25 Tips to Save on Groceries

Do you want to find out more tips to help you save money when you go to the supermarket? Here are 25 as simple as they are effective!

1. Budget
Making a monthly budget and trying not to deviate from it is the first way to avoid spending too much. Do you have trouble respecting it? To motivate yourself, put aside the money you would have spent on unnecessary purchases. The amount raised at the end of the year can be invested in a trip or in a project that is dear to you.

2. Buy in Bulk
When shopping for ground meat, chicken drumsticks or pork chops, for example, get family size packages. In general, these cost less. Always check the price per kilogram to make sure you are getting a good deal. Don't you need that much? Pack the excess and freeze it for later use!

3. Opt for the
President's Choice, No Name, Compliments, Selection house brands … at regular prices, private label products are generally more affordable than those of the big brands. According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, they are 20 to 30% cheaper. On the quality side, it is often difficult to tell the difference, especially when it comes to basic products such as sugar, flour, salt, oil or spices! So why pay more for the same product?

4. Cooking
Making your own chicken broth, tomato sauce (or bolognese) and pâtés (meat, chicken, salmon) is a good way to save money. To avoid it being a chore, we put a few Sundays “meals with friends” on our calendar. Thus, we can cook large quantities that we share at the end of the day. The art of combining business with pleasure!

5. Don't go to the supermarket on an empty stomach
Nothing worse than going to the supermarket when you are hungry! At these times, we tend to overfill our basket and buy foods that are not always very good for your health. If you go shopping a bit before mealtime, consider eating a snack!

6. Growing our herbs
Dill for the fish, basil for the pasta, cilantro and mint for the spring rolls… Fresh herbs can add to the price of our grocery bill in amazing ways, especially during the winter. ! To save, grow them! Take advantage of the beautiful season to grow them outdoors and bring them indoors around mid-August.

7. Stick to our list
Write down all the meals you want to put on the menu during the week and make a list of ingredients to buy in order to prepare them. Once at the supermarket, just rely on this list. By avoiding buying superfluous products or unnecessary food, it will prevent you from wasting money ... and maybe even putting on a few pounds!

8. Buy in bulk
By opting for bulk products, you won't be paying for packaging. Think about it! Flour, sugar, nuts, peanuts… several products are sold in this way. Some grocery stores even make it their specialty! To avoid having a mess of bags in your pantry, get pretty containers from a “dollar store”.

9. Make your menu based on discounts
Consult the flyers of grocery stores near you and plan your meals for the week based on discounts. For example, if chicken thighs are on sale, put them on the menu! You can even buy more for freezing. However, since the discounts return cyclically every three or four weeks, there is no need to stock up on them too much.

10. Couponing Couponing
consists of using a discount coupon to buy a product already on sale in order to obtain it at a very reduced price… or even for free. Although it is not as profitable to do couponing in Quebec as in the United States, it can still save us a lot of money after a year! How to get these coupons? On the Web (websaver.ca, quebeccoupon.com, gocoupons.ca), in newspapers, in stores or by mail. The Quebec couponing community onmagasine.ca can also help you get more for your money! Go take a look!

11. Say no to processed products
Ready-to-eat meals, marinated meats, precooked and seasoned rice ... in addition to unnecessarily increasing our grocery bill, these products are often less healthy and less tasty than the small dishes that we concoct ourselves from ingredients that we have selected. Also note that ready-to-eat meals are taxable: one more reason to avoid them!

12. Buy according to the season
Choose seasonal fruits and vegetables as much as possible. Favor berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries) in summer, apples in fall and citrus in winter. Do the same with vegetables, favoring those that grow in abundance in Quebec during the summer. It is also a good way to encourage the local economy!

13. Avoid Individually
Wrapped Say no to individually wrapped juices and yogurts. Instead, prefer large containers that offer you more at a lower price. For lunches, get reusable plastic bottles and containers. A solution that is both economical and ecological!

14. Look everywhere
The most expensive products are often placed on the shelf at eye level. Outsmart this marketing technique by looking a little higher and a little lower. You could find great deals there!

15. Be vigilant
Beware, because some products are showcased on shelves as if they are on sale when they are not. In addition, just because it is written “special” in red does not mean that it is necessarily a godsend! Always look at the price per unit (or per 100ml or 100g increments): this will let you know which product is the most advantageous to buy.

16. Buy as much as you need
Are canned tomatoes on sale at three for $ 5? Note that unless otherwise indicated, you will benefit from the discount even if you buy only one (in this case, the unit price of a box would be $ 1.66). For products that have a long shelf life, it may be beneficial to buy three if the promotion is worth it. However, for perishable foods, you just buy the amount you need. Thus, we avoid paying unnecessarily for food that we risk wasting.

17. Grocery shopping without the kids
"Mum, I want this, daddy, I want that!" Children create a multitude of needs when they are in the supermarket and sometimes they know how to be so insistent that it is difficult to say no to them. For this reason, it is more economical to shop without them. If that is not possible, let them know that you will not buy anything that is not on your list… and be consistent!

18. Stock up on vegetables at the end of summer
We take advantage of harvest time to visit the fruit and vegetable markets and to stock up! Peppers, beans, tomatoes, leeks… so many vegetables that you can buy in large quantities for freezing or canning. It is also an opportunity to get apples that can be transformed into compote, jelly or pie. Much less expensive than buying these products at the supermarket… and how much tastier!

19. Cut and grate yourself
Cheese and carrots cost much more when sold grated. The same goes for mushrooms and other vegetables that are offered sliced ​​or ready to eat. When we think of the savings we can make, preparing our food is not that tedious! Psst! When there is a considerable special on brick cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, gouda), take the opportunity to stock up! Grated and packaged in an airtight container, cheese will keep in the freezer for up to six months.

20. Playing butchers
Rather than buying your chicken cutlets, cubes or strips, slice it yourself! Since the price per kilo is higher when the meat is sold cut, it will save you a lot in the end. Do the same with beef, pork and lamb, and take advantage of discounts to stock up!

21. Eat less meat
Animal protein is much more expensive than vegetable protein, which is found in legumes and tofu, for example. By replacing a few meals of meat and fish with protein-rich vegetarian meals, you save money by enjoying an equally complete diet.

22. Shun bottled water
Is your tap water of good quality and tastes good? No need to spend on bottled water! To keep it fresh at all times, fill a pitcher and keep it in the fridge. Do you doubt its quality? Get a water filter and a gourd. With just one filter, you will get the equivalent of 300 500ml bottles of purified water. Greatly beneficial for the health of our wallet… and that of our planet!

23. Avoid waste
We try to get fruits at different stages of maturity. If a few have withered away before they can be eaten fresh, they are given a second life by using them to make muffins, compote or fruit salad. As for wilted vegetables, they can be used in a soup or in a stir-fry. Every time you throw away a food, imagine that it is your money that you put in the trash.

24. Having a loyalty card
Some loyalty programs allow you to accumulate points that give entitlement to discounts or free items . It can also be interesting to be part of a co-op, since a percentage of the annual profits is redistributed to the members in the form of dividends. Think about it!

25. Becoming a member of a “club”
type store This type of store can allow us to save a lot of money… on the condition of respecting our shopping list! Once there, it's so easy to be drawn to items that we don't really need. This is the trap to be wary of!