Prepare to discover 20 of the best grocery hacks that actually work. But first, our disclosure:
What Are The Average Cost Of Groceries?
According to the USDA Monthly Cost of Food Reports from April 2025, a single-member household spends an average of $300 or more each month for groceries, while a family of four spends an average of nearly $1,000 per month. These figures do not include the costs of restaurant meals or the daily coffee on the way to work. In other words, keeping yourself and your family fed is not cheap.
As grocery prices continue to rise, it is more important than ever to try to trim expenses at the store. While there isn’t a magical fix, there are proven methods that can lead to real savings. The key to saving money at the grocery store is to take proactive action.
Here are our 16 useful grocery hacks, which can help you cut costs and keep more money in your pocket. To enhance their usefulness, we’ve organized them based on when they come into play during the shopping experience. You don’t have to do all of them to save money. Instead, you can start by trying a few of your favorites. You might be surprised by how much you save!
Grocery Hacks: Before You Shop
Grocery Hack #1: Take Inventory
The first step to saving money at the grocery store is to check what you have at home before going shopping. This step serves two purposes: preventing unnecessary purchases and helping with meal planning.
I can’t count how many times I’ve bought a can of black beans at the grocery store, only to get home and find that I already have three more sitting on my shelf. While meal prepping with the ingredients you already have at home also means you’ll need to buy fewer items at the store.
The bottom line is that buying fewer items at the store saves you time and money.
Grocery Hack #2: Check For Sales and Coupons
I still receive a weekly pamphlet from the grocery stores in my mailbox that I can browse for deals. Even Costco sends me one as a member at least once every other month. If you do not receive these in your area, you can do the next best thing and check online. You may also want to consider grocery apps, like Ibotta, that offer cash back on your purchases.
As you browse the pamphlets and online sites, look for relevant coupons based on your shopping habits. Many grocery stores now offer digital coupons you can “clip” and add directly to your store card. The best part is that these coupons will automatically be applied at checkout.
However, don’t fall into the trap of buying something just because it is on sale. If the item isn’t something you will actually use, then purchasing it is a waste of your money. The last thing you want is to buy something on sale only to end up throwing it away later.
Grocery Hack #3: Meal Prepping
Now that you have taken inventory of what you have at home, along with the deals and coupons, it’s time to meal prep.
Among all the grocery hacks, meal prepping may cause the most dread. For many, it sounds about as enjoyable as a root canal. However, it does not need to be painful or complicated. Unless you are a Michelin-star chef, you do not need to go over the top with elaborate meals.
The key to meal planning is establishing a few dinner recipes you can prepare well and consistently, while trying out some new ones for variety. For lunches, keep things simple. You can enjoy leftovers from the previous night, or prepare a sandwich or salad.
This grocery hack will enable you to stock up on ingredients you know you will use, especially when they are on sale. Additionally, it provides the added benefit of saving money on takeout or restaurant meals. So, even though meal prepping may not be your idea of a good time, it is as close to a win-win situation as you can get with grocery store hacks.
Grocery Hack #4: Combine And Conquer
This grocery hack involves combining errands to maximize efficiency.
For instance, if you know you need to buy groceries, check if there are any other errands nearby that you can accomplish during the same outing. Try planning your grocery store visits alongside other tasks, such as picking up kids from soccer, going to Target, or meeting a friend for coffee.
This approach helps streamline your day by optimizing your errands, making your shopping experience more cost-effective. By coordinating your activities, you not only save time but also reduce transportation costs.
Grocery Hack #5: Eat Before Leaving
Make sure to satisfy your hunger before heading to the store. Otherwise, you might end up spending much more than you anticipated.
A 2015 study by the University of Minnesota found that hungry shoppers spend 64% more at the mall. While the mall isn’t the same as a grocery store, it’s reasonable to assume that hunger would also lead to increased spending at a grocery store.
When you’re hungry and surrounded by endless choices, it can be difficult to resist the temptation. I can almost hear that extra-large bag of Doritos calling my name. So, if you are hungry, grab a snack before hitting the grocery store. Your wallet will thank you later.
Grocery Hacks: At The Store
We made our list, grabbed our coupons, and had a snack. Now it is time to shop. Here are the top grocery hacks to use once you are inside the store.
Grocery Hack #6: Compare Unit Prices
One of the most effective grocery hacks is to compare unit prices, not the retail price. The unit price is usually listed in the orange box opposite the retail price box. The unit price lists the price per unit of measure, such as pounds or ounces.
By comparing the unit prices of similar products, you can easily identify which one offers the best value. Generally, larger packages of the same item tend to have lower unit prices, and choosing generic store brands instead of name brands can also result in savings.
For example, at my local grocery store, a 24-ounce jar of Rao’s Marinara sauce is priced at $6.99, which breaks down to a unit price of $0.29 per ounce. In comparison, a 40-ounce jar of the same marinara sauce costs $8.49, resulting in a lower unit price of $0.21 per ounce. This means that by purchasing the 40-ounce jar, I am getting nearly double the amount of sauce for a cheaper rate per ounce. However, the larger jar is only a better deal if I can use all 40 ounces within a week; otherwise, I would be better off sticking with the smaller jar.
Grocery Hack #7: Opt for Generic Brands
Going back to my example above, if cost is my main concern rather than taste, I can skip buying Rao’s Marinara sauce and opt for a generic brand instead, which can lead to significant savings. I can purchase a 24-ounce jar of the generic store brand for $1.29, or $0.05 per ounce. This choice results in a savings of $5.70 compared to the same size jar of Rao’s Marinara sauce. You can find similar savings on many other items when you choose generic brands over name brands. If you are a family of four, this could mean saving hundreds of dollars each month simply by selecting generics.
However, when shopping, be sure to compare unit prices. Sometimes, the lower price of generic items can be misleading when you look at the cost per unit. Don’t choose a generic product just because its retail price is lower than a brand-name item. Always compare the unit prices. You might be surprised to find that sometimes the unit price of a brand-name product can actually be better, especially if it’s on sale.
Grocery Hack #8: Avoid Pre-Cut or Premade
Like the one before, this grocery hack comes down to the unit price. Buying precut and premade items at the grocery store costs way more per pound than preparing them at home. With precut and premade meals, you are paying for convenience, and this convenience comes at a high cost. By avoiding precut fruits and vegetables and premade meals, you will get far more food for less.
For example, at my grocery store, precut cantaloupe costs $7.49 per pound, whereas a whole cantaloupe that averages around 3 lbs costs $2.99, which works out to about $1 per pound. By purchasing a whole cantaloupe and taking 15 minutes to cut it up at home, I end up with almost three times the amount of fruit for less than half the price of the precut option!
As for premade meals, they often cost twice as much or more compared to purchasing the ingredients and preparing the meals at home. While cooking at home may seem overwhelming at first, you’ll find that the more you practice, the more efficient you’ll become. Just like anything else in life, the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it.
Grocery Hack #9: Buy In Bulk For Items You Use Regularly
The idea behind this grocery hack is that purchasing items in bulk often leads to a lower cost per unit. It is the reason why Costco is so popular. This grocery hack is especially relevant for items that are on sale that you use frequently. For instance, when my grocery store ran a $0.99 special on 5-lb bags of flour, I bought eight bags. That was 40 lbs of flour for $8.
However, the key to buying in bulk is to focus on items that you know you will use up before they spoil. You must also make sure the unit price is indeed cheaper. Buying 40 lbs of flour made sense for me as I knew I would use it all before it expired, and the unit price was half of what it usually costs. If neither condition was true, it would have been a waste of money.
This grocery hack can work for fresh meat and bread, too, if you have the freezer space to freeze it before the expiration date. However, it may not work well for fresh fruits and vegetables. In that case, you may want to opt for frozen instead. Speaking of frozen, let’s move on to our next grocery hack.
Grocery Hack #10: Buy Frozen Fruits and Vegetables
People often have a misconception that frozen fruits and vegetables are not as healthy as fresh ones. That’s not entirely true. Frozen fruits and vegetables are packaged closer to the source, and freezing locks in their nutritional value that can degrade with transportation. They also have another benefit: they can be cheaper than their fresh alternatives and stored for a longer period of time without going bad. That means less food waste and more savings.
I always keep frozen vegetables on hand. At any given time, I have frozen carrots, green beans, corn, and peas in my freezer. Don’t get me wrong, I love fresh fruits and vegetables, and oftentimes there is no substitute. You are not going to add soggy, thawed-out frozen strawberries to your salad. That’s disgusting! But you can add frozen strawberries to your smoothie.
Grocery Hack #11: Avoid Paper Products
Unless your grocery store of choice is Walmart or a similar discount retailer, you are likely paying too much for paper products at your local grocery store. This is because grocery stores often lack the shelf space to compete with large retailers, which means they don’t receive the competitive pricing from manufacturers that companies like Walmart do. As a result, grocery stores offer these products more as a convenience rather than a budget-friendly option for consumers. As we all know, convenience comes at a cost.
The same applies to non-food items, such as soaps and detergents. While grocery stores occasionally have good deals on these products, they typically charge more for non-food items compared to large discount retailers like Walmart or Costco.
Grocery Hack #12: Pay Attention At Checkout
This grocery hack is the easiest of all grocery hacks. All you have to do is pay attention to the price of each item as they are scanned at checkout. That’s it. If something doesn’t scan as expected, you can question it immediately.
More often than not, everything will scan properly, but there are always those occasions where it doesn’t, or the cashier accidentally double-scans an item. It’s a lot easier dealing with issues at the point of sale, rather than trying to remember to deal with them at a later date. If you wait, you might forget about it or not have the time to go back to the store to deal with the issue.
Grocery Hack #13: Get The Store Card
Finally, before you pay for your groceries, make sure to scan your store loyalty card. If you don’t have a store card, you should strongly consider getting one. The last thing you want to do is miss out on all of the discounts because you don’t have one or forgot to scan it. In addition to getting the sale prices, you may earn points toward discounts on gas or have access to other special offers.
Grocery Hacks: Once You Get Home
Grocery Hack #14: Review And Save Your Receipt
After returning from the grocery store, it’s a good idea to take a few minutes to review your receipt. Double-checking ensures that everything was scanned correctly. If you notice any discrepancies, you can bring them to customer service during your next visit to the store and potentially receive a refund.
It is also a good idea to hold onto the receipt for a week or maybe longer. You never know when you might need to return an item. Maybe you missed the fact that the can of beans you bought has more dents than you can count. Or when you opened up the milk, it smelled so bad that the cat ran away.
I admit that it’s not often someone will run into issues with their receipt or bad grocery store items. However, when you do, it is good to have the option to return the items. By keeping your receipt and reviewing it, you ensure that you have that option available to you.
Grocery Hack #15: Don’t Let It Expire
According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), 30 to 40% of the food supply in the United States is wasted. This equates to billions of dollars of food being thrown out each year, making food the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills. Therefore, eliminating food waste is not only good for your wallet, but it is good for the planet!
One of the best grocery hacks for reducing food costs and waste is to keep track of expiration dates in your kitchen. Before preparing meals, take a moment to go through your pantry and refrigerator and note when items will expire. If an item is approaching its expiration date, try to incorporate it into a meal before it spoils and needs to be thrown away.
For example, if you have a partially used loaf of bread that is about to expire, you can use it to make grilled cheese for dinner. Similarly, if you have unopened chicken breasts nearing their expiration date, you can freeze them if you are not ready to use them.
Grocery Hack #16: Be Creative
Creativity is the secret sauce to saving money at the grocery store. Although it is listed last on our list of top grocery hacks, it could easily take the number one spot. However, it is not always easy to be creative, as it requires stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying something new.
Maybe it means trying a different store to compare prices, or substituting beans for meat in a recipe. Creativity can also mean using your favorite AI app to generate a recipe based on the ingredients you already have at home, instead of running out to the store. You can learn to make your pizza at home or your favorite loaf of rustic bread for a fraction of the cost.
At first, it won’t be easy. You will make mistakes. But as you do it over and over again, it becomes easier. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.
Before you know it, you’ll be making homemade pizza in no time, and at a fraction of the cost of takeout. Instead of tossing out those overripe bananas, you will mash them into delicious banana bread. You will approach the idea of trying a new store with the same excitement as the great explorers of the past who sailed the open seas in search of treasure.
The point is you can use your creativity to save money and have fun while doing it. That’s as close to a win-win that you can get when it comes to grocery hacks and money.
Grocery Hacks: Are Delivery Services Worth It?
Are grocery delivery services the do or don’t of grocery hacks? Do they help save money, or do they blow your grocery budget? In my opinion, it comes down to the individual and their shopping habits.
On the surface, using a delivery service like Instacart costs more than in-person shopping. With grocery delivery services, you have delivery fees, potential markups, plus tips of 15% or more. As a result, you will typically pay more for grocery delivery services for the same items, barring any discounts or special offers.
If you can stick to your grocery list and resist impulse purchases, then grocery delivery services may not be worth the expense. For disciplined shoppers, the convenience of these services may not justify the cost. Plus, the person doing the shopping may not pay as much attention to the quality of perishables or expiration dates.
However, for those prone to impulse buying, a delivery service may be more cost-effective or at least on par with in-person shopping. You cannot be tempted by store displays if you never go into the store. Grocery delivery can also help you save money if it means you eat in instead of eating out every night. If using a grocery delivery service replaces takeout or DoorDash, it might save you money over time.
Conclusion: 16 Great Grocery Hacks
Many of the best grocery hacks begin before you leave the house. To save money on groceries, it’s essential to prepare and plan ahead. Once you’re in the store, focus on unit prices rather than just retail prices, and pay attention to expiration dates.
Remember, the best grocery hacks don’t stop when you leave the store. At home, prioritize using items before their expiration dates, and never forget that creativity is the ultimate key to saving money.
