It’s no secret that in the last few years, grocery prices have skyrocketed. And nowadays, we’re all feeling that pinch when we step up to the register. That’s why our major goal has been mastering how people can save money on groceries – without clipping coupons, and without running to a million different stores. Now we’ve cut our grocery bill in half & we want to help you do the same!

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I want to preface this article by saying…this will not happen overnight. Figuring out the right way to lower your own personal grocery bill is a process but I promise you, it’s worth it in the end.

This will be the beginning of a multi-part series where we figure out how to spend less on groceries & put more money back in your pocket. Plus the added bonus is that taking these steps will probably make you a little more self-sufficient in the process.

Alright, so the first step in this process of how to lower your grocery bill involves answering one question.

This singular question will determine how to cut down on your grocery bill & help shape the rest of your cost-cutting journey. Because the more things we can cut back on or make in-house & the less we go to the store, which means we’re spending less on expensive groceries that are being shipped halfway around the world, which in turn also makes you less affected by supply shortages. But it’s all about the baby steps, so let’s first jump in with the magical question…

What Sends You to The Store?

And what I mean by that is…what’s the catalyst that triggers you to go grocery shopping? What’s that one thing that once you’re out of that, now you HAVE to go to the store?

When we started asking this question we realized that our groceries could be stretched pretty far, but once we ran out of garlic, onions, potatoes, or – heaven help us – all three, then we definitely HAD to go to the store. And when we started really paying attention, we noticed it was super consistent because these foods are staples in our household.

So then what do you do with that information?

Well, we took it right out into the garden. Instantly those three became required crops for us to plant every year. And since we’ve started growing an even somewhat sustainable supply, we find that we make fewer trips to the grocery store, saving time & money on both gas & groceries.

And the beautiful thing is that once you’ve figured out an alternative for some of your top offenders, you just ask yourself the same question all over again.

Now…What Sends You to The Store?

For us, it became pretty clear that all the “in-between” grocery trip lists included toilet paper, wine, & lemons. A laughable combo, yes, and a little bit trickier to bring in-house, but we’ve definitely taken great strides to remove or at least bump these down the grocery list.

We all remember the great COVID toilet paper shortages & it’s a wonder this solution wasn’t mentioned more often, but let me turn you on the magic of a bidet. We bought ours online for less than $30. It was so easy to install and it’s been a real game-changer!

Now I’m not going to get graphic, but let’s just say, we use a lot less toilet paper. And if everyone decides to buy up all the TP again someday, we now have no qualms with temporarily moving to “family cloth” and becoming a toilet-paper-free household. We love not having to worry about another shortage. Plus now that toilet paper has been bumped down the grocery list, it will be “sending us to the store” a lot less frequently.

Wine is a bit trickier, but believe it or not, I bought a DIY wine kit. It’s actually a pretty nice one, but I’m too nervous to give it a try. It’s been sitting for like a year, but I swear, I’ll get up the nerve one of these days. And with all the future fruit we’re growing on the farm, I’m optimistic that I can replace the vast majority of our liquor expenses with homemade wine. And that’d be a big deal because alcohol is also one of our top 3 spending categories, but we’ll talk more about that later.

Lemons are also a bit of a long game. We recently met with local farmers who built a self-sustainable tropical dome for growing citrus and can I just say….that’s serious goals. It’ll be a long-term project, but after evaluating our grocery habits, we’ve decided it’s more than just a frivolous build. Enabling us to grow citrus & tropical produce on the farm would open up sustainable access to foods that we love & push us toward making fewer trips to the store.

Phew, that was a lot of grocery alternatives to figure out, but I’m here to tell you that the question never stops. Now that we’ve finalized solutions for these items, we move down the grocery list, always working towards spending less time & money going to the grocery store and more enjoying life.

Now It’s Your Turn

I know this article was a lot of personal examples, but now it’s your turn to start evaluating your grocery habits. Take the next few months to pay attention to what sends you to the grocery store and start brainstorming in-house alternatives.

If it’s coffee – either buy a larger quantity to keep on hand (so you still go to the store less often) or consider a homegrown tea alternative. Maybe a combo of both to stretch your coffee farther?

If it’s Kraft Mac & Cheese – find a cheap copycat recipe and make as much as you want at home

If it’s tomato paste – consider growing your own tomatoes & learning how to can

These are just a few quick ideas, but if you want help brainstorming, drop the top items that send you to the store in the comments down below & we’ll come up with some solutions together.

Find more tips for cutting down your living expenses here.

Want to Learn More??

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So, what do you think? Are you ready to start hacking away at your grocery bill? Send us an email or leave a comment below! You can also let us know on our Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or Pinterest pages.

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