Happy September and almost fall. Now that those pricey Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back, you’ll need extra funds in your coffee budget, so here’s you can stretch your food budget at the supermarket this month.
- Shop for snacks in surprising places - Put your bargain hunting skills to work and you’ll score sweet deals on snacks at stores like Big Lots, T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods.
- Pack a lunch you'll actually want to eat - Sure, it takes some prep, but bringing your lunch and actually eating it will save you money and you’ll probably eat better too.
- Go “meatless” more often - If meat takes up a big chunk of your grocery budget, challenge yourself to make some tasty vegetarian meals and save some cash.
- Buy a Costco rotisserie chicken - You’ll be surprised how far one $5 chicken can go.
- Simplify unnecessarily complicated recipes - No reason to buy all the items on that absurdly long recipe list, especially if you’ll never use some of them in another dish.
- Buy seasonally before the seasons change - Stock up on summer produce and freeze extras now so you can enjoy those tasty peaches and berries later.
- Fill one week's shopping list exclusively with sale items - Check your grocery store flyer for the deals and sales of the week then try to fill your cart with only discounted items and plan your meals around those.
- Ask if there's a butcher's meat special - It might not be advertised in the flyer, but the butcher may cut you a break on a cut they don’t think will sell before expiration.
- Think before you use a coupon - It’s not really saving you money if you’re buying something you wouldn’t normally buy just so you can use a coupon.
Source: The Kitchn