a cup of tea nearby, and a good book within reach.

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