Best Tips for Buying Groceries Cheaply, From Mom of 12

I’m a mom of 12, and buying food for 14 people can get expensive.

If I’m not careful, my grocery bills can easily creep over $2,000 a month, which is way more than what I have budgeted. Thankfully, I’ve learned a few strategies over the years to help keep food costs low.

Here are my best tips for grocery shopping on a budget. 

Start by making a meal plan and breaking down what ingredients you’ll need for it

Before I set foot in a grocery store, I plan what I’m going to cook in the coming days or weeks. This way, I know every ingredient I add to my cart has a purpose. 

When you know you’ll use everything you buy, you save money and also prevent food waste. 

Figure out which list-making method works for you

There isn’t one right way to make a shopping list — but if you find creating and keeping one to be annoying or inconvenient, you probably won’t stick with it.

I’ve tried several styles of shopping lists over the years. What works best for me in this season of life is creating my list in Microsoft Excel, printing it out, and bringing the hard copy with me.

It’s legible — unlike my scrawled handwriting — and I can cross off items as I add them to the cart.

Plus, no matter what order I add things in, I can quickly sort them by store and category in Excel. This makes the actual shopping part much easier, as I’m not aimlessly wandering around each part of the store or having to backtrack.

Bring a shopping list with you to the store

While making your list, go through your kitchen and check on the status of essential spices and pantry staples. It’s easy to assume that you have something basic on hand, only to realize you’re out once you start cooking.

After you create the list, it’s also crucial that you remember to bring it with you to the store.

Too often, I make a shopping list but forget it and am stuck shopping from memory, which usually results in me forgetting ingredients and buying things I don’t actually need. 

When I’m shopping, I put my kids in charge of the list

I almost always take some of my kids with me to the grocery store, and I use this to my advantage.

I turn my list and a pen over to my middle-grade kids at the start of the shopping trip. They can read off each item to help make the shopping trip go more quickly. 

Most of my kids take the job of list manager very seriously. If I add something to the cart that’s not on my list, they ask me about it. This accountability helps me to decide whether it’s something I need to buy or just an impulse purchase.

My kids will typically write the item in question on the list if I decide to buy it. This way, they can still cross it out — their favorite part.

Know the prices of basic things you buy a lot

On every shopping list, I include the estimated price of each item I buy so I can stay on top of my budget before I even enter the store. 

Having a general price point in mind also helps me spot bargains. If something is on sale, I can quickly compare it to see how much I’ll save.

This also allows me to compare prices between stores if I suspect one has a better price. If the price changes drastically on an item I buy often, I take time to jot down the new number on my list while I’m in the store.

Then, I update the master list on my computer the next time I’m planning my shopping trip.

If you aren’t going to use it, don’t buy it — it doesn’t matter how good the deal is

I like having food on hand so I know my family will still have things to eat if we can’t make it to the store for a while. However, it’s easy to take that preparation attitude to the extreme.

I used to stock up on almost everything that was on sale because I liked keeping the pantry full and thought this was a frugal way to do it.

This was a mistake. I ended up with lots of food in my cupboards that no one in my family actually liked or wanted. Many things sat around for years until they finally reached their expiration dates and had to be tossed.

Go to a couple of stores for the items on your list

When I go grocery shopping, I almost always visit the same three or four stores.

This allows me to take advantage of different products (and sales) at each without getting burned out from going to too many places. 

I typically hit Costco first because I buy bulk goods there, and they take up a lot of room in the van. I don’t want to smash bags of food from another store by piling big boxes on top.

If you shop less often, you’ll probably end up spending less money

I live in the middle of nowhere. The nearest grocery store is 15 miles away, and I have to drive almost an hour to get to a decent-sized town with more than one shopping option.

I can’t just quickly run to the grocery store if I forget something, which makes all my planning and list-making even more important. 

Even if you live close to the store, you can use this tip to help save money on food. Each time you go into a store, you have the opportunity to spend more than you were planning. If you go less often, you can cut down on those purchases. 

I go on a big shopping trip once a month so I can take advantage of the better pricing in the larger city. Then each week, I make a quick trip to the local store to pick up staples like milk, eggs, and produce. 

Extra beverages can jack up your grocery bill if you aren’t careful

Things like juice, soda, and sports drinks can really add up. 

To stick with our budget, I have my family drink water throughout the day, and that’s often what I serve with meals. Occasionally we’ll have iced tea or lemonade, but it’s not the norm. 

You might have some complaints at first, but my kids eventually learned to drink (and even enjoy) water. 

Cut out the middle man whenever possible

I’ve found that purchasing some items directly from a farmer can save us a lot of money.

I used to raise my own livestock for meat, but when I stopped, I connected with another farmer. Since I have the freezer space and know it’ll get used, I often buy a whole cow at a time, along with a whole hog and occasionally a sheep or two.

This is definitely a bigger upfront expense, but I get steak and roasts for the same price per pound as hamburgers, so it actually saves me money in the long run. 

Meat isn’t the only thing you can purchase from a farmer. Do a little research and see who grows what around you. For instance, you can typically find decent prices on produce at local farms.

Just make sure you have a plan to preserve what you buy so it doesn’t go to waste. Learn how to dehydrate, can, or freeze the extras so you can benefit from your savings all year long.

This story was originally published in September 2021 and most recently updated on April 7, 2025.