The average American family of 4 spends anywhere between $580 and $1300 on their food budget every month. And if you’re like most families, you spend that and then another $300-$500 eating out. This can often cause waste in the household groceries from the intentions to the actions.

Food is a common place we get caught up in spending….most people are either eating, wearing or driving their retirement, and in this case, I want to talk about when we’re eating it.

Here are 11 simple hacks to save big time on an overhaul of your food budget.

1. Plan your meals

2. Shop only once a week

3. Buy in bulk

4. Shop discount stores

5. Use grocery pickup or delivery

6. Meal prep within 24 hours of shopping

7. Buy store brands

8. Shop the local butcher

9. Pay with cash

10. Shop farmers markets/in season veggies

11. Use your crockpot

To learn more detail about how to put each of these into effect and why they work, keep reading!

Plan your meals

Meal planning sounds like a no-brainer, but just like every other decision we make, our brains need us to simplify things. What happens when you’re overwhelmed and can’t remember what you thought you would make for dinner tonight and you’re tired? Your brain instantly reverts back to what’s easiest. And easiest might be to stop and pick up a pizza, take out burgers, or something else instead of making dinner when you get home.

Here’s how I do a really quick version of meal planning. I grab a post it and I start writing down the main meal I know we have something on hand to make (ie: if I have ground beef on hand, I have 3 go-to meals. Something with meatballs, burgers or tacos.). And if I don’t have it, I choose what meals I’ll make and ask for input from the peanut gallery on their favorites and add it to the list. It’s important when we’re talking about maximizing your food budget that you meal plan before you pick up groceries for the week. The I add favorite side starch possibilities and vegetables. I also usually only cook 6 nights, but plan for 7 so we have options. One (sometimes two) is usually a really easy one.

Here’s one of my recent meal plans below. 7 meals for 6 nights with options. We had everything on hand or it was added to the grocery list. One is a crockpot meal, two require medium effort and 3 require low effort and one requires almost no effort. What I don’t do is plan specific nights often with the exception of the crockpot meal. I always plan one for the busiest days. The days I know I won’t want to cook because I’m jam packed or we have to be somewhere.

There’s no wrong or right way to meal plan, but it can be as simple as this.

Grocery shop no more than once a week

Every time you stop at the store for “1 thing” you probably walk out with 10, right? You’re likely to spend up to 80% more than what you just went in for. This is something I commit to every week, but just like everyone, I make mistakes too! And last time I did it I was conscious of it and I still ran the numbers when I came out. You know how much more I spent that I didn’t need to? $22 or about 40% more than what I went in for. Crazy, right?

Buy in bulk

This one can go a few ways, but when you shop, do you shop the price out the door or do you shop the price per unit or ounce? Next time you’re at the store, look carefully at the tags on the price per unit. Sometimes you might spend $1 more, but get more than 25% additional for the price. It’s worth spending a little more some weeks and getting better deals, and less on other weeks.

Buying meat in bulk is usually another great saver. Invest in some freezer bags and portion chicken, ground beef, pork or whatever it might be within 24 hours of getting home. Keep out what you’ve planned for the week and freeze the rest.

You might average $140/week, but shopping this way there will be some weeks you’ll spend $180 and some weeks you’ll spend $100.

Shop discount grocery stores

Aldi, Trader Joes, Costco, Walmart and BJ’s are just a few to name, but some discount grocery stores have great reputations for both quality and price. Clark Howard has a great list here you can check out to see if you have one in your area. I’ve personally always been a huge Aldi fan. I even did a pricing comparison after shopping here. I’ve run it a few times since and always gotten similar results. The savings can be HUGE!

Make use of grocery pickup and/or delivery

Yes, even if you pay a little more for this service. One, it allows you to shop at a time absolutely most convenient to you and your wallet (ie: on a full stomach). Two, you can follow your list without distractions. Three, you’re not tempted by end caps or deals that you really don’t need. Four, no kids or husband to just toss extra stuff in the basket. And last but not least, five, you can closely follow your budget and compare prices, units, double check what you have on hand and make sure that if you only have $100 for groceries this week, you only spend $100.

Meal prep the same day you get groceries

This one is huge. And note the difference on meal plan vs. meal prep. No, you don’t have to do both to be successful at reducing your food costs. But both help in different ways. The planning helps lay the foundation for the week and have the right things in place so you don’t have to stop more than once. The prep will help to make busy nights easy to cook. Meal prep can also help make packing lunches a breeze.

You can do light or heavy prep, and any bit is sure to help, but here are a few things I like to do when I ‘meal prep’. Divide bulk products that will go bad like meats and freeze in portions. Wash all veggies and fruits for easy grabbing. Cut all veggies and fruits for super easy grabbing and cooking. Portion lunch items like yogurts, cottage cheese or something else you might buy in bulk to save. And if you’re really feeling good, you can cook up some ground beef and chicken for some easy salads, tacos, fajitas, soups, nachos, etc. during the week.

Buy store brands

If this one’s hard for you, commit to trying at least one new ‘store or generic brand’ a week. Did you know that most store brands are made by a major manufacturer that you already love? I remember interviewing someone years ago for a position and he was telling me about the pretzel plant he worked in. The big name was simply packaged in one part of the building and the store brand was packaged in the other off the same line. It forever changed my perspective that day.

Shop the local butcher

If you have a local butcher, seek them out. You can save huge and also support your local community. Other options are to look into buying and sharing a cow or a pig with friends and family and storing in bulk. It’s a hefty upfront price, but when broken down per lb and meal, this can typically be about 50% savings from your local grocery store and with astounding quality.

Pay with cash

if you’re going to the store in person, spending in cash can add up to big savings as well. When we spend with a credit card or even debit card, it doesn’t activate our pain points the same as cash. We get that card back and don’t physically have to let go of anything, so it doesn’t register the same. Research has shown that people are willing to spend up to 83% more for an item when they pay with a credit card. How true is this for you? Would it change what you buy if you have a finite amount of money in the store with you when you shop?

Now, some people are leary carrying so much cash or having it on hand. Other simple options that can still help to keep the boundaries around your food goals are to buy that month’s groceries worth and put them on a Visa or store gift card and use only that card until your out, or open a new free checking account for grocery spending only. Transfer the funds into that account and spend only what you have on hand. Easy peasy.

Shop farms/farmers markets for fresh fruits and veggies when available

This is another of my favorites! Not only can you support your local farm and community this way, but the quality is OH SO GOOD! Here in Western Pa, I can usually get in season veggies at a huge discount at farmers markets June - October/November.

When buying fruits and veggies in store, make sure to purchase in season fruits and veggies and design your menu around them for the best deals.

Cook with a crockpot

The more you cook with a crockpot, the less excuses you have at the end of the day. Motivation is a limited resource just like anything else. We are typically full of it in the morning and it wears slowly as the day goes on. If you can combine all of the above things and make a great list of favorite crock pot meals, put your dinner together in the morning when your motivation is highest and you’ll have no reason to stop for dinner out on the way home from work.

You can try a few of these or all of them and still make significant progress on your food budget. Planning well is the secret to keeping your food under control since it’s two fold - it’s spending in grocery stores and eating out as well. I’d love for you to share in the comments what works well for you when it comes to shaving your food budget!

Kristen is a Certified Profit First Coach and Personal Finance Coach who specializes in working with small business owners, entrepreneurs and driven professionals to maximize their financial capabilities and future. Download our freebie for more money saving tips!