How Shifting Grocery Habits Can Cut Your Food Bill

Recent polls of issues of concern to Americans repeatedly show that the cost of feeding the household and the increase in grocery costs is high on their lists. Observing the changes that people are making in their grocery shopping can provide guidance on how to lower your own grocery bill.

• More food is eaten at home as people shift from eating out less often. With the higher prices, even of fast food (a recent trip to Five Guys was almost $40 for two people), more groceries are being purchased for home consumption.
• People (particularly women) are going to multiple grocery stores to pick and choose the most inexpensive option for different categories. This includes going to mass-merchandise stores such as Wal-Mart or Costco for some or all of their groceries. Recently a client shopped at five different stores for food each month (including an ethnic grocery store). This is more typical now.
• Regardless of income level, shoppers are purchasing more store-brand foods, recognizing that these are not inferior to the brand-name foods. Consumers are prioritizing price over perceived brand quality.

A growing percentage of shoppers are taking advantage of technology, whether that is store apps, using online ordering and delivery/pickup, or using self-checkout. Stores have noticed this and are holding their costs by forcing customers toward self-checkout.

Using The Trends To Lower Your Food Bill

How can you take advantage of these trends to lower your grocery bill? Here are some ways to help:

• Spend some time at home looking at the prices and sales for multiple grocery stores. Rather than making a list to fill at one store, make a list for multiple stores and purchase based on your shopping list divided up by store. If you are shopping at multiple stores, put a cooler with ice packs in the car to use for cold/cooled items so you don’t have to return home between each store.
• When at the store, look at the store-brand first to see if it satisfies your price for the item. Note that an item on-sale at one store may be less expensive than a store-brand at another store.
• Make eating out a special treat rather than a daily or weekly habit. Instead, eat at home more, and make larger batches and freeze the extras for additional meals later.
• If impulse buying is a habit when in a store, use technology and put together your purchases online for pickup/delivery which provides less of a temptation to add things to your list.
• Even without a large family, take advantage of warehouse clubs to buy in bulk the non-perishable products you buy at the grocery store. Alternatively, consider purchasing at a mass-merchandise superstore as their prices for these items may be lower than at a grocery store.

Americans are changing their grocery shopping habits to counter the higher prices found in stores. By following and adopting these changes, you can also help to lower your food bill.