I recently discovered that some of my friends feel like their grocery budget is out of control. We went around the room and shared our monthly grocery budget. We are all families of 5. Their monthly grocery budgets are $800, and well over $1,200. I shared that ours on average is $585 a month, but much lower when I grocery shop only once a month [1].
Grocery Budget Challenge
I decided to challenge both families to cutting down their grocery budget during the month of May. Each family is going to work on cutting their budget by 15% of the total amount they spend in April.
To knock off the first 6% of the bill, I shared that I use the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express [2] for 6% cash back on groceries. While it does have an annual fee, it has a $150 sign up bonus [3] that more than covers the fee.
How to Trim Your Grocery Budget
To get you started on ways to trim your grocery bill, here is a collection of grocery savings tips we have written over the years, including coupons, books, and various resources:
- 11 Ways to Save Money on Groceries [4]
- Guide to Couponing [5]
- Gaming the Grocery System [6]
- Can You Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half Shopping Only Once a Month? [1]
- What Am I Supposed to Buy at Costco? [7]
- Have You Tried Peapod Groceries? [8]
- 6 Ways to Change the Impact of Food on your Budget [9]
- 11 Ways to Save on Food in College [10]
- Frugal Foodie: 6 Alternatives to Dining Out [11]
- New Walmart Price Match: What They Will and Won’t Match [12]
- Printable Grocery Coupons [13]
- How to Use Coupons After TLC’s Extreme Coupon Show Fraud [14]
- 14 Ways to Save on Your Grocery Bill [15]
- Which Vegetables are in Season by Month [16]
- Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America’s Cheapest Family (Book) [17]
Join the Challenge
Want to join in the challenge? Share your total spending on groceries during the month of April. Then, keep track of your grocery spending during the month of May and see if you can trim it by 15%!