Source: MajaMitrovic / Getty Images
Food costs continue to rise, making budgets for people across the U.S. tighter and tighter. While there’s no guaranteed way to bring down grocery prices, here are 22 ways to save on your grocery bill:
22 Ways to Save On Your Grocery Bill
1. Microwave Lemons for More Juice
Source:Getty
Microwave sliced lemons for about 20 seconds. The warm fruit is easier to squeeze, allowing you to make more lemonade with those lemons.
2. Explore Off Brands
Source:Getty
You don’t always have to buy name-brand cereals, yogurts and other products. Many store brands offer a similar quality product at a major discount, making a clear reduction in your typical grocery bill.
3. Use Store Apps for Deals
Source:Getty
Many grocery stores have their own apps these days which have several features, including special coupons and deals that may be exclusive to the app.
4. Thrift a Bread Machine
Source:Getty
Bread machines are great kitchen appliances for cutting costs. They’re common on thrift store shelves and relatively inexpensive, plus the ingredients to make the bread are relatively inexpensive as well.
5. Meal Prep Ready-to-Go Meals to Avoid Fast Food Cravings
Source:Getty
Preparing and freezing meals that can be ready in minutes via a microwave is a great way to cut costs. This strategy can save you a trip to or delivery from a pricey fast-food restaurant.
6. Save and Freeze Vegetable Scraps for Stock
Source:Getty
Leftover odds and ends from vegetables may be worth holding onto. Save them by freezing them for later use in creating stock, which can be used in a variety of other dishes later.
7. Save Overripe Bananas
Source:Getty
Overripe bananas don’t belong in the trash. Discard the peels and freeze them for use in smoothies, or use them for banana bread and other baked goods.
8. Pot Store-Bought Herbs
Source:Getty
Potting and caring for store-bought herbs, like basil, can lead to continuously reaped benefits.Â
9. Regrow Lettuce from Stalks
Source:Getty
Place a lettuce stalk in a bowl of fresh water, leave in a sunny spot. After about four to five, you should have lettuce leaves perfect to throw on a sandwich.
10. Use Everything You Can
Source:Getty
People tend to throw away broccoli and cauliflower stalks once they’ve been cut off, when in reality most of the stalk can be cooked with the rest of the vegetable. Stale bread can also be used to make breadcrumbs for other dishes.
11. Buy Produce in Season
Source:Getty
Save money on fruits and vegetables by buying them during their natural growing seasons.
12. Buy in Bulk
Source:Getty
Buying food in bulk is a cheaper way to shop. Buying in larger quantities lead to lower costs in the long run, while also saving you frequent trips to the store for ingredients.Â
13. Plan Meals and Ingredients Ahead
Source:Getty
To limit food that goes to waste at home, come up with a meal plan and a strict list of ingredients to prevent unused food from spoiling on you.
14. Freeze Herbs Before They Spoil
Source:Getty
Freezing herbs before they spoil helps them last longer. A great method is freezing them in ice cube trays full of water or stock, which can be quickly added to a cooking pot.
15. Decrystalize Honey
Source:Getty
Revitalize jars of crystalized honey buy placing the container in hot water for about 10 minutes.
16. Ripen Fruit in an Oven
Source:Getty
Need bananas or other fruit ripe fast? Throw them in the oven to help sweeten them, making them ready to use almost immediately.
17. Freeze Milk Before It Spoils
Source:Getty
Freeze milk in ice cube trays before it spoils. These frozen milk cubes can be used in iced coffee, smoothies and more to avoid watering down your favorite drinks.
18. Cook in Large Quantities
Source:Getty
Cooking meals in larger quantities not only saves you time, but it’ll save you money too. Cooking meals in larger quantities can cut down on the quantity of ingredients needed throughout a week. Leftover food that won’t be consumed can always be frozen and eaten later.
19. Meal Prep Freezer with Ingredients
Source:Getty
Save time and money by meal prepping ingredients ahead of time. This helps prevents fresh ingredients from spoiling, and saves you time for when you finally are able to make use of the ingredients, as they’ve already been prepared.
20. Make Two-Ingredient Pizza Dough
Source:Getty
Not only are you saving a ton of money on a pricey pizza delivery, but using self-rising flower and greek yogurt can make you a great pizza crust. Not only is it cost effective, but the greek yogurt packs the crust with protein!
21. Store Herbs Like Flowers
Source:Getty
Store herbs in glasses or vases full of two inches of water, just like flowers, to help them keep for longer. Sit them with the stem in the water, and make sure you change the water regularly. Keep them out of sunlight.
22. Revive Stale Bread
Source:Getty
Revive stale bread by taking a few tablespoons of water, pour it on the bread, and bake in an oven for two to three minutes. Works best with whole loaves.
