There is a lot that is out of our control right now. As parents, navigating our way through the twists and turns of the pandemic has made it especially hard.

Whether you are adjusting to another semester of virtual schooling, coordinating with your nanny or sitter, or still finding a balance of working from home… we all have something going on right now that feels a little haywire.

There’s something powerful about food when the rest of life gets hectic. It’s one thing that remains relatively consistent. It brings us together and also gives us a sense of control and comfort. Because we firmly believe in the power of food and nourishment during tricky times, we thought it’d be helpful to share a few ways to make your food/groceries even more easy and enjoyable.

Here are a few of our favorite grocery store “hacks” for saving time and money.

1. Get Repeat Items Online

This is my all-time favorite grocery shopping hack that totally changed the way I stock my kitchen for the better.

Think about the standard, “go-to” items you like to always have in your kitchen. Brown rice, oats, pasta, peanut butter. Make a list of those items. Then try to figure out how frequently you run through them… maybe your family goes through 2 jars of peanut butter per month.

It can be incredibly helpful to buy these types of pantry items online. Here’s why. Not only will it save you time in the store (and space in your shopping bags), but there are also a ton of discounts on different websites when you “subscribe” to a certain item. Look for the option “subscribe and save” at checkout.

Save the fresh produce and unique “spur-of-the-moment” items for the grocery store or farmers market.

Pro-Tip! Download the free Google Chrome Extension, Honey. It will alert you when there’s a special promo code for an item you’re browsing!

2. Pick & Choose Your Splurge Items

We all have certain things we simply can’t live without. And why should we? Maybe you have a favorite specific brand of ice cream and store brand simply won’t cut it. Or maybe you are passionate about buying local or wild-caught seafood over farm-raised or frozen.

Identify these non-negotiables and then find other places where you can cut some corners. Store brand is generally a good option for finding a similar product at a discounted price. You can also try buying certain things in bulk from a store that offers products at a discount when purchased in bulk.

Pro-Tip! If you prefer to buy organic but want to save a few bucks, swap out some of the produce that has a natural protective casing, like bananas, avocados, and oranges, for non-organic. These types of fruits and veggies are less likely to have pesticides get through the skin.

3. Put 3 Things Back

One great trick if you’re really trying to stick to a budget and save a few bucks is to look at your cart before you check out and try to find 3 things to put back.

This is particularly helpful if you tend to shop hungry or “impulse buy” certain things on a whim. Maybe it’s that extra fancy ingredient that is a “nice to have” or the late-night treat that you might skip if it wasn’t in the cabinet.

Once you’ve done this for a while, you’ll get to a point where you start avoiding those unnecessary extras before you even put them in the card.

4. Keep Everything in the Fridge Visible

Okay, hear me out on this one.

How many times have you made a big dinner, put the leftovers in a storage container or wrapped them in tinfoil, and then left them in the fridge only to be forgotten about? We’ve all done it!

We have a major food waste problem and tossing out leftovers is a major contributor. Not only is it wasteful but it’s also throwing money in the garbage.

So, stick to clear wrapping for your perishables and leftovers. See-through storage containers and clear wraps rather than tinfoil. You’ll be far more likely to notice those apple slices and eat them rather than finding them a week later, brown, and needing to be tossed.

5. Learn Which Food to Freeze

One of the ways we often end up wasting food (and spending more) is by letting a few things go bad before we eat them.

Learning which foods keep well in the freezer can help you reduce that waste.

When you have fruit that is about to turn, cut it up into pieces, put it in a baggy, and store it in the freezer for smoothies or yogurt bowls.

The same can be done with vegetables that are on their last leg.

Check out this FDA Guide for how long different foods last in the freezer to get started.

6. Get Creative with the “Bottom of the Barrel”

We’re all familiar with scouring the kitchen for a snack or a meal and saying, “we have nothing at the house!”

Well, frankly, some of my best and most creative meals have come out of those times.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in exactly what meals we’re cooking for the family for the week, we stop getting creative with what we have.

And while it may feel like you “have nothing,” more than likely you have plenty of dried goods in your pantry, sauces and spices, and a few vegetables. So try it out. Try making your groceries stretch out an extra day or two, and the savings will start adding up faster than you’d think!

Pro Tip! Use a website like FridgeToTable. You simply enter the ingredients that you have in your fridge and it will give you recipes to make!

7. Find the Best Loyalty Program

Hopefully you are already using this tip because it’s the absolute easiest way to save money when grocery shopping!

Almost all grocery stores have some sort of loyalty program, where you get discounts by using your card and you earn perks when you shop. My loyalty card gives me “fuel points” every time I shop at my grocery store and when I fill up on gas, I usually get about 50c per gallon off! Those are some serious savings!

I’m sure you already have the grocery store that you like to go to, that’s near your house and has good prices. But it may be worth doing a little research into nearby stores to see if their loyalty programs offer better discounts or perks.

It’s all about taking the time to budget and be strategic! Grocery shopping for a family becomes one of your major monthly expenses, but hopefully, by using a few of these tips, you can rack up some savings over the course of the year.

NannyPod provides long term nanny matches and short term occasional date-night babysitters and infant care on demand, at an affordable price. Our service is convenient, safe and secure for families and our staff. Parents can request childcare instantly by using the NannyPod app. Get started with NannyPod today and find babysitters or nannies for your childcare needs!

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