6 Ways to save on groceries

Food expenses account for 30-40% of the family budget, according to Rosstat. At the same time, a significant proportion of expenses can be optimized without compromising quality. Let's look at proven savings methods that will help reduce costs by 20-30% in the first month.

1. Planning is the basis of economy

Make a menu for the week

Menu planning takes 20-30 minutes, but it saves thousands of rubles per month. When you know what you're going to cook, the main reason for spending extra money disappears — spontaneous purchases "just in case."

Check the refrigerator before making the menu. Plan your meals so that the same ingredients are used in different recipes. The purchased chicken will be the basis for soup, second course and salad.

Keep a budget for food

Set a clear limit — weekly or monthly. If you have allocated 25,000 rubles for a month, this is about 830 rubles per day. If you exceed the budget today— compensate tomorrow.

Try using cash. Research shows that people spend 15-20% less when paying in cash than by card. Take to the store only the amount that you plan to spend.

A shopping list is required

Going without a list is a way to overspend. Customers without a list spend 40% more than planned. Make a list by category: dairy products, meat, vegetables, cereals.

The golden rule is that the less often you visit the store, the less you spend. It is optimal to purchase once a week.

2. The psychology of making the right purchases

Don't go to the store hungry

It has been scientifically proven that hungry customers purchase 30-40% more products, mostly high-calorie and expensive. Plan hikes after meals.

Avoid temptation

The checkout area is a marketing trap with high—margin items. Children in the store are a separate expense item. Daily 50-100 rubles for children's "wishlist" turns into 1,500-3,000 rubles per month.

Perform an audit of the shopping cart before the checkout. Put out the products that are not in the list.

3. Smart shopping in the store

Compare prices correctly

Focus on the cost of a kilogram or a liter, not a package. 200 g butter for 150 rubles is 750 rubles per kg, 400 g packaging for 280 rubles is 700 rubles per kg. The savings are 50 rubles per kilogram.

Read the price tags carefully. Sausages and cheeses often have a price per 100 grams rather than the entire product.

Choose the right packaging

Bulk products are 20-30% cheaper than packaged ones. A whole chicken costs 170-200 rubles per kg, a breast in a tray costs 250-350 rubles. The difference is almost doubled.

Whole fish is 40-50% cheaper than steaks. Cheese and sausage in one piece are cheaper than slicing by 30-40%. Five minutes of cutting at home saves hundreds of rubles a month.

Promotions and discounts wisely

Buy long-term storage products under the promotion: cereals, canned goods, frozen foods. If your favorite cereal is 30% off, take it for 2-3 months.

Important: buy only what you actually use for the promotion.

Loyalty cards and cashback

With loyalty cards, products are 5-15% cheaper. Use bank cards with cashback for the "Products" category — a standard refund of 1-5%, periodically up to 10-20%.

4. Product selection: where to save money

Meat and poultry

Whole chicken instead of fillet — saving at least 80 rubles per kilogram. By-products (liver, heart, stomachs) are 2-3 times cheaper than meat. With two or three "offal" days per week, savings are 400-600 rubles per week.

Fish

Whole fish is 50-70% more profitable than steaks. Cod, hake, pollock, herring are 2-3 times cheaper than salmon and are no less useful. Herring contains as much omega-3 as salmon, but costs 4-5 times less.

Vegetables and fruits

Summer tomatoes — 80-120 rubles per kg, winter tomatoes — 300-400 rubles. Buy seasonal vegetables in stock and freeze them. In winter, a can of canned tomatoes (500 g) costs 80-100 rubles against 350-400 for fresh ones.

Cereals, butter, sugar

Buckwheat in a 900 g package costs about 130 rubles per kg, and a 5 kg bag costs 80-90 rubles per kg. The savings are 40-50 rubles per kilogram. Purchase 2-3 months in advance.

Dairy products

Advertised brands are 30-50% more expensive than local manufacturers with comparable quality. Yogurt of a well—known brand costs 90 rubles for 500 ml, local — 45-50 rubles. With daily use, the savings are 1,200 rubles per month.

Avoid overpaying for convenience

Ready-made cuts and grated cheese have a margin of up to 100%. Semi-finished products are 2-3 times more expensive than home-cooked meals. Serving packages are 50% more expensive than large ones.

5. Additional ways to save money

Grocery delivery

Online ordering eliminates impulse purchases. There is time to compare prices and find profitable analogues. The total amount is visible — it's easy to remove the excess when going over budget.

Cook at home

Homemade food is 3-4 times cheaper than restaurant food. Business lunch - 300-400 rubles, home—cooked lunch — 80-120 rubles. Switching to home-cooked meals with five meals out saves 3,500-5,600 rubles per month.

Cook with a reserve. By doubling the portion of dinner, you will receive a ready lunch for tomorrow.

Marketing tricks

The most expensive goods are placed on the "golden shelf" (eye level). See above and below. The stores' own brands are 20-40% cheaper than brands with comparable quality.

6. How to calculate savings

Record all your grocery expenses for a month. Apply the tips for the second month. Compare the results. The real savings are 20-35% of the initial expenses.

If you spent 30,000 rubles, the savings will amount to 6,000-10,000 rubles per month. For a year — 72,000 -120,000 rubles.

Conclusion
Saving on groceries is a smart approach to shopping, planning and awareness. Start with a simple one: make a list, compare prices per kilogram, and buy a whole chicken instead of a fillet. You'll see the results in a month. Use the money you save on travel, hobbies, or a financial safety net.