How to Save Money on Groceries

Good advice from Rebecca Firkser, Caroline Chambers, Lukas Volger, Farideh Sadeghin, and more cooking pros.

In The Dinner Plan’s new Good Advice series, I ask a whole slew of cookbook authors and kitchen pros for their best tips. This week’s topic: How to save money on groceries.

If (like me) you’ve gulped at the checkout stand or groaned at your credit card bill lately, I’m hoping this edition will be helpful. You’re probably already doing (or at least intending to do) a few of these things—but I’m hoping that at least some of this advice unlocks something new.

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1. It isn’t always cheaper to make your takeout favorites at home

“While I’m trying to reduce the amount of fast food we eat overall, I’m finding that making some dupes at home from scratch isn’t always cheaper—especially if you include your time in any cost comparisons. For example, I just worked on finding an alternative to our favorite breakfast sandwich from Starbucks. Surprisingly, a ready-made freezer sandwich from Costco ended up being just a few cents more expensive for something I don’t have to make and has as much convenience as the drive-thru version. If I am planning to make a homemade alternative to takeout or a grocery store version, I’ll use my store’s shopping app to load the ingredients into my cart and see if I really am saving money when I am putting extra time into cooking.”
— Meghan Splawn (be sure to check out Meghan’s Food Budget Diaries series!)

2. Hit the discount produce bins

“I’m a big fan of shopping the discounted produce bins first because they’re always discounted BIG TIME. For example, overripe bananas can be purchased for next to nothing and work perfectly in banana bread or banana cake that can last you all week long! Bruised apples can be purchased for huge discounts and then saved for apple crumble for dessert at the end of the week! Soft tomatoes that are a little too mealy for salads? That’s sauce or soup waiting to happen. When you start thinking in terms of end use instead of appearance, discounted produce becomes one of the easiest ways to stretch your grocery budget.”
—Jess Rice, Recipe Development Manager at Budget Bytes

3. Set a calendar reminder to clean out your pantry

“Organizing is actually a huge part of saving money on groceries, especially if you’re getting started. Unless you designed your kitchen cabinets yourself, odds are they are too deep, and not the most effective for storing goods. Even though I store things in smaller bins, it’s very easy for extra boxes of pasta and jars of spices to get shoved into the abyss. Then, I think I’ve run out of something and I buy another one. To avoid this, I’ve set a calendar appointment to alert me every 3 months to go through my dry storage (baking supplies too!) to make sure I’m only buying what I truly need to feel well-stocked without going overboard with multiples.”
— Rebecca Firkser, author of Galette! (and Nickel & Dine)

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4. Get to know your grocery store’s schedule

“Knowing how your local grocery store operates can help determine the time of day you shop. Late in the day you might find baked goods on sale, whereas you might find meats for reduced prices in the earlier part of the day. If you know the days they’re doing restocking, go the day before for clearance produce.”
— Farideh Sadeghin, author of The Hot Dog Cookbook

5. Cut down on aspirational shopping by keeping (and looking over) a dinner log of what you actually ate

“Last year I kept a log of nearly every meal we ate and it surprisingly helped me save money on groceries. While I am an avid meal planner, I found that what I planned wasn’t always matching what we actually ate! Getting really realistic about that showed me that I could cut down on aspirational shopping: like in a ‘no, I’m not actually going to roast a whole squash and wash kale on a Tuesday before soccer’ kind of way. My dinner log also gave me a bird’s eye view of what we eat on repeat, which allows me to stock at bulk stores like Costco or buy and freeze our favorite staples when they go on sale.”
— Meghan Splawn (don’t miss Meghan’s Food Budget Diaries series)

6. Get organic produce for less with a CSA

“I personally prioritize organic whole foods and local produce, and I think some people assume you have to rely on expensive grocers or farmers’ markets to eat this way. However, farm share CSAs are surprisingly affordable for the quality of food they provide. My spouse and I are members of The 607 CSA here in NYC—we pay $38 per week for 7 to 10 vegetables from May to November. It has changed how I cook and eat. Since I budget for the CSA’s upfront cost at the beginning of the year, it takes the monthly pressure off some groceries for half the year. I appreciate, too, that my money goes directly to farmers and that I am supporting regenerative agriculture practices in my region.”
—Kara Haupt, Home Food

7. Freeze, don’t waste

“The freezer can store a lot more than ice cream and leftover soup. I store staples I use multiple times a week, but don’t use up, in the extra-cold environment to keep them fresh for far longer. For me that’s breads, nuts/seeds, (and nut flours!), washed chunks of ginger, and grated parmesan. The parm is an especially good one—a container will go moldy in a couple weeks in the fridge, but lasts 4+ months in the freezer!”
— Rebecca Firkser, author of Galette! (and Nickel & Dine)

“If there are vegetables that you buy but don’t get to, chop them and put them in a freezer bag. Frozen vegetables don’t always have the same texture when thawed out, but are great for stews or soups.”
— Aran Goyoaga, author of The Art of Gluten-Free Bread and Cannelle et Vanille

8. Embrace the tough cuts

“Chicken drumsticks are a fraction of the price of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. Chuck roast is much cheaper per pound than top sirloin. A bunch of collards is often cheaper than that plastic tub of arugula. They only require time to become silky, tender and luxurious.”
—Bridget Lancaster, Executive Editorial Director for America’s Test Kitchen, co-author of The Complete Summer Cookbook, The Perfect Cake, and America’s Test Kitchen 25th Anniversary Cookbook.

9. Really look at what you have before you plan dinner

“Before you make your grocery list, take five minutes to look through your fridge, freezer, and pantry. I always try to plan a meal around whatever needs to be used up instead of starting from scratch. That half bunch of herbs, extra yogurt, or leftover roasted vegetables can turn into a quick sauce, grain bowl, or frittata. It’s a small habit, but it helps you waste less food and makes your grocery bill noticeably lighter over time.”
—Maxine Sharf, author of Maxi’s Kitchen

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10. Don’t forget your shopping list…

“One thing that I think has really helped me save money on groceries and also reduce food waste is to make a cooking plan for the week and then create a detailed grocery list based on that. I almost never go shopping without my list because I will inevitably forget something important, which forces me to either go out again or place a grocery order filled with somewhat unnecessary items just to make the trip worthwhile.”
—Kristina Cho, author of Chinese Enough and Mooncakes and Milk Bread

11. But think loosely and make swaps

“Gosh, saving money on groceries right now is really hard. I think my best advice is to put your shopping list through a macro lens, so that there’s as much flexibility as possible as you shop. Different types of beans are interchangeable in most recipes, same for types of grains [adjusting for cooking time as needed]; I also look for the produce that’s abundantly available and low-priced, never knowing what it might be when I get to the store but excited to find out.”
—Lukas Volger, author of Snacks for Dinner, The Bread Machine Book, and co-host of SALT PIG: A Home Cooking Podcast

“​​On my newsletter, I include an ingredient swap for every single ingredient in the recipe. My readers are always telling me how it’s made them more confident to make their own swaps, which has saved them tons of money. When you are writing a grocery list for a recipe, consider what you can swap around to use up your existing pantry. Creamy white dairy things can be used pretty interchangeably. You don’t need to buy a new spice if you think you’ll only use it once: do a quick Google search to see what a good alternative would be that you already have in the spice drawer. Any soft green herb can be used even if the recipe calls specifically for cilantro. Use your creativity (and Google) to use up things you already have at home!”
—Caroline Chambers, author of What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking

“Even when you’ve planned out a week of meals in advance, you can still make smart choices when you actually get to the grocery store. If asparagus is out of season and broccoli crowns are on sale, go for the broccoli and save a few dollars there. If chicken thighs are on your menu but drumsticks are a few dollars cheaper per pound, that’s another no-brainer. Rigidly sticking to your menu plan can quickly inflate your grocery bill, while having a flexible mindset can go a long way to helping you save money.”
—Coco Morante, author of Instant Kitchen Meal Prep Cookbook

12. Stretch pricey proteins

“Use meat as the flavoring instead of the main. Use grains and beans and things to bulk out and stretch proteins like chicken and ground beef.”
— Farideh Sadeghin, author of The Hot Dog Cookbook

“Shrimp, lobster, crab, expensive cuts of meat—instead of serving them as the star of a small plate, fold them into a pasta with vegetables. A half-pound of shrimp can feed four (or even six) when tossed with garlic, olive oil, and seasonal produce. It still feels indulgent and luxurious, just smarter.”
—Mia Castro, author of Cocina Puerto Rico

13. And consider cost per serving

“When shopping for proteins, I recommend calculating the cost per serving. The cheapest option is often a humble staple, not always the one with the biggest markdown. Eggs are frequently one of the more affordable animal protein sources per gram compared to many cuts of red meat, for example.”
—Jess Rice, Recipe Development Manager at Budget Bytes

14. Cook with what you usually throw away…

“One of the most overlooked ways to save money is learning to see scraps as ingredients. If you buy pre-cut vegetables or packaged broth for convenience, you’re paying extra for what your kitchen already produces. Vegetable peels, herb stems, celery leaves, and Parmigiano rinds can all become a rich homemade stock that replaces store-bought broth and adds depth to simple soups and grains. And every breadcrumb is gold. I keep bread scraps in a cotton bag behind the kitchen door and turn them into homemade breadcrumbs, croutons, stuffings for vegetables, or soups. Here in Tuscany, stale bread is the foundation of dishes like ribollita (our bean and lacinato kale winter soup) and pappa al pomodoro (a thick, filling, tomato bread soup infused with garlic and basil).”
— Giulia Scarpaleggia, author of Vegetables The Italian Way and Cucina Povera

15. Especially the bacon fat you’ve already paid for!

“Using olive oil or another oil or butter to cook everything can get pricey! I like to save rendered bacon fat in my fridge, and use it when I want to impart a touch of complexity to what I’m cooking. I like it for sauteing vegetables for soups or stews; it gives you a touch of meaty, smoked flavor in the background, and makes the flavors more robust.”
—Chandra Ram, author of The Complete Indian Instant Pot Cookbook

16. Frozen fruit is cheaper (and better for smoothies)

“Once you blend it, the texture of fresh fruit is irrelevant. Frozen is cheaper, doesn’t spoil, and gives you a thicker, creamier texture without watering down your smoothie or sacrificing nutrition.”
—Mia Castro, author of Cocina Puerto Rico

17. Beware shopping for one recipe

“One of the most expensive habits today is shopping for specific recipes: you buy one ingredient for one dish, and the rest slowly dies in the fridge. Instead, choose 4 or 5 seasonal ingredients and cook them in different ways throughout the week. One cabbage can become a soup with cannellini beans, a pasta sauce with capers, toasted breadcrumbs and Pecorino, and a quick stir-fry with its sweet, nutty leaves.
— Giulia Scarpaleggia, author of Vegetables The Italian Way and Cucina Povera

18. Cook your vegetables so you can use them more easily

“A thing that I do to avoid waste is to, for example, cook all the mushrooms in my fridge when I decide to make that as a side dish. If we don’t finish them, they go into the fridge awaiting tomorrow’s omelet. This also saves time and energy during the never-ending morning rumble.”
—Ari Kolendor, author of How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea

19. Buy the things you really use in bulk

​​”My local grocery store (shout out to Price Chopper) often has deals when you buy in bulk. Instead of one can of chickpeas, I’ll buy four at a time. There’s significant savings by buying in bulk, and I also ensure my pantry is always stocked which means easy weeknight meals are always in reach without having to run out to the store at the last minute (and therefore spend more money).”
— Alexis deBoschnek, author of Nights and Weekends