How to save on groceries, 10 tips to pay less

Saving on groceries is possible, just follow some valuable tips that help you spend intelligently and pay less for everyday purchases.

From the pandemic to today, the world has gone through several moments of crisis, during which the prices of goods have skyrocketed, forcing families to pay high energy bills and suffer increases on many commonly used products.

Although 2025 has seen a general drop in prices compared to the peak of 2022.

Knowing how to channel your economic resources wisely and effectively, therefore, has become a real priority for many families. Below, 10 tips for saving on groceries and paying less.

1. Make a shopping list

The shopping list is an old trick, but it has always been effective. Preparing a list of products that you really need before going out and going to the supermarket is considered an excellent method to avoid unnecessary purchases and, therefore, spend less (or at least the right amount).

Writing a shopping list must be a careful action, to be carried out scrupulously, checking shelves, refrigerator and pantry to avoid buying products that perhaps are already at home, but have not been seen.

Furthermore, arriving at the supermarket with a previously defined list of what you need helps you avoid running into promotional "distractions" along the shelves.

Doing a targeted shopping therefore avoids buying excess products: stocking up is neither useful nor necessary since it implies a greater outlay of money and increases the risk of wasting food, perhaps forgotten. Also, never forget: by market logic, offers are always there.

2. Choose the right time

Saving on groceries? A question of time. Or stomach, you might say. Although it may seem like a negligible aspect, not to say superfluous, it is actually established that with the stimulus of hunger, food purchases are not intelligent.

When you have stomach cramps, for example, after a particularly intense work session, this feeling of appetite could be harmful for those who want to save money.

Hunger, in fact, leads the consumer to buy food and snacks, often more than necessary and, consequently, to spend more than necessary. For this reason, shopping on a full stomach could be a much more sensible choice.

Also haste is bad counselor, always. Even to do the shopping, it is necessary to avoid unnecessary rushes caused by delays or other commitments. Having, instead, minutes available to check prices and labels means being able to correctly evaluate the right quality/price ratio.

3. Don’t necessarily choose branded products and... prefer discount stores

For those who want to understand how to save on shopping, the selection of product brands is essential.

Usually the most well-known and advertised brands are also considered the best in terms of quality, pushing the consumer to buy them even at a higher price.

Some cheaper and unbranded products, however, represent a good compromise in terms of raw materials. Various statistics confirm that what is sold in discount stores generally goes for the most.

According to a survey carried out by Altroconsumo, 33% of the best purchases made during one’s shopping are represented by discount products. Furthermore, the same study states that in 70% of cases, the "B-series" product was found to be superior in quality to the big brand. This means that reducing the price of goods is possible without sacrificing quality.

Any self-respecting discount store, after all, has a choice of high-end products and a choice of lower-end products, the latter most often intended for the general public.

It is no coincidence that talking about these chains represents a guarantee of savings in all respects.

4. Evaluate the price per kilo or per liter

To save on packaged products with unit prices, a simple strategy is to compare similar ones (perhaps from different brands) to understand how much they cost per kilo or per liter.

Usually, the data on the weight of the package are written in small print and are not easy to find. However, with the right attention and a little patience, you can make simple calculations and discover which product really costs less, saving money.

This method allows you to avoid, for example, the trap of shrinkflation, a phenomenon with which a smaller package or less quantity of product is sold at the same price.

5. Buy loose and seasonal products

Preferring the seasonality of products, especially fruit and vegetables, allows you to save money as well as gain in health and well-being.

Sometimes, in fact, these non-seasonal foods are the most processed or imported and, therefore, cost more. Choosing seasonal foods instead allows you to buy zero-mile products and without the costs of long transport.

Furthermore, preferring loose products to pre-packaged ones is another saving strategy. The cost of packaging, for example, is not there.

6. Use the 6 to 1 method

American chef Will Coleman has devised a method that can be defined as a real mathematical formula for saving when you go shopping.

The idea is to rationalize the foods to buy during a week, ensuring that you spend less than 90 euros in seven days and with the advantage of favoring healthy foods.

Here’s what to put in your cart: 6 vegetables, 5 fruits, 4 protein foods to choose from meat, fish, eggs, legumes, cheeses, 3 with starches (and therefore pasta, rice, bread or similar), 2 sauces or spreads and 1 extra food, such as a dessert or an alcoholic beverage that can satisfy a sweet tooth.

7. Don’t fall into the trap of marketing strategies

Marketing traps are everywhere when you enter a supermarket and falling into them can mean spending much more than you want.

One of the baits for the consumer inside a supermarket is hidden in the size of the cart. Generally, the carts are large so that you will never have the perception that it is full, leading the consumer to spend much more.

Another deceptive element is the arrangement of the products on the shelves, which is also part of a strategy. Items displayed at eye level are more likely to be among the first choices in terms of purchase.

The wording “few stocks available” is also part of a very effective lever of persuasion. It is called the principle of scarcity and urgency, and it puts the customer in the position of buying hastily by exploiting his fear of missing out on a good opportunity.

Not falling into these traps is an unconventional but effective method for saving money when shopping at the supermarket.

8. Set a maximum budget

To avoid unnecessary expenses, it is useful to set a maximum budget that you want to spend before going to the supermarket.

This means that, also based on the list of things to buy, you need to pay close attention to the prices of the goods, the quantity to buy, and the current offers to pay no more than the established limit.

For example, setting a spending limit of €100 per week, instead of €110, allows you to save €40 per month.

In this sense, family budget management apps that are available and can be downloaded conveniently onto your cell phone can be really helpful.

9. Make a weekly menu

Singles, couples or extended families can easily save on groceries by planning a weekly menu.

When you know what to cook every day, both for lunch and dinner, it is easier to manage your shopping at the supermarket and, above all, to actually buy what you need to meet your needs for the week. Even in this case, with a precise shopping list you can buy by taking advantage of the offers.

10. Choose vegetarian food

Once in a while you can also save by choosing to buy and, therefore, eat completely vegetarian.

For example, with a maximum budget of €20-25 per week (in Italy), you can buy
rice, fresh fruit and vegetables, spreads, legumes, bread, oat milk, tofu.

Pairing fresh vegetables with rice is a great way to have a complete meal. Obviously, for those who also love meat or fish, this can only be a one-off solution, but it can lighten the weekly spending budget.

Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Come risparmiare sulla spesa, 10 consigli per pagare meno