A Super-Smart Reddit Tip That’ll Help You Save Money on Groceries Next Month

updated Mar 5, 2021
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Credit: Joe Lingeman

A few months ago, we polled nearly 10,000 Kitchn readers to identify the ways in which the pandemic has altered their budgets. While 61 percent of Kitchn’s survey respondents reported operating on the same budget as they were during pre-pandemic days, a whopping 30 percent of respondents reported making less money. At the same time, 48 percent of our survey respondents reported spending more money on groceries now than they were back in March. It’s safe to say that saving money on groceries is more important to Kitchn readers than ever before.

The thing is, when it comes to grocery budgeting and money-saving tips, it often feels like all the advice has been said and done before. Like you’ve heard it all. That’s how we were starting to feel … until we stumbled upon this smart tip from Reddit that might actually change the game.

“Save ALL [of] your food receipts for a month, especially grocery store receipts. At the end of a month, add up how many gallons of milk, pounds of meat, boxes of Cheerios etc. [that] you bought. The following month, buy that quantity in bulk. Buying in bulk minimizes packaging waste. It also means [fewer] trips to the grocery store, which limits your carbon footprint,” said the original poster.

Credit: Abscent

We love this tip because it’s an easy way to take stock of a month’s worth of groceries and implement actionable change for the following month. This budgeting method is a labor of love that will ultimately pay off in the form of savings. What’s more is that buying a known quantity of groceries in bulk will help avoid the main pitfall of bulk shopping (read: buying too much of something you will not use). Put this system in place this month and reap the benefits twofold next month!

What’s your best trick for saving money on groceries?