The idea of cutting your household budget sounds good in theory. The problem is that budgeting “tips” and “secrets” often require that you make fundamental changes to the way you behave. Even if it feels like you should be able to make those changes, the truth is that you spend the way you spend for a reason. Asking someone to change everything about how they spend money is an easy way to make that person feel overwhelmed and discouraged.
However, the right approach to spending on basic necessities can help you adapt to spending lower costs and you’ll be surprised to see the massive amount you can save with simple steps and measures. Figuring out how to save money on groceries can save you thousands each year.
By perfecting your grocery budget, you can make some serious contributions to your savings goals. This certainly does not mean skipping meals or totally exempt from going out with family and friends. Here are some effective tips for saving money on your next grocery run.
Buy cheaper cuts
Stick to less expensive cuts instead of the popular premium cuts. It seems obvious that to save money on the meat you should pass on the sexier cuts like Porterhouse, rib eye, center-cut pork chops, and boneless, skinless chicken breast.
You might think that cheap cuts result in bad meals, but it’s just not true. You can tenderize, marinate, roast, braise, or slow cook cheaper cuts to create a tender, flavorful meat. There’s no need to spend a fortune to get a great meal.
Make your own ground beef
Save money on ground beef, or beef mince, by making your own at home. While regular ground beef is cheap already, it is higher in fat. You can make your own prime or premium ground beef using a whole beef roast like bolar or brisket. Chop the roast up into one-inch chunks and freeze them for half an hour.
Then, working in batches, pulse the frozen chunks in your food processor until it resembles ground beef. If you don’t have a food processor, you can make ground beef with a large knife or cleaver. Freeze the meat for up to half an hour, then chop it finely while it’s still cold.
Stockpile around the holidays
The major holidays are the best time to load up your freezer with turkey and ham. You’ll find the lowest prices leading up to and just after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. If you can wait until the week after the holidays, you can take advantage of additional markdowns on leftovers.
Availability and selection can be limited post-holidays but check anyway. After-holiday prices on excess inventory might make stocking up worthwhile if you don’t mind eating turkey and ham outside of the holiday season or you want to get next year’s main course super cheap and you have the freezer space.