I’ve written extensively on how to lower your grocery budget (even in times of high inflation), but this post will be a bit different. This is all about ways to lower your grocery budget long term – meaning these things might cost you more upfront but, in the long term, will pay off big dividends.
1. Stock Up When On Sale
Out the gate, we’re going to talk about one point that you’ve probably heard a million times before. Stock up on pantry staples and freezer items when they are on sale. For example, typically during the Christian Liturgical Season of Lent, fish and most other seafood goes on sale. So it’s the perfect time to stock up on seafood favorites that can be stored in the freezer. But the key here is to list all the items your family regularly consumes and start tracking their prices.
Things like oats, oils (olive oil, avocado oil, etc.), meat cuts your family enjoys, frozen favorites like vegetables and potatoes, peanut butter (or other types of non-perishable nut butter) cereals, canned goods, noodles, rice, and on and on the list goes. You don’t need to make this complicated. Just make a list in your phone and start recording the prices as you do your normal grocery shopping. That way as you shop and you notice a sale you can quickly check the list in your phone to see if its a good deal or not to stock up on.
And here’s the thing – ever watch those “Mom of five feeds her family for $55 a week 
” videos on Youtube and wonder how she had all the meats and other staples ready to go? This is how she affords to buy less and spend less. She stocked up when on sale and thus doesn’t have to pay as much weekly at the store but still feeds her family well.
2. Purchase a half or whole cow.
This is a big one, I know. But hands down, one of the BEST ways we’ve been able to lower our grocery budget (especially when the price of eggs and chicken was through the roof) was by having a half cow in our freezer. I didn’t buy any meats for two months unless they were heavily marked down, and my carnivore husband didn’t die (feel free to laugh. The man loves his meat ).
Yes, purchasing a half or whole cow is very expensive. Here’s how we afforded it:
We set up a Sinking Fund to first fund the purchase of a deep freezer.
We bought the deep freezer from a scratch and dent sale a local hardware store was having.
We contributed $200 from every paycheck to the Sinking Fund after purchasing the freezer to save specifically for the cow.
We opted to try a half cow first as this was our first time making this type of purchase, and we weren’t sure of the quality of the beef.
Once we had enough to pay for the deposit (half the estimated price), we put our order in.
Then we continued to put in $200 in the Sinking Fund until we had reached the other half of the estimated price.
Before purchasing the half cow, we used ButcherBox, a great way to try out grass-fed beef and other meats. If you’re not ready to invest in a half or whole cow, ButcherBox may be a great deal for you.
3. Pay Attention to Protein
Over the last year, in an effort to lose the 30 pounds I gained from the Pandemic, I’ve learned a lot about nutrition. And one of those things I’ve learned is that if you don’t consume enough protein, you will be hungry – like hangry hungry. And then, guess what? You’ll send your body, and ladies, you’ll send your hormones into a tailspin. So pay attention to protein!
That said. Protein isn’t all about eating meats. Protein is found in so many food sources. If you have growing kids like mine who attempt to eat you out of house and home, pay attention to the protein offerings in your home. Instead of letting your kids chow down on Pringles, which are just empty calories and hold no nutritional value, give them cheese and crackers. Make peanut butter roll-ups (flour tortillas with peanut butter spread on them and rolled up). Buy protein bars when they’re on sale and keep them in your home for those major hunger moments. Buy a greek yogurt blend instead of just regular yogurt that contains a higher amount of protein.
If you start paying attention to the amount of protein you keep available in your home, you’ll notice a drop in the neverending cycle of “I’m starving” around your home.
4. Meal Rotation
If you’ve read my book, Getting Good with Money, you already know this tip. Set up a list (keep it short) of your family’s favorite meals. Then add them into a rotation in your meal plan. This way, you’ll always have on your meal plan list a meal that you know the majority of your family will eat and love. And if you stock up on the items needed for these meals, you’ll be prepared to make them in a pinch when you find yourself in one of those “do I really have to cook dinner again” nights. So instead of ordering takeout and spending a small fortune for it, you can make a beloved family meal instead!
Example of meals* I keep in our rotation (these will change as the seasons – i.e., soups will be in rotation during Fall and Winter):
Sausage, bean, and kale soup
Sheetpan nachos
Sheetpan kielbasa meal
Chicken quesadillas
Swedish Meatballs
Beef Stroganoff
Sweet and sour chicken
Black pepper chicken
Pot roast
*Many of these recipes are found here in my meal-planning workbook.
The key here is to make your list and stick it somewhere you’ll see it (I keep mine inside our cabinet door where our non-perishable food is kept).
5. Eat the Food You Buy
This may seem obvious, but it’s one that most of us in the Western world struggle with. We struggle to eat our leftovers. Instead of eating them for lunch or repurposing them, we let them rot in the back of our fridge or freezer until we finally decide it’s time to throw them out. But here’s the deal. If you aren’t eating the food you buy, then you are wasting your time and money. It doesn’t do you any good to stock up and save and plan your food if you’re going to let it rot away.
So if you want to lower your grocery budget in the long term you’re going to have to actually eat those leftovers.
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