For most people, grocery shopping is a fact of life. Unfortunately, so are rising food prices. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index, food costs 19.1% more in 2026 than it did four years ago.
As costs rise, you may struggle to fill your cart without blowing up your budget. While buying groceries is a necessity, overpaying isn’t. Here are 13 strategies to help you lower your food costs even when prices continue to climb.
How to save money on groceries
There are a variety of ways to cut grocery costs, and choosing any one can save you meaningful amounts of money. If you’re feeling stuck, try one (or more) of the following strategies to save money at the grocery store.
1. Compare per-unit prices
When you comparison shop, don’t evaluate the sticker price alone. Make sure you consider the cost per unit to find out which product is actually the most affordable. This strategy is especially critical when companies use “shrinkflation” to sell smaller quantities at the same price.
Most grocery stores list a unit price right below the item’s total price. For instance, this might be displayed as price per ounce (e.g., $0.25/oz) or price per pound (e.g., $3.99/lb).
If the unit price isn’t listed, you can calculate it:
Total price ÷ Quantity = Unit Price
For example, say you’re comparing pasta sauces:
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16 oz jar for $4: $4 ÷ 16 = $0.25/oz
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24 oz jar for $5: $5 ÷ 24 = $0.21/oz
In this case, even though the second jar costs more, it’s the better deal per ounce.
Additionally, if you have multiple stores in your area, you can also compare prices across stores. There are plenty of apps on the market that can make comparison shopping easier, including Grocery Dealz, Basket, and Flipp.
2. Shop your pantry before making a grocery list
The best place to make your grocery list isn’t in the grocery store parking lot before heading into the store — it’s in your kitchen. This allows you to open the pantry, fridge, and freezer to see what you already have, then create a shopping list around those items.
Not only can shopping your pantry and fridge help minimize your shopping list and bill, but it can also help eliminate waste by using up food that’s about to go bad.
3. Join a loyalty program
If you primarily shop at a handful of grocery stores, it’s often worth joining their loyalty programs. Popular stores such as Kroger, Safeway, and Target offer free loyalty programs to help you save money through personalized coupons, points, or rewards.
You can often sign up with a phone number, which you enter at checkout to earn and claim rewards. Some programs also have mobile apps to let you manage your account and track rewards from your phone.
4. Use a rewards credit card
Groceries can take up a major slice of your budget. However, strategically using a rewards credit card for grocery purchases can help offset some of those costs.
The key is to use a card that offers generous rewards for grocery spending — and then pay off your bill each month. That means you still need to stick with your grocery budget and only charge what you know you can repay on time. Carrying a credit card balance will result in interest charges that wipe out any savings from rewards you’ve earned.
Keep in mind that some cards also reward grocery delivery. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card earns 3x points on online grocery purchases.
5. Avoid prepackaged, precut, and prepared items when possible
Those plastic packages of precut fruit or marinated meat are convenient, but that convenience comes at a cost.
If your main goal is to save money at the grocery store, buy raw, whole ingredients and prep them at home. On the other hand, if you’re short on time and the trade-off is prepared foods vs. takeout, you’ll save more with prepared foods.
6. Opt for generic brands and discount stores
Name brands might be familiar, but the recognition comes at a premium. According to Consumer Reports, buying store brand over name brand can save you around 25% on your grocery bill. Plus, you usually don’t have to sacrifice taste or quality. Based on Consumer Reports’ findings and surveys of their readers, generic store brands “perform about as well as name brands.”
You may also be able to take your savings up a notch by shopping store brands at discount stores, such as Aldi, WinCo Foods, and Walmart.
7. Sign up for a rebate app
Rebate apps such as Ibotta, Fetch Rewards, and Upside can offer cash rewards for shopping in store or online. While you’re essentially earning money for shopping, using rebate apps may involve an extra step or two. For instance, when you use Ibotta, you have to first add offers to your list in the app. After shopping, you then need to upload your receipt to receive your rewards via direct deposit or gift card.
8. Buy nonperishables in bulk (and consider a wholesale club membership)
Buying in bulk isn’t just for big families. With the right strategy, you can take advantage of the cost savings of bulk shopping even with a small household.
Focus bulk shopping on nonperishables and staples you use all the time, such as beans, canned tomatoes, olive oil, coffee, or peanut butter. If you have the freezer space, you might even take advantage of deals on meat, bread, and other freezer-friendly items.
Wholesale clubs such as Costco or Sam’s Club could save you money if you use this strategy, but you’ll have to weigh the potential cost savings against the membership fee. And don’t fall into the trap of buying in bulk only to let things go to waste.
9. Grow what you can
If you have the space, time, and interest, tending a small garden can help you save money on fresh herbs and veggies. However, you’ll have to consider the up-front cost of getting started.
Be strategic about what you can grow that’ll offer the most cost savings. For example, growing herbs can be relatively inexpensive and straightforward — and it’ll lead to meaningful savings when a small bunch of herbs can cost several dollars at the grocery store.
Also consider growing foods you can preserve or freeze easily so you can eat from your garden (and save money) year-round.
10. Cook essentials from scratch
There’s a reason processed and prepared foods are so popular: Cooking from scratch takes a lot of time. But if you can set aside a few hours on the weekend, cooking a few items yourself can lead to major savings at the store.
Start by picking one or two simple foods you eat frequently, and try making them from scratch. Salad dressings, sandwich bread, pasta sauce, and granola are all relatively easy to make. The more comfortable you get with a recipe, the more it’ll feel like second nature — and the more you’ll appreciate both the cost savings and the taste.
11. Meal plan on busy weeks
Meal planning requires some up-front work, but the payoff can be huge when it comes to both time and money.
Spend a couple of hours on the weekend planning what you’ll eat each day of the week. Then make your grocery list and head to the store. Even if you don’t prep recipes ahead of time, simply knowing what you’ll eat and having the ingredients on hand can be enough to prevent you from ordering takeout after a busy day.
12. Eat less meat
Meat dishes may be simple and tasty, but if you want to save money on groceries, you might want to change your ways. Meat is expensive and getting pricier: The retail price of beef rose about 37% from 2019 to 2024.
To keep your grocery budget under control, try using meat in lower quantities. For example, use meat as a flavoring, not the focus of a meal. You can also substitute plant-based proteins, like lentils, for half of the meat in a recipe. And don’t overlook more affordable proteins that can anchor a meal, such as tofu, beans, or eggs.
13. Waste less
Perhaps the most effective way to save money on groceries is to cut down on food waste. According to the USDA, 30% to 40% of the food supply ends up as waste. Put another way, if you can eliminate food waste in your home, you can save 30% to 40% on your grocery bill.
Some simple ways to reduce waste include:
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Eating leftovers for lunch the next day
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Regularly surveying your fridge for soon-to-expire items
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Storing produce correctly to maximize freshness
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Freezing perishable foods to prolong their shelf life
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Using veggie scraps to make stock
Bottom line
There are endless ways to save money at the grocery store. Some strategies are quick and easy to implement; others require substantial time and effort. The key isn’t to put all of these tips into practice — it’s to find the approach that works best for your lifestyle and gives you the biggest bang for your buck.
