How To Save Money on Groceries: 12 Tips To Cut Grocery Costs

Families everywhere are wondering how to save money on groceries. The all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks overall inflation, rose by 2.9% from August 2024 to August 2025. Food prices rose even faster, with a 3.2% increase in the same time span.

Managing a grocery budget can feel overwhelming. It’s easy to let spending spiral out of control when you’re juggling work, family and other commitments on a hectic schedule, but saving on groceries doesn’t mean sacrificing quality or convenience. 

With a few smart grocery-saving tips, you can find ways to cut grocery costs while still enjoying a variety of nutritious and delicious meals. Discover how to save on groceries with these 12 practical strategies and start stretching your grocery dollars further.

1. Create a meal plan

When it comes to saving on groceries, meal planning is key. By knowing what you’ll eat each week, you can avoid impulse buys and ensure you have all the ingredients you need. Planning ahead also reduces food waste, since you buy only what you’ll use.

A free meal planning template is a great place to start. Outline your meals for the week or month. Include any dietary restrictions and preferences to stay on track. Mix and match the same ingredients in different ways to create multiple dishes. This approach not only helps you stick to your budget but also streamlines grocery trips and makes cooking easier.

2. Check your fridge and pantry

Before grocery shopping, start by taking inventory of what you already have on hand. This prevents buying duplicates and ensures you use up existing items before they spoil.

By planning meals based on what’s already in your kitchen, you can make the most of your current supplies and reduce food waste. This way, you can hit two birds with one stone: stretch your grocery budget and get creative with meal ideas.

3. Make a shopping list

A well-organized grocery shopping list helps you stay focused and save money. By sticking to your list, you can avoid buying things you don’t need. 

Categorize items by type — like produce, dairy and grains — to streamline yur shopping and reduce time spent in the store. Using the Instacart app can make your grocery shopping even easier: It allows you to track prices, find deals and sync lists with family members to make informed shopping decisions.

4. Shop for groceries online

For busy parents and others with a packed schedule, getting groceries delivered frees up valuable time and ensures your kitchen stays stocked. Shopping for groceries online is also a powerful way to stretch your budget. 

With Instacart, saving money on groceries has never been easier. You can compare prices across multiple stores and brands, helping you spot the best deals without driving all over town. Browse fresh produce, pantry staples and even specialty items from your favorite local grocers or big-box retailers, all from one convenient app.

Online ordering puts you in control. It can take a while to learn how to budget groceries, but when you shop with a digital list, you’re less likely to make costly impulse purchases that sneak into your cart in-store. Plus, advanced shopping features let you filter by sale items, specify substitutions/replacement instructions for out-of-stock items and track your spending in real time.

5. Use digital coupons, loyalty programs and cash-back apps

You can save more with smart digital shopping tools that work whether you’re shopping at home or on the go. To maximize your grocery savings, leverage retailers’ weekly flyers and store loyalty or membership programs. These often provide exclusive discounts, rewards points and special offers. Instacart lets you access discounts and coupons directly in the app, so there’s no more clipping paper coupons or overlooking promotions. 

Many stores also offer cash-back programs and exclusive member rewards you can activate online. Simply tap to apply discounts to your cart, earn rewards points on everyday purchases and use your order history to spot repeating deals and maximize ongoing savings.

6. Take advantage of weekly sales

Take advantage of weekly ads and flyers to stay on top of the best deals. Many grocery stores have regular promotions on specific items you can discover through weekly flyers. By understanding these sale cycles, you can plan your purchases to coincide with the lowest prices.

To maximize your savings, create a shopping list based on current promotions. This helps you focus on discounted items you genuinely need, reducing the temptation to make impulse buys.

7. Buy in bulk (selectively)

Buying in bulk can be a great way to save money on groceries, but it’s important to choose the right items. Consider buying non-perishable goods in bulk that have a long shelf life, such as grains, canned foods and toiletries. It will also reduce the frequency of your grocery trips. To get an idea of your cost savings for that extra motivation, simply compare the bulk price to the regular unit price.

However, buying in bulk may not be a good idea if you can’t use the items before they expire. You should also carefully consider your storage space to avoid clutter.

8. Use delivery or pickup scheduling strategically

Did you know that managing delivery or pickup timing helps cut fees and boost savings on every grocery order? With Instacart, you can schedule delivery windows to match your routine. Choosing standard or later delivery times can sometimes reduce delivery fees compared to faster express options. Scheduling your order ahead of busy peak hours may help you avoid higher fees related to demand surges.

Try scheduling one or two major grocery orders per week, each based on a pre-planned list. The fewer trips you make (whether online or in person), the less likely you are to get sidetracked by tempting flash sales, snacks or convenience foods. Shopping online also helps avoid the “hungry shopper” impulse since you can take your time, build your order and stick to your budget, all from the comfort of home.

Busy parents and families can take advantage of weekly or biweekly grocery delivery scheduling to ensure their pantry stays stocked. Planning ahead also helps you score early-bird deals or same-day sales, getting your groceries to you with maximum convenience at a minimum cost.

9. Extend food life with proper storage

Proper food storage can help you get the most out of your grocery purchases and reduce food waste. Understanding the optimal conditions for different foods — like keeping fruits and vegetables in the right crisper drawers — helps maintain their freshness.

Use airtight containers and bags to store leftovers and perishables — this prevents spoilage and keeps food safe longer. You can also label and date food items to keep track of their freshness and avoid using expired products.

10. Meal prep for the week

By planning and preparing your meals in advance, such as packed lunch boxes, you can take advantage of bulk buying. The outcome? No more last-minute grocery runs!

Meal prepping also helps with portion control, ensuring you use ingredients efficiently and avoid overeating. Prepare and portion out meals for the week in advance, and store them in individual containers — just grab and go when needed.

11. Get creative with leftovers

Try to think of ways to repurpose leftovers into new meals, such as turning roast chicken into soups or salads. You can also freeze leftovers for future meals to extend their life and make busy days easier.

Along the same lines, you can combine various leftovers to create new dishes, like mixing leftover vegetables with grains for a hearty stir-fry. This way, you can make the most of what you already have and add variety to your meals without any additional cost.

12. Set a grocery budget and track spending

Setting a weekly or monthly grocery budget is a great way to manage household expenses, and digital tools make tracking simple. 

With Instacart’s order history feature, you can view past purchases, spot spending trends and identify which items are eating up the most of your budget. Use this data to plan future orders and stay on track with your savings goals.

For extra control, use a budgeting app or spreadsheet to automatically update your spending totals and send reminders when you're nearing your limit. Whether you’re shopping for a large family or just have a particularly busy week ahead, monitoring grocery spend helps you make smarter decisions and avoid overspending.

Additional ways to save money on groceries

To save more, explore various resources designed to help you cut grocery costs. From coupon websites and apps to budgeting tools and meal planning guides, these resources provide valuable tips and tools for managing your grocery budget effectively. 

For quick reference, here are some of our favorite ways to save money on groceries: 

• How to Grocery Shop on a Budget: 8 Tips & Tricks
• How to Store Grocery Bags: An Instacart Guide
• When Do Grocery Stores Restock? A Simple Guide for Shoppers
• 6 Ways to Use Online Grocery Delivery to Achieve Your Health Goals
• New Ways To Save on Instacart

Start saving on groceries with Instacart

Now that you know how to save money on groceries with these practical tips, it’s time to put them into action and see the savings add up. From creating a meal plan to comparing prices and exploring money-saving resources, each method can help you manage your budget more effectively.

Instacart complements these strategies by making your grocery shopping experience more efficient and convenient. By ordering groceries online, you can:

• Avoid impulse purchases

• Access exclusive discounts

• Plan ahead and avoid waste

For more ways to stretch your dollar, try our grocery budget calculator or check out our detailed guide on meal prepping for the week. Whenever you need something specific for your meal planning, order it through Instacart. Start implementing these strategies today and watch your grocery expenses shrink!