How to Save Money on Groceries in 2024 (Our 10 Best Tips!)
Wondering how to save money on groceries with rising food prices? Check these tips out!
Grocery prices making you feel less than jolly? 👎🏼
According to the Washington Post, grocery prices have jumped 25% in just the past four years. Though inflation is slowing in 2024, food prices are still expected to rise. So, it begs the question: how DO you save money on groceries nowadays?
Here’s why experts say we’re seeing rising food prices and empty shelves:
Since June 2021, grocery prices have risen by 10.4% (the largest increase since 1981). This is largely in part due to low inventory thanks to supply chain issues, shipping delays, and staffing shortages.
However, other factors such as the effects of COVID-19 on the economy, bad weather, poor crop yields, Avian Flu, and strong demand have all contributed to this rise. Unfortunately, there’s no end in sight to this trend of rising food prices and these factors are still impacting grocery prices in 2024!
Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place! Here are our BEST tips on how to save money on groceries in 2024:
1. Start with coupons. They really can save you a lot of money on groceries.
And no, that doesn’t mean you have to start snagging every newspaper or whipping out the old coupon binder 🤪. We make couponing easy by sharing all the top coupon deals both printable and digital. Plus, for a one-stop shop of the best coupons and deals in your area, be sure to save our Target, CVS, and Walgreens ad roundups — they’re updated weekly!
2. Don’t shop hungry! Meal plan instead!
When you meal plan, you avoid the last-minute ditch to grocery shop on busy weekends or weeknights when you’re busy, hungry, or just plain out of ideas! Study the weekly ads linked above, make a list, and be prepared to go to more than one store to get what you need until the supply chain turmoil subsides.
Hip Tip: When in a pinch, make your protein or dairy last a little longer by using less than the amount in the recipe.
3. Make the farmer’s market your best friend and learn how to get cheap produce, dairy, meat, & more.
From growing your own home garden to only shopping what’s in season, it’s not as difficult as you think to save on fresh produce and meat. You may also consider making a regular routine to check out farmer’s markets in your area as they often have the best prices! View this map to find local farmer’s markets near you.
Plus, check out these AWESOME meat money-saving tips on our sister site, Hip2Keto, too!
HIP TIP: Be sure to shop closer to the end of the farmer’s market time frame, as that’s when they’ll likely offer you the lowest price!
4. Don’t let your money (or good food) go to waste!
Wondering how to save money on groceries in 2024? Not wasting them is step #1! You can freeze and reuse more food items than you think, especially pricier groceries like dairy products. As a quick guide:
- Milk can be stored in the freezer for up to one month
- Cheese in the freezer can last up to 6 months
- You can freeze eggs for up to one year!
Head here to find out the best tips & tricks for freezing unused dairy products. Plus, learn how to freeze soup in Mason jars or make a week’s worth of Crock Pot freezer meals!
Hip Tip: If you find yourself wasting fresh produce, buy frozen fruits and vegetables. They’re frozen when fresh so they still retain much of their nutritional value!
5. Buy in bulk to save on groceries in the long run.
Shopping at warehouse clubs such as Costco and Sam’s Club may seem like a bigger expense up front, but you’d be shocked to learn how much you’re saving when you compare price per pound! In fact, there are a handful of items that we ONLY buy at Sam’s Club because the value is too good to pass up!
Hip Sidekick, Lina says Costco’s prepared meals are an affordable option and great for busy weeknights too!
6. Money-saving apps make a huge difference.
We can’t say enough good things about the top money-saving apps like Fetch, Ibotta, Flipp, Amazon Alexa Shopping List, or Flashfood Locations to earn cash back on your grocery purchases. We also love the receipt scanner apps that give you money back. They’re FREE to download and some have options to link your purchases at other popular stores like Amazon and Target automatically, so it’s truly a no-brainer!
Using these apps is one of the easy ways how to save money on groceries in 2024!
Hip Tip: Need a break from cooking and want to save on takeout? Try the app Too Good To Go which has discounted mystery bags from some of your favorite local restaurants and grocery stores. You can also save by using our favorite fast food apps that we use to score free food or by using one of our favorite restaurant deals of the week.
7. Yes, you can even save on adult beverages too.
Don’t let wine and other liquor be the reason you blow your grocery budget. These tips & tricks can help you learn how to score cheap liquor any time of the year.
8. Amazon’s Subscribe & Save helps you save on groceries (& gas).
This is one of the easiest ways to save big on groceries and household products without leaving home (and no additional gas expense!) AND, the more Subscribe & Save orders you have, the bigger discount you receive. Plus, it’s free & easy to cancel anytime, and you don’t need an Amazon Prime membership to take advantage of this awesome perk!
Not an Amazon Prime Member? Sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here!
9. If Amazon’s not for you, try a Walmart + membership where you can save on groceries, gas, and streaming!
Both Hip team members and readers seem to love their Walmart+ memberships and right now you can try a free 30-day trial! We love to use it for easy grocery delivery! Plus, there are so many fantastic perks to being a member including:
- Free returns and free shipping on all orders (no minimum required)
- Free same-day or scheduled home delivery on orders $35 or more
- Fuel savings of up to 10¢ per gallon at over 14,000 gas stations nationwide
- A FREE Auto Care program that gives you free flat tire repairs and a road hazard warranty
- Access to the Scan & Go app that allows you to shop and checkout from your phone
- Walmart Travel perks like 5% cash back on hotels, car rentals, tours & activities, and 2% cash back on flights
- A FREE Paramount+ Essential Plan is included with membership ($64.99 value)
- Exciting limited-time offers
- And so much more!
10. Don’t pass up discount stores in your area.
We’re becoming bigger & bigger fans of new discount stores, like ALDI. While their prices are increasing too, you’ll still pay significantly less for so many items compared to traditional grocery stores.
And our readers have come up with some great suggestions on how to save money on groceries too:
Grocery pick-up and not having to take kids shopping with me that way I only get what is needed. – Angela
Buy a whole or half of a cow from a farmer. – Alisha
Use your freezer! Put leftovers in the freezer instead of the fridge. Can still warm up, if needed for lunches, but lasts much longer and can be used for meals on busy nights. – Beth
Meal plan around grocery store sales. Put snacks up high so kids can’t plow through them every 5 minutes 😂 – Christina
Check out more helpful tips from our Hip2Save Facebook community!
Anyone else feeling the sting of empty shelves and rising food prices? Help out our Hip2Save community and share with us in the comments how you save money on groceries.
Thank you!
You’re very welcome! 🤗
I like Christina’s suggestion, but what do you do about the teenagers who are taller than you (and know how to use the step stool)?!?! The snacks are killing my wallet, and now they’re home for over 2 weeks! 😂
I’d suggest buying big bags of snacks (cheaper per ounce) and simply pre-preparing them in smaller Ziplock sized snack bags.
Good idea!
I love this tip, Liz! I’ll have to remember this for my teens too! 🙌❤️ Thanks for the helpful response!
Sometimes you have to hide snacks in unconventional places. I have been known to hide snacks in bedroom closets and I will parcel them out as needed.
That’s my favorite suggestion!
Do you have a Kroger/similar store close? I added the weekly Doritos deal (we don’t normally eat/buy those) because our girls have plans to host friends several times over the holiday and those girls LIKE TO SNACK :):).
How about baking yourself? Not great for chips, except tortilla, but cookie, muffins, cakes etc. Also soft pretzels, jalapeño cheese bread, garlic breadsticks, homemade granola bars. We make so much now and cut way back on crackers, chips and such.
FYI: the link for freezing unused dairy products isn’t working (I’m intrigued with freezing eggs, I never knew that!)
Sorry for any issues, CJ! ❤️ That link is working for me now. Hope this works better for you! https://hip2save.com/tips/can-you-freeze-milk-cheese-eggs/
Freeze the eggs as they are, when you ready to eat it, cut it in half frozen and you will have two perfect eggs with white and yolk. Good for diets and for patients with limited protein intake. This is done in countries where food is rationed, and the government only offers three eggs per month.
Also using the savings that stores give in other areas. Our local Giant gives bonus points and you can redeem them for money off gas, money off groceries, or “free” items.
Yes! I have a Martin’s that is very similar! Thanks for the suggestion! 🤗
I can and dehydrate and freeze my left overs
Greedflation: companies are price gouging
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/retail-price-gouging-lowes-amazon-target-accountable-us/
No new info here. The pre made meals in any stores is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than prepping yourself. The only way to truly save money is to shop at multiple stores and do the following-
Use half the amount of beef and chicken called for in a casserole, stew or pot pie.
Remove 1 or 2 tablespoons of ground beef and freeze.
Keep adding and when container is full, you have enough ground beef for another recipe.
Stop buying sport drinks, soft drinks, juice and milk for drinking.
Only use milk in recipes.
Use half the amount of cheese in a recipe.
PORTION CONTROL. Serve the recommended amount on the package.
Avoid anything premade as much as possible.
Swagbucks—every 2500 points you can redeem for a $25 gift card to Walmart and use that for groceries.
Rarely serve desserts.
Don’t buy portioned snacks.
In 2019, I reduced my grocery cost from $12,000 a year to $6,200. We are a family of 4 with 2 ravenous teen boys.
Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know how you’ve been able to reduce your grocery bill so drastically! 🙌🥰
Great tips. I’d be so interested to know how much your grocery bill rose in 2022! I also have 2 ravenous teen boys.
Plant a garden!! Most veggies can be grown in pots, if space is an issue. And bonus – no recalls when you grow the food yourself! 🙂
I love fresh veggies from the garden! My dad plants one every year! Thanks for commenting! 🥰❤️
I freeze everything, when a recipe calls for a Tbsp of something say tomato paste in can I freeze the rest in individual snack size bags measured out by Tbsp for other recipes. I use Ibotta, fetch, digital coupons mostly at Walgreens and receipt Jar. We planted a big garden last year and froze lots of veggies. I shop at different stores to stock up on what’s a fanatic buy on something for that week. I do shop at Sam’s club but don’t generally fall for more is cheaper as I have found most things are cheaper at my local stores when on sale and stock up then. I bake my own breads mostly Sign up for your favorite restaurant apps and emails as you get lots of good coupons. Biggest tip of all is to be an avid Hip2save user as they have saved me so much money every year and to them I say a big thank you and Merry Christmas!
I’m loving all of these ideas! ❤️🙌 Thanks for the kind words and the heads up on how you’ve been able to save. Merry Christmas to you and your family from all of us at Hip2save! 🥰
I get gift cards for exercising from work. I have to log my info in online and I get points for what I am doing and I turn them into a Kroger gift card when I have enough points. Not sure if everybody had that but I do. I also do surveys and get paid Amazon cash or I can buy gift cards. Every penny helps.
Just eat less. You’ll lose weight and save money 😂
Farmers markets are not cheaper up here. I know local vendors need to make a profit but it seems their prices are so much higher! They We rarely shop Farmer’ markets.
My farmer’s market definitely seems more expensive, also.
I see a lot of intermittent fasting and OMAD in my future. 😕
Same here! It’s crazy to spend $150 on groceries and when you get home and put them away it still looks like you bought barely anything. And if you have a growing kid, like mine, who snacks a lot, forget it. Mommy’s “going on a diet”! Ha!
During this difficult times, we have a tendency to over look the seniors need. As an independent insurance broker, I would suggest my Medicare Advantage clients (especially with chronic needs/they have to eligible) that certain Medicare Advantage carriers do offer certain amounts ($20-$50 per month, depending on carriers and plans for healthy grocery shopping) and other benefits like Over the counter for vitamins, tooth paste, and etc… {Medicare Supplement are NOT Medicare Advantage/ they work very different way} {Please speak with a professional licensed Agent/ Broker}
Thanks For the tips. Our farmers markets are expensive and not even organic. Aldi is cheaper
You’re welcome! Glad you found this helpful!💕
My biggest tip probably only applies to a slim minority of people. If you are a morning person or working at home during lunchtime, make dinner and just stick it in the fridge to reheat. I can make breakfast, lunch and dinner and have the entire kitchen cleaned by 8am. It’s no different than what the kitchen staff does at a restaurant. Knowing I have a clean kitchen and a fully cooked dinner at home ready to quickly reheat keeps me out of restaurants and fast food places.
Great idea, Liz!! I also do this and then once a week is leftover night!! It really is helpful when you plan ahead.🥰
I learned that my local family own grocery store marks down meat the morning after the new circular goes live. I go to the store as soon as my son gets on the bus to get cuts of meat for $2-3 total. It’s my little secret so I hope you aren’t in the same town/neighborhood as me. 😉
That a great secrete!!!😲 I wish I had a local family owned store near me!! Thanks for sharing.💞
I know of a few smaller chains that do this as well. One does it the evening before the new circular comes out, and I can often score half-price meat if I head to the store an hour or so before they close.
This is common sense but cook from scratch! Stop buying meal kits, pre-chopped anything, bag salads and salad kits, box mixes except cake and brownie mixes on sale. Stop buying individual packs of anything, even for lunches. Making a menu and thinking ahead to what you will need to prep or thaw for tomorrow is a real game changer. Keep a deep pantry of mostly only what you have bought on sale week by week and then you will almost never pay full price. Never pay full price for meat. Buy it on sale and package in meal size portions. Get a bread machine and bake your own bread. If you have salvage stores in your area you may be able to get bread for $1 a package. Ours has Pepperidge Farm for $1 or 6/$5. I raised five kids on one income and you can get by on less than you ever thought possible by doing these things.
Thanks a bunch for taking the time to let us know all the ways you have been able to save, Lana!🥰
While I agree cooking from scratch is best I’ve found as a busy sports mom I don’t always have time. I do meal plan, use the crock pot and instant pot but sometimes I just can’t. Have some quick meals in the fridge has saved us many times from having to eat out. It’s also healthier than fast food. I keep Trader Joe’s teriyaki chicken and chicken Shwarma on hand always for quick meals along with prepped taco meat.
That’s several hour of work per day. If one works ten hours a day (8+commute), where is all this time coming from? Most families don’t have this time.
Maybe companies need to reduce their greed and stop price gouging.
I had to laugh when I saw the tip about saving money on alcohol. That would be the last thing I would buy!
A freezer helps us! I haven’t paid more than $2 a pound for ground beef or boneless skinless chicken breasts all year. Wish I could find a deal on eggs! $8.81 a dozen here. Dozens sold out everywhere so the 18 count of generic (non cage free size large) are now $16.84……there better be gold eggs in there!
Yes!!! A larger freezer is helpful! Thanks for letting us know about the cost of eggs! WOW!😲
We raise chickens for eggs. If you can’t do that maybe you can find someone who does and barter. In the spring/summer I frequently have a surplus and give them away to friends and neighbors.
I agree! We have some, but a bobcat just took half my flock!!! I’ll be getting chicks in the spring and hoping to have a surplus once more!
That’s why farmers have guard dogs.
try Craigslist for a family selling eggs. I sell mine for $5 a dozen.
Our Tom Thumb (Safeway) will give you a prescription stamp card. After five prescriptions, we get a coupon for 20% off a total purchase, up to $40 off ($200 purchase). I combine that with shopping their sale items and using their app for digital coupons.
I love it when you can combine offers!! Great way to stack the savings, Amy!!❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Buy frozen vegetables whenever possible: much less expenive and nutrition preseved better than fresh vegs that are staying on the shelves for weeks. Buy beef instead of chicken. Even regular beef is always cleaner and better than organic chicken. Beef has better nutritional value. Yes, beef is more expensive, but because it is so nutritionally rich, you need much less beef for satiety. If you can tolerate organs, eat liver – 1 oz of beef liver patee a day will provide you will almost all nesessary vitamins and microelments. Save on vitamins!
Thanks so much for taking a moment to share with us, Sofia! We sure appreciate it! 🤗❤️
My favorite tip is to try to make meatless meals ocassionally – beans, lentils, and eggs are all cheaper than beef, pork or chicken! My family can’t/won’t do a full vegetarian lifestyle, but a couple of meatless meals per week really cuts back on the priciest of groceries.
Great idea, Emily! 💓 Thanks a bunch for sharing how you can cut costs a bit with your family. 🤗
We didn’t get snacks growing up. My mom cooked and we got 3 meals a day. If we got really hungry then she gave us fruit or veggies. We usually stayed full between meals as she was an awesome cook. I raised my daughter the same way. None of us were overweight. My daughter isn’t doing that and her kids (and her) are all overweight.
buying meat/fish in bulk at sams saves me so much. I take it home, portion it out and use the foodsaver to seal. the foodsver is a game changer.
Thanks for sharing how you save on meat, llc! So smart to buy in bulk and portion out. I’ve been looking into getting a FoodSaver device for this reason too. 💕
I buy generic foodseal bags on ebay. And you can get a used foodsaver on ebay or thiftstores. Or check facebook marketplace. Mine is over 10 years old but I have had to replace the gaskets. They are under $10. If you want a garage freezer, look at estate sales. I dropped $110 on mine and its a large stand up style.
Awesome! Thank you so much for hopping back into the comments to share all this. I’ll keep an eye out on Marketplace and garage sales! 🥰
My city has a grocery bargain store / pantry that sells $20 food boxes that come with a variety of food! I always get dairy items, bread and a ton of produce everytime and the value always blows my mind. Everyday is something different they rotate what gets donated daily. I’ve gotten a whole cake, a family tray of Alfredo pasta, they also give out free food with and purchase now and again. Certain days they give out free emergency food boxes with proof of income. Although some food items are in the stages of expiry, I think it’s a great deal and would suggest people look into similar store around their area!
So awesome that you’ve been able to purchase food boxes from a local store/pantry like this, Vanessa! 🙌Thanks for sharing this helpful tip! 💞
If you have time late at night, that can be a fantastic time to shop. My grocery store is open until 11 pm, but the meat department staff does not work that late. They mark down the prices for the next day, so when I show up at 9:30 or 10 pm, the store is empty and I get first pick of the markdowns. The rest of the employees are busily cleaning and stocking the shelves, so instead of everything being picked over like if I stop in after work, all the shelves are full and organized. Plus, no line to check out! Test out different times at your local store and see what works for you.
Such a great tip, Amy! I’ve always liked shopping late at night just because it isn’t as crowded, but now I’m going to check to see what time they usually do the markdowns! 💗 Thanks for taking the time to comment!