Beat Inflation in 2024: How to Eat Nutritious Meals Without Breaking the Bank

I saw the total growing as I typed in the last few purchases and my stomach dropped. Over $1200 this month on groceries.

No wonder we were struggling to pay our bills each month. These healthy meals were killing us.

Over the next few months, I took on the challenge of getting our food budget under $1000 each month.

That was in 2023. Today, in 2024, with inflation soaring, I spend less than $600 each month on groceries. And we eat more nutritious food than we ever have.

How did I cut my grocery bill in half when food prices are skyrocketing?

In this article, I’ll share my 10 best tips for saving money on groceries in 2024, without sacrificing your health.

Beat Inflation in 2024: How to Eat Nutritious Meals Without Breaking the Bank

How Much Should You Budget for Groceries?

First off, how much is too much for groceries? Ultimately you decide.

Start by figuring out how much you currently spend on groceries. Add up this month, and then spend a few months tracking your grocery spending. This will help you set a realistic starting goal.

We’re a blended family of 6, with 2 kids full-time and 2 part-time. I started out spending $1200 a month to meet the needs of my family, which wasn’t working on our tight budget.

I set a goal for $1000, then $800, and today I’m at $600 a month.

If I’d started with a goal of $600, I would have given up on the whole task. So set reasonable goals that you can achieve.

From what I’ve gathered a good price is $100 to $150 per person, per month. So 4 people would be $400 to $600. But if you’re a family of 4 and currently spending $1000 a month, $600 is too extreme.

Try cutting your current average down by $200. Then cut by another $200 if you want. Then again. Until you’re where you want to be.

10 Tips to Cut Your Grocery Costs in Half in 2024

Take on a few of these tips and once you’ve got them down, try a few more. Until your grocery bill isn’t breaking the budget.

Tip 1: Unlock Big Savings: Create Smart Monthly & Weekly Grocery Budgets

Like goal setting, you want to set your big goal and your smaller goals with budgeting. So set your monthly grocery budget and then break it down into a weekly budget. I don’t strictly adhere to these, as you’ll see in Tip 6, but this helps guide me through the month.

My budget is currently $600. I break that down into $150 a week. I try to keep my weekly trips around or under that number.

This helps keep me on track each week so I can stay on track for the month. If I set a monthly goal of $600, I might feel like I can spend $300 at Costco, thinking my other trips will be small. From my experience, this kills my whole budget.

The Bottom Line: Spend roughly a quarter of your budget each week.

Tip 2: Plan Your Meals, Shrink Your Bill: The Power of Meal Planning

You’ve probably already heard this tip before, but it’s worth mentioning if you haven’t. Planning your meals and making a grocery shopping list is the first step in reducing your grocery bill.

If you struggle with meal planning, read my article on meal planning for busy moms to find a simple way to make it work for you, even in the busiest times.

Take some time each week to create a weekly meal plan. Add the ingredients you need to a list, and then add all the extras, like snacks.

When you shop, stick to this list of healthy items and don’t let impulse purchases overhaul your budget.

Tip 3: Shop Once a Week: Limit Trips, Maximize Savings

Imagine this…you’ve created your list and completed your grocery shopping under budget, but midway through the week, you realize you forgot an essential ingredient for a meal. You run to the grocery store to pick it up, hauling your kids along after soccer practice, and come home with an extra $50 spent on snacks and a cereal they had to have, along with your one item. You’re over budget and feel like throwing in the towel for the whole month.

This used to happen to me all the time. How did I change it? I stopped these small trips.

Shop once a week with a list. If you forget something, improvise, move that meal to the next week, or move next week’s trip up a day or two to compensate.

Don’t make an extra trip for a few forgotten items. This will kill your budgeting efforts in the end.

This attitude takes a mindset shift, but it’s worth it.

Tip 4: Buy in Bulk: Stock Up and Save More

Sometimes, buying more can save you money. When buying items, pay attention to the unit price. Typically, it’s cheaper to buy more. Buying in bulk is a great way to save money if it’s something you use regularly.

If you find an item on sale that’s a part of your regular meal plan, grab a few instead of one.

If you alternate stores, make sure you stock up on items at the best prices at each store.

Be careful to only buy items you’ll use to minimize food waste. You aren’t saving money if you’re buying items you won’t use. But if you make the same meals weekly or biweekly, it makes sense to stock up on those items.

I tend to stock up on these items:

• Brown rice
• Whole grains
• Black beans
• Chickpeas
• Canned salsa

Tip 5: Why Skipping Costco Could Boost Your Grocery Savings

It’s important to note that Costco can be a dangerous choice. I used to love shopping at Costco, but often left with a $300 bill. And still needed a few items at another store, so I was at $400 for a week’s groceries. This killed our budget.

After trying multiple ways to make it work, I finally decided Costco had to go.

We still buy non-grocery items at Costco and some bulk food items occasionally. But mostly, I skip it for groceries.

Tip 6: Picking the Best Grocery Stores for Your Wallet

Like Costco, I couldn’t meet our budget by shopping at the local grocery store.

I now tend to buy the bulk of my healthy grocery list at Trader Joe’s and then supplement with items from Walmart, Sprouts, Whole Foods, and Grocery Outlet throughout the month. But there are only certain items I’ll buy at each place.

If you’re solely shopping somewhere like Whole Foods, Sprouts, or a local grocery store, switching to a different store is an easy way to save money. I can find most of the same items at Walmart for 2-3 dollars cheaper than Sprouts or Whole Foods. Buy the items you can only get at those stores and look for the rest of your list at a store with better prices.

Tip 7: Alternate Big and Small Buys: Balance Your Budget Every Week

This is one of my best tips. It’s helped me crack the foreign code of grocery savings.

I alternate a big buy and a small buy on my grocery trips.

So, for week one, I’ll go to Trader Joe’s and stock up on two weeks’ worth of the items. Plus, produce because it’s better and cheaper there. This trip is usually on the high end of my weekly budget, often slightly over. Between $150 and $180.

Then, for week two, I’ll place a grocery pickup order from Walmart or Walmart Neighborhood Market or go somewhere like Grocery Outlet. Since I’m picky about my produce, if I need some, I go to Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, or Whole Foods and pick up just a few items.

I try to keep this combined trip as small as possible, between $75 and $125. These are just a few essentials to get us through until the next big trip.

This strategy has worked well for me. I don’t stress on my big weeks and make up for it on the small weeks.

Tip 8: Make Your Produce Last

If produce has you running out twice a week, I have a few items that have been a lifesaver in this department for me. Grab a few Bluapples to throw into your produce drawers. They keep your produce fresh longer.

If you’re a big fresh fruits and fresh vegetables family, I also suggest these Rubbermaid Produce Saver Storage Containers. I use these for baby carrots, leafy greens, berries, and grapes.

These items have been such a help with healthy eating, so I can buy fresh produce and keep it fresh between grocery trips.

Tip 9: Use Cashback: An Easy Way to Increase Your Savings

I find most cashback sites to be more trouble than they’re worth. I do personally use Rakuten and Fetch Rewards. I’ve tried all the others and don’t think they’re worth it.

But one recent find of mine, is Acorns, which isn’t a cashback site, but an investing one. Instead of giving you a gift card or a check for your cashback, they invest a percentage of certain purchases. So, instead of simply getting 2% cash back, you’re investing your 2% cash back at an average return of 10%. Multiplying your cashback over time and building your savings, which is your goal anyway.

They’re also the only bank I know of currently offering 3% apy on the money in your checking account. And they offer ways to help you learn to save and invest.

Tip 10: Reduce Animal Products: Cut Costs Without Sacrificing Nutrition

My last tip is one a lot of people might not be willing to take, so I saved it for last. Americans tend to eat a lot of dairy and a lot of meat. Data about the health benefits of plant-based diets has been coming out for years, but even if you don’t care about that, it’s also detrimental to our wallets.

Switching out even a few of your meals to plant-based meals will significantly reduce your grocery costs.

Let’s compare the cost of a few meals.

So swapping even these three meals would save you about $30 a week and $120 a month. You can find more plant-based meals and read more about plant-based diets at ForksOverKnives.com if you’re interested.

This was one of the best ways I found to make a drastic cut in our budget. It’s what took me from a challenging $800 a month to an easy $600.

It has also had a huge impact on my family’s health and has us all making healthy choices daily.

Your Steps to Success

After you know how much you’re spending on groceries, implement a few of these tips and see if you can cut that number down. After you feel comfortable with where you’re at, continue with a few more tips.

I didn’t cut my grocery bill in half immediately. It took me 18 months to get to where I’m at today. So give yourself some time and stay committed. If saving money on groceries is a serious goal, you can get there. Don’t give up.

Looking for more ways to save? Check out my post on 10 Things I No Longer Buy and How it’s Transformed My Finances to learn about little things you can cut to save money and improve your family’s future.

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