If you are like me, you want to eat healthy, but you have a hard time accomplishing this while on a budget. I am a college student, and soon to be newly wed, so I have made it my mission to find a way to eat healthy while staying within our budget. Not only do I want to stay on budget, but I don’t have time to go to every grocery store in town to get my shopping done. Today, I am going to give you a few steps so you can learn how to grocery shop on a budget.

1. Compare Stores

In Athens, I have always shopped at Kroger because it is generally the cheapest option. Grayson and I are moving to South Georgia and Kroger is not an option. We made a list of all the grocery options in town and we found that Walmart is the cheapest. Some of the cheapest options I have found are:

• Walmart
• Kroger
• Aldi
• Trader Joes (on some items)

2. Make a list

I cannot stress enough how important a grocery list is. If you go into the store unprepared, or worse, hungry, you will overbuy and overspend. My sophomore year of college, I was grocery shopping for myself for the first time. I would go into the store and buy whatever looked good. Not only did I overspend, I gained weight! Before you go to the store, look at what you have and make a list of what you need for the week.

3. Buy in bulk

Now I don’t mean go to Sam’s Club and buy all the jumbo sizes. All I mean here is buy enough for more than one night. For example, my grocery store has value packs of chicken breasts that come with 5 or 6 breasts in a pack. They are cheaper per pound than the pack of 3 which I used to buy. When I get home, I open the pack and separate the chicken breasts into freezer bags. The breasts I am not planning on using throughout the week, I freeze until I need it. Some things you can buy in bulk include:

• Meat
• Produce
• Frozen food (frozen chicken breasts and frozen tilapia are my favorite)

4. Use Coupons

I know this seems obvious, but I have saved so much by spending a few minutes looking for coupons before I head to the store. Some stores such as Kroger and Target, have apps that let you make your list digitally. Once you have items on your list, the app will let you know if there are any coupons available.

5. Use rebate apps

This one is newer for me, but I have been loving two rebate apps! The first app is Fetch Rewards. Scan you receipt from any store, and get points back for gift cards from Target, Amazon, and more! Use my code, UGQ9C, or click the link to get 2,000 points when you sign up.

The next app I use is Ibotta. Just look for items in the app that are on your grocery list, save them, scan your receipt, and you get money back! I have made $40 back already in just a few months by using Ibotta. Use my referral code, qmebtjy, to get started.

These are just the top 5 things that have worked for me! How do you grocery shop on a budget? Comment down below and let me know!

Xoxo,

Jessica