The Foolproof Way To Drop Your Weekly Grocery Spend

Our resident money mindset coach Kel Galavan shows how a little organisation can keep your family’s food budget under control

When saving money, something can be ruled out entirely to avoid temptation. You can put a shopping ban in place, hold off on that family holiday, or even cancel a few streaming subscriptions. But what you can’t do is give up on eating.

It can be difficult to keep the food budget in check. With increased pressure to live within our means, the weekly shop can become a stressful line item on the to-do list.

In 2019 I embarked on a No Spend Year, and one priority was to control the food bill. Ultimately, we crushed it, cutting the grocery bill in half and eating well all year.

I’m going to share the process I used with you. It’s a foolproof way to keep the food budget under control and your stress levels in a healthy place while still keeping quality and enjoying your meals.

Before we start, I will let you in on a secret: most of the work is done before you even leave the house.

STEP 1: PLANNING IS KEY

Grab a pen and paper and make two lists, one for meals for the coming week and one for the shopping list. You can also use your notes section on your phone if you prefer.

STEP 2: SHOP YOUR FRIDGE

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), food waste can cost the average household up to €700 per year, which is behind the website stopfoodwaste.ie. Most of this food waste originates from our fridges.

So your first port of call is to see what’s already in the fridge. Next, prioritise the perishables in the week’s meal planning or otherwise freeze what will not be eaten before its use-by-day.

STEP 3: CHECK OUT THE FREEZER

Our freezers are a treasure trove of food, and many of us buy an extra chicken “just in case”. So check your freezer, see what you can use, and add it to the meal list.

STEP 4: SHOP YOUR CUPBOARDS

The next port of call is to see what staples you have. Use these to flesh out the meals you plan to make. By this stage, you should have the makings of several fine dishes.

STEP 5: THE WHITEBOARD

Set a whiteboard up in your kitchen. Then, as things run out during the week, write them on the board. This is great if you have a partner or kids as it’s easy for them to write out the things they need, and it will ensure that you don’t forget things when you go to the shops.

STEP 6: MANAGE THOSE LISTS

Write the few things you need to get on your list and add them to the whiteboard item.

STEP 7: IT’S STORE TIME

Before you hit the shops, have a look online to see which store has the best special offers for you this week. Now that you know what you need and what you are going to eat, picking the best value store for you will be easy. Remember, there is no need for loyalty here, and feel free to sign up for all the store’s loyalty programmes and build your points up over time.

When you leave the house, aim to return home within the hour if possible. This will stop the temptation of idling in the middle aisles and coming home with power tools you’ll never need or use.

If you give this a go, you will save so much money on your grocery shop without compromising quality while accommodating dietary requirements minus the overspending.

Using this system, we cut our grocery spend in half and now eat more organic, free range and fair trade than ever before. All it took was a little organisation, time, and focus on food waste, keeping the food we loved, and cutting out the food that didn’t matter to us a family.

Have a look online and see which store has the best special offers