For a while, every trip to the grocery store felt the same. The cart didn’t look particularly full, but the total at checkout was somehow much higher than expected.
Higher grocery prices were certainly part of it, but after paying closer attention to what I put in the cart each week, I realized some of my regular purchases cost more than I thought. Convenience foods, name brands and things bought without a real plan were quietly adding to the total.
Instead of completely changing what I ate, I started cutting back on the groceries I could easily replace, make myself or simply go without. These seven changes made a noticeable difference in what I spent each week.
Pre-Cut Produce and Salad Kits
Pre-cut onions, sliced fruit, chopped vegetables and salad kits were easy to grab, but I was paying extra to have the prep work done for me. Buying whole produce and putting together my own salads takes a little more time, but it became one of the simplest places to cut back.
Single-Serve Snacks and Drinks
Individual bags of chips, fruit cups, bottled tea and other single-serving items didn’t seem expensive on their own, but buying several each week added up. Larger packages can be portioned at home, while tea and other basic drinks are easy enough to make instead of buying by the bottle.
Name-Brand Pantry Staples
I bought certain brands of pasta, canned beans, flour, cereal and other pantry basics simply because they were the ones I’d always purchased. Switching to store brands where the ingredients and quality worked for me lowered the cost without requiring me to stop buying the foods I regularly use.
Related: Grocery Shoppers Are Filling Their Carts With Store Brands Instead of Name Brands
Pre-Prepared and Convenience Meals
Pre-marinated meats, frozen dinners and ready-made skillet meals saved time, but I was also paying more for much of the preparation to be done already. Buying basic ingredients, seasoning them at home and freezing extra portions of meals gave me some of that same convenience for less.
Out-of-Season Produce
I used to buy whatever fruits and vegetables I wanted without paying much attention to the season, even when prices were noticeably higher. Choosing more produce that’s plentiful at the time and using frozen options when fresh is expensive helped keep the produce portion of my grocery bill more manageable.
Related: 17 Grocery Shopping Habits to Break If Your Bill Keeps Getting Higher
Unplanned Bakery Treats
Muffins, sweet breads and other bakery treats had a way of landing in my cart even though they were rarely on my shopping list. A few extra dollars didn’t seem significant on one shopping trip, but making those purchases week after week added more to my grocery spending than I realized.
Groceries I Didn’t Have a Plan For
This turned out to be one of the biggest changes because random sauces, specialty ingredients and foods I thought I might use were often purchased without a specific meal in mind. If I can’t think of when or how I’ll use something, I leave it at the store rather than letting it become another forgotten ingredient in the pantry.
