I plan to cut grocery spending by 25%

When I was aggressively saving for a down payment, I spent $150 each month on groceries – including bringing lunch to work every day. Now, with the cost of food on the rise, I'm spending around $200 each month. 

I eat comfortable spending $50 a week,  but with 1.4 million Canadians still unemployed, and having suffered through a job loss last year, I can’t help feel wary seeing my grocery bill creep up. 

Inspired by Maisie Vanriel, a nutritionist and winner of Moneyville’s Next Blogger contest, I have decided that my goal is to cut my $200 grocery bill back down to $150 for the month of July.

Here’s how I plan to do it:

Eat simply: Big batches of simple meals – such as chili or soup are cheap and easy to make, but you will also have plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week.

The summertime is perfect for eating fresh, healthy meals. Check out Delish.com for some summer recipe ideas under $3 a serving.   

Shop in my kitchen: I just moved into my house last month, but I’ve already accumulated a lot of food – including staples like rice, quinoa, bread, and frozen chicken. Before you go grocery shopping, check out what you already have and see if you can buy a few key ingredients to turn those items into a meal.

AllRecipes.com is a great resource because you can enter in the ingredients that you already have, and it will generate a list of recipes that use those items.

Buy from farm markets:  Stop shopping at expensive chain grocery stores for produce. Instead, check out local farm markets or Asian grocery stores for the best savings. I recently went to my local farm market and spent  $2.64 on a bag of mushrooms, zucchini, onion, and fresh parsley.

What do you do to save on your grocery bill?

Also read:
How to save money while eating healthy 
Try this frugal meal plan: under $6 a day  

Krystal Yee is a marketing and graphic design professional living in Vancouver. She also blogs at Give Me Back My Five Bucks. You can reach her on Twitter (@krystalatwork), or by e-mail at krystalatwork@gmail.com.