A few general tips:

• Look up guides to seasonal produce and plan your menus around peak season discounts.
• Note the situations where you break your food budget, such as feeling tired after a hard day, and plan easy meals that you can serve in a couple of minutes instead of delivery or fast food.
• Survey the ethnic markets in your neighborhood. They often have the best prices on produce, and it may save your budget to learn that style of cooking.

Could offer more specific tips if you follow up with more about your situation.

The Kroger coupon app has good produce coupons. Honestly I don’t save much money on meat. I get a lot of it from a semi local farm and it’s really expensive but it tastes so totally different and better I don’t mind the money, plus it’s local and fresh. So I don’t get a great deal on meat lol

Change some of what you eat. Consider more vegan/vegetarian meals. Rice and beans and tofu are cheaper than meat. Avoid processed foods as much as possible. 5 lbs of potatoes costs about the same as a bag of chips where I live, that's a huge difference!

Batch cooking things that you will use during the week/month can help a lot. Cooking a pound of rice or beans means you'll have them for the week or longer if you freeze them.

Use herbs, spices and sauces to help make dishes more interesting and varied. I eat a fair amount of rice and beans and like Mexican, Cuban, Lebanese, etc. and use different spices and condiments to mix it up a lot.

Gardening! And we have a local garden swap Facebook group so if you have an abundance of something you can trade for variety. Even if you can’t garden you can find good deals in the Facebook groups.

Make everything from scratch. Kombucha is so cheap to make and you get all the raw probiotics. Next I’m gonna start making yogurt. I also save the ends of carrots, celery and onions in the freezer and then make my own stock.

Costco is the biggest distributer of organic produce now, more so than Whole Foods. Best deals for organic free range butter, cheese, milk.

We’re vegetarian so we save a lot of money simply by not buying meat. Eggs and legumes are cheap(er) and have plenty of protein.

You’ll prob like /r/eatcheapandhealthy and /r/noscrapleftbehind

Signing up for coupon lists, signing up for general credit cards that work everywhere. Places like Citi Double just offer a flat 2% back anywhere you go. If you have good credit and look for good credit cards you can find wonderful credit cards before they stop taking applications like I got lucky and was able to get the US Bank Altitude Reserve card and get 4% on anything apple pay before they discontinued applications.

Make a shopping list and stick to it, if I don’t I end up wasting bucks

Meal plan and use seasonal ingredients. They tend to be cheaper. Buy meat from a butcher and fresh produce from a fruit & veg store. Make use of specials.

We try and keep our meals as basic as we can where possible and that helps to keep costs down. I’ve found PnP to be the most reasonable on groceries lately.

Simple meals like a Mac & cheese one night, frikkadels & mash with veggies, homemade burgers (PnP red & white coleslaw is R20 a packet, pork/beef mince around R80, lettuce we have on hand and grow too, 6 rolls R17 — works out to a sorta cheap meal, two burgers each is filling), simple pasta dishes like a cheese & bacon pasta, a bolognese here or there and you can also do a whole chicken from the deli (like R80 and can stretch two days) and mix it up how you prepare it — make chicken burgers or do portions with potatoes and veg (smash is simple but works out expensive against actual potatoes, frozen veggies in the microwave is simple and stores well frozen)

I usually eat Weetbix or Corn Flakes at the office, and have dinner leftovers for lunch. Often I’ll fast lunch a couple times through the week to save a meal if it’s been a bad month, which lately there have been a few. I don’t have time to stand and make a separate meal for lunch so leftovers is always fine. I keep a weeks worth of Jungle Oats bars in my deskdrawer. If I’m fasting a meal, and get peckish I’ll snack one to satiate the hunger. My mom says not to fast, it isn’t necessary but it helps as well as I am so busy at work I hardly have time to eat anyways, so it helps save costs and time.

Sweets, chocolates and other luxuries are usually out of the question. A splurge would be cold drink or some crisps really, but we tend to eat fairly healthy by not including these treats in our shopping… I sip on water through the night (healthy and avoids any sugars keeping me awake too) and will drink coffee or tea at the office which is at no cost to me (I occasionally have a cup of tea at home, but am home at night fairly late mostly so coffee keeps me awake anyways if I have it, so I don’t drink it but the rest of the family does as they are at home more than I — look for specials on Jacobs or Douwe and buy when you can, Nescafe is alright but not fantastic)

For meat, look at mince or tenderised steaks. Whole chickens from the deli are gold and pork chops and bacon are also good to make meals out of. Fresh chicken breasts will set you back around R12 per piece, you can usually get a pack of 4 for R35-R45 if you look well.

I don’t eat a lot of dairy but plain yoghurt and a dash of sugar, add a spoon of coffee or cocoa and you have some flavour (plain yoghurt is good because you can diversify it and make dressings or tzatziki to complement savoury meals). 2L of fresh milk is R29 with a Smart Shopper card which is almost a R10 savings from other shops. Cheese you can buy in pre-cut portions and buy according to what you want to spend. If you just want to buy on a budget you can look for the R35-45 blocks or buy a big Lancewood (usually there are specials on the big blocks). Big blocks work out cheaper, shred the cheese and freeze portions (it is easier to shred then freeze, as shredding cheese that has been frozen makes it crumble)

You don’t have to buy expensive pastas. Leave the Barilla and buy the No Name Brand. Rice, if you like it, also goes far and cheaply. If you like pap that is a winner and can be incorporated into many meals at a phenomenal low cost. Buy packets of soup powders to thicken sauces and add flavour to meals. Two minute noodles for snacking is great, R56 for two six packs.

Spend money on toiletries but look out for specials at different shops. I find toiletries the hardest to find consistent pricing on. Splurge on toilet paper though. You use more 1 ply trying not to let your finger poke yourself than you do using a couple squares of 2ply. That’s an undisputed luxury necessity

Most important rule don't go shopping hungry.

I have a master shopping list and then I spend one day a month comparing prices for everything we need - usually Makro has the best specials for things other than meat and veggies - then I calculate those prices and remove anything unnecessary that puts us over budget. We usually buy bulk because it saves you more inf he long run. For example, we buy sugar once a year so we get the 10kg on special at Makro for R240 but it’s cheaper than buying a R40 2kg every month which equates to R480 but I do this with everything. Then veggies and meat we also buy bulk, more harder veggies and freeze anything before it spoils. For a household of 3 adults I’m able to keep our grocery budget to R5000 every month consistently for everything. Toiletries, snacks, staples, veggies, meat - everything

ALWAYS compare price per pound or ounce. Use a calculator if you must. You will be SHOCKED!!!

Plan your meals and do it in a way that lets you piggy back recipes. Choose meatless protein options. You can half the meat in a dish and supplement with something else (IE: ground beef +black bean tacos). This definitely isn’t for everyone but I don’t ever write a grocery list. I just go, find out what’s cheap and then build recipes out from there. If you’re used to preparing a variety of things it’s easy and I feel like I spend less than if I locked in my choices before getting there. Here’s how I do it:

I went grocery shopping today and my SO had two requests - tacos and pudding. Ground Beef was cheeper than turkey today so I got that. I keep black beans in the cupboard and had some shells left from last taco night. Had cheddar cheese already too. Bought a bag of shredded cabbage to use as topping. I won’t use all the cabbage with tacos so my next quest was to choose another dinner to use it - stir fry. Chose tofu for protein because it’s cheap and good. Bought broccoli and carrots and cauliflower to go with. But what about the left over veg? Cauliflower and some carrots will be used with chicken tikka masala because I already have most the ingredients. The rest of the carrots will go with the celery in my fridge to help make a bolognese sauce (with some of that ground beef I got). All I had to do was round out the r copes with some dry and canned goods that are inexpensive. I’ll be able to use all the ingredients with no waste and plenty of variation of flavors.

If you can buy it in bulk or bigger packs, the price often comes down and you can portion and freeze, don't forget to use unit pricing to be sure you're getting a good deal. Markdown? Even better.

Buy marked down meat and freeze it if not using it that week.

I may be weird but I LOVE grocery shopping. The more often you go, the better deals you can get on markdown stuff. I'm probably in the store 3-4 times a week and can grab things to eat for that night. Sometimes its nice steaks > 50% off, sometimes it's packaged deli meats, veggies, but there's always stuff that's on clearance. Check it out!

Menu plan, make a list, stick to the list.

Adding to this: try to quit eating junk food. It’s not only a waste of money, but a waste of calories. You’re just gonna be hungry again in a few minutes!

I make a list, stick to it, and then if I crave something during the week I’ll just go get it. 9 times out of 10 I am not going back out after work just to get a snack, which stops me from wasting my money

Edit: Flipp app is also great for looking at all the nearby stores’ fliers. You can even search for a specific item and it’ll show you all the deals in your area.

Absolutely true. Cheap and healthy means something different to everyone. For us it’s getting food we use and don’t waste that’s quick enough to fit in to our schedules. I do have an instant pot I haven’t used yet which may change my approach.

I make sure I have the store's app, for digital coupons and additional savings. Publix sends me freebies for birthdays and half-birthdays, for instance.

The best thing for me has been shopping online for groceries and picking them up. It helps me get the best deals and less impulse buys.

I don't buy or limit buying processed food. Also buying protein in bulk and freezing is a great savings.

Make a list and stick to it, don’t go when you’re hungry!!

Not if you do pickup and shop through the store itself. Instacart will charge a fee for example or say Walmart delivery but to just do pickup yourself is no charge

Mostly checking the weekly ads, cross shopping prices using online listings, looking at prices on a per pound or per unit level to track if it's cheaper to buy in larger quantities at a time or not.

I'm fortunate that most of the places I shop, including our regional grocery store, list all their prices online.

Also some meal planning, I usually don't buy fresh veggies/herbs unless it's within a few days of use if I can. I vacuum seal and freeze a lot.

Buy your bulk rice etc from ethnic stores. Same for meat too. 

I’m trying to push my grocery shops from every 7 days to every 10 days, and just use what’s in the cupboard and freezer if I’m struggling. Turns out I have a lot more food than I thought I did 😄

This is a no brainer but make sure you have the app downloaded and logged in on your phone before going in to the store. It’s a pain in the ass but stores nowadays have so many “app only” or “digital coupon only” deals that you miss without the app

Only shop what’s in the sale paper

Shopping in person helped me, particularly with produce bc I often had to choose set quantities. Now I get exactly what I need instead half a pound of ginger. When I got stuff from bulk bins, the in store shoppers often purchased way over the amount I asked for and it was a chore to call and ask for credit. There are in store sales that are not on the app bc they are last minute or mark downs. All of this is missed not shopping in person. It dropped my bill by 1/2.

I do the exact same thing as you! I recommend to any current college student to take advantage of your school’s food pantry if they have one. I go there first and then go to Aldi/Walmart for the rest of my meal preps for the week. NEVER buy name brand, always buy generic! ☺️

If you need to consistently visit food pantries, you should qualify for food stamps. If you don't, you may be taking food that someone else needs more than you. Food pantries are not meant to be grocery stores.

That crossing out items on the receipt to see what you’ve used is a great idea!

Shop at different stores and don't assume the big guys are cheaper than the little guys.

Notice the sale cycle, particularly for meats. For example, I see boneless chicken breast go on sale regularly at several stores for about 5 bucks a lb which is decent for my area. OTOH the "regular" price is easily double that. Same goes for beef and pork. Use a flyer app like Flipp to keep an eye out for sales.

Start to build a list (mental or notepad) of "baseline" prices for staples. You'll be able to tell when prices increase then you can exercise your power and not buy it, or look for something else.

Buy fruits and veg seasonally. You'll notice when certain things get cheaper and when they get more expensive.

For food shopping, I have done it since I was a young kid so I notice prices on everything. This is something that so many people struggle with. I also buy a lot of vegetables and it is very easy to change my shop list depending in the prices. But most veg is cheap and you can prepare great meals for very little cost. I can eat a big plate of veggies every day and I often wonder what people are spending their money on but it is usually junk food items  which cost more and offer little nutritional value.  I do eat meat and fish and try to buy free range if I can. Trade the junk food for better quality healthy food and save money.

Hassle at the farmers market. 

Buy ingredients, not products.

My #1 suggestion would be not to buy too much stuff at a time, especially of the perishable kind

Lowkey, these are hella good tips. I'm def guilty of impulse buys at the grocery store. The online window shopping thing is smart. I also second checking out smaller grocery stores - sometimes you find some real gems and save a bunch of cash. Like, who knew you could get a giant bag of rice for like, five bucks at the Asian market down the street. It's a game changer.

Couple of things I use, never go to the store hungry, and try to shop in the outsides only. The end caps have the best sales, but the aisles are where you get stuck and buy unnecessary things.

on the topic of "Master Unit Pricing", there's a site called Popgot that does exactly this for everyday essentials and online retailers. great way to extend that hack beyond just groceries and save even more!

A huge point for me was recognizing that many sales are cyclical. One grocer does a truck load sale a few times a year where you can get a massive discount if you buy stuff by the flat so like buying 12 cans of pasta sauce instead of just 1. I'll buy 4 months worth of those items on that sale and not have to worry about them except for 3 shopping trips a year. If you have trouble remembering sales dates automatically keep a calendar just for sales and put in an entry where there's really good sales that you can search. After a year you'll be able to see things like "pork is the cheapest in the Fall" or "this store sells chicken quarters dirt cheap the first week of every other month."

Re: your food storage point, I also think prioritizing storage and waste can go a long ways. Sure bread can last months in the freezer but is keeping a loaf of bread in your freezer the best use of a freezer? Mine is usually full of things like I'll buy pork loin when it's on sale, trim it to pork chops myself and vacuum seal then freeze. It's a lot more cost effective for me to use the freezer for expensive items than to worry about losing a few slices of bread here and there.

Another thing I've found useful to deal with food waste it making soups. You can use leftover bones and veg scraps to make stock/broth. Then you can use a wide variety of leftover veg or meat or whatever to make up a soup.

We found we had a ton of food waste and have really been working hard to reduce it. Only cook one serving per eater (harder with unpredictable kids, but supplement with snacks if they want more).

Prep everything you can when unpacking your groceries. Wash and cut veggies, repackage meat into meal sizes, etc. If you are constantly throwing out food like lettuce or fresh produce, make your meals requiring the fresh produce the same day you grocery shop. See if it makes sense to buy smaller sizes if your milk, bread, etc., goes bad.

Edit: eye opening for us was to take photos of everything we threw out. One time it was probably close to $100. That frustration has motivated us.

Aldi food turns over very fast. So food discounted at the sell by date is rare. But other stores often do it too. Eg in the DC area Giant and Safeway (but Safeway prices can be so high even at reduced prices they're still higher than other stores).

Dinged cans can be half off or less--I just bought a lit if black beans this way.

Bulk foods (especially spices). And salvage. New York Times had an article in salvage stores a couple months ago.

Also some areas have restaurant stores open to the public. On the West coast, it's Chef Store. I buy certain things there in bulk. 2 lb. brie for $11, 4.5 lbs kalamata olives for $17. Pound of arugula for $4. Etc.

Yes, this. In fact, the tip I was going to offer was making large quantities vs. different dinners each night. We save a lot of money at our house when we meal prep and make a dinner that will last us about 3-4 nights. It helps me with being able to maintain an inventory of what we have, and I just tend to use all of something with this approach.

Foodbanks are helpful! I always go to the foodbank first and then buy what I don't find there which for me is mostly fresh tomatoes, fruit juice and wine. Our local foodbank have helped me to cut down expenses as a student.

For many of my leftovers, I’ll make individual portions and freeze in very specific glass bowls that are the same size as the paper bowls at work. I then pop out my bowl shaped ice cube leftovers and vacuum seal and label them. I use these to create a variety of homemade freezer meals for work or home. I do this for all kinds of meals: homemade soups, chicken adobo, ham and greens, etc.

Ibotta, fetch and Shopkick can be good for savings. Check out r/moricoupons for some ideas.

Buy nothing can help. Near me there is a store called grocery outlet. That’s super cool. Also check out r/toogoodtogo

Our local area food bank also runs a “gleaning” program. You can go with a group of people and pick fruit or harvest whatever that may be about to go bad. A bunch goes to the food bank, but you can also take a big box home in exchange for spending a couple hours helping out.

Some areas also have a “food rescue program”. Here it costs $30 to use, but you get around $200 worth of groceries that are ‘rescued’ from ending up in a landfill. And they can be fun, ours has a Facebook group where people post recipes for the random food that was available that week.

My boyfriend and I used to shop there a lot but we found we would throw away half the veggies we bought because the went bad so fast. Even if I cut it up and put in a different container. We ended up throwing away more than we ate so the savings weren't justified in my opinion.

I do a lot of the things already mentioned (plan 2 weeks at a time, buy meat in bulk and freeze, shop mostly at Walmart bc in my area it’s consistently cheaper, limit meat intake to a couple nights a week). But here’s a few things I haven’t seen mentioned yet.

1. Flipp app - type in a grocery item and it will automatically check the stores in your area for coupons or weekly sales. You can limit it to just the stores you want to go to.

2. Try to figure out which days the managers specials are in your area - for example my Kroger marks down meat every Monday. It normally has an expiration date of the next day so I take it home, vacuum seal it, and freeze.

3. Once a week (so two meals out of my two weeks of meal plan) I cook something in the crockpot. We are a family of 3 (two adults and a toddler) and this gives us enough food to eat that night and at least two servings that would feed us all to go in the freezer. I vacuum seal, label, and date those bags as well. So typically once a week the meal plan is to eat something from the freezer which is a “free” meal this week since I’m not buying anything new.

4. You can freeze almost anything. Just google it to see. For example once a month or so I will make some ravioli from frozen and add jarred sauce - at that rate we can never finish the sauce before it spoils (I’m extra careful about this due to the toddler). So now I open the jar, serve it the first night, and then freeze the rest in ziploc bags (labeled and dated) in portions large enough to feed the family. Tons of examples like this.