Grocery Inflation: 11 Ways to Reduce Stubbornly High Food Prices

ACROSS AMERICA — Grocery shopping has become a financial burden for many Americans, with prices still about 21 percent higher than they were three years ago, when inflation began to rise.

Inflation, which had hit a four-decade high, has slowed in other sectors of the economy, but the recovery has not trickled down to grocery store shelves. The average American household spends about $475 a month, or $5,703 a year, on groceries, according to the latest 2022 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Food prices have stabilized after some steep increases during the pandemic, but remain stubbornly high. According to the latest Consumer Price Index, food costs rose 0.1 percent from June to July.

While these tips won't make grocery shopping a completely painless experience, they can ease some of the pain of high prices.

Know where to find coupons

Coupons originated in the late 1880s in the form of coupons for Coca-Cola products, became popular at the height of the Great Depression, and are still a central part of many retailers' strategies. Coupons are still clipped from newspapers, magazines, and flyers sent through the mail, but are increasingly available through apps for stores like Target and Walmart.

Additionally, Flipp and similar apps allow users to search for coupons from all major grocery stores. Another app, Ibotta, offers users cash back for using coupons.

“You just have to scan an item in the store, the coupons appear in your app and then are automatically applied at checkout. It's become a lot easier,” influencer Kiersten Torok, known as Torok Coupon Hunter on Instagram and TikTok, told the Associated Press.

A key to actually saving money with coupons: Make sure you use them on things you would normally buy. Don't buy something just because the price is heavily discounted with a coupon, Torok said.

Keep track of your expenses

To keep your grocery spending under control, it's important to create a budget. The first step is to track how much you're already spending. Start by reviewing how much you've spent on your last few purchases, recommends David Brindley, deputy editor of AARP Bulletin.

If you don't keep receipts from previous grocery purchases, look at your bank statement and add up the cost of groceries. Once you know how much you spend on groceries, set a goal, such as sticking to a certain budget or reducing your spending.

Use either your smartphone or a calculator to add up the cost of your groceries as you walk the aisles. This can be especially helpful if you have a strict budget to stick to.
When you have to decide whether to buy something that wasn't originally on your list, it can be helpful to keep track of your ongoing list.

Think about how you pay

Credit cards that offer reward points often give extra points on grocery purchases, some as much as five times the points offered by other credit card companies. You would spend the money anyway, and the points can add up to the point where you get significant savings on other items.

One important caveat: Be careful not to blow the money you earn by using your card with high interest rates and late fees. For this strategy to be effective, you should pay off the balance monthly.

Take stock of what is available

Before you make a shopping list, take inventory of what you already have in your fridge and pantry. Don't just take a quick look. Sarah Schweisthal, personal finance expert and social media manager at budgeting app YNAB, recommends taking everything out and taking inventory so you don't buy duplicates of things you already have on hand.

Develop a weekly meal plan

Meal planning for a week or even a month can be a good way to keep spending under control, Schweisthal told the AP. Additionally, Bridley recommends planning multiple meals with similar ingredients, which not only saves money but also reduces food waste.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers healthy eating plans that range from savings plans for food-insecure families to more flexible plans for people with more generous food subsidies.

Or you can use apps that specifically help you with meal planning, such as AnyList or Mealtime.

Buy in bulk and share the discount

Buying in bulk can save money as long as you're sure you'll use the larger quantities. Brindley also recommends teaming up with a friend or family member to buy certain items in bulk and split the discount.

Also consider food-sharing apps like Olio, which connects people in their community to share surplus food, and Too Good to Go, where you can buy surplus food at a discount.

Stock up and freeze supplies

Buying in bulk can be particularly cost-effective for items that freeze well.

For example, if the store has a great deal on fresh blueberries, raspberries or strawberries, feel free to buy the larger package and freeze the berries. According to the University of Maryland Extension Service, they should last for six to eight months. You don't need to add sugar or syrup, although both are possible.

Stocking up on meat when it's on sale is a great way to save money. Fun, cheap or free: Where frugality takes on a new look, blogger Jordan Page said she might spend more on groceries one week when she stocks up on meat in the freezer, but she saves money the other weeks.

When freezing meat, divide it into usable portions and place in freezer bags. Don't skimp on quality to save money. Buy bags made of thicker plastic and tested zippers. Don't forget to label the packages and include the date they were placed in the freezer. You may want to write a “best before” note reflecting the length of time the meat will last in the refrigerator before freezing.

“When you freeze meat, you're essentially hitting the pause button on the expiration date,” Page wrote on her blog. “Then it resumes once it's thawed. So if you buy meat that's three days past its expiration date, you probably have three days to use it from the time you thaw it again.”

Shop what’s in season

Plan meals around produce that is available seasonally to take advantage of lower prices and better quality. Locally grown produce, whether at the supermarket or farmers market, is less expensive than fruits and vegetables imported from another part of the country.

During peak harvest season, buy more than you need and freeze, can, or dry the excess. Acorn squash and butternut squash will last up to two and three months, respectively, when stored properly. Late potatoes can last up to eight months when stored in a cool, dark place.

Government extension services have a wealth of information on food storage and preservation, as well as other money-saving tips.

Avoid impulse purchases

As you walk up and down the aisles, you may find yourself craving something unplanned, like a snack or a new dish. If you anticipate that you'll have a hard time sticking to your list, consider building some flexibility into your plan, such as setting aside a certain amount to purchase snacks or a random item you see at the checkout.

“I think flexibility in a plan actually helps people stick to it better,” Schweisthal told AP.

If you tend to deviate from your shopping list because you buy things you don't need every time you go to the store, shopping online and picking up your items curbside is a good solution.

“I 100 percent recommend sitting down on Sunday morning, looking around the stores and comparing the items you need for the week, especially the things you can pick up curbside,” Torok told AP.

Try something new

That doesn't mean you shouldn't try new foods, but if you do, test your family's appetite by buying small quantities at first. At the beginning of the pandemic, Americans discovered they like tofu, a soy-based protein used as a meat substitute in many vegetarian dishes.

As supply chain issues drove up the price of meat and made it harder to find, tofu sales jumped 40 percent in the first half of 2020. Sales have remained strong since then, especially amid renewed emphasis on healthy eating.

A pound of soaked tofu costs about $3, compared to an average of $3.95 per pound for a chicken breast or $11.70 for a pound of sirloin steak.

Shop at dollar stores

Dollar stores often have a produce section and some have refrigerated sections. They are a good place to save money on pantry items such as canned goods, coffee and tea, spices and vegetable oil.

Look at these stores for non-grocery items like paper and storage products that you would normally buy at the grocery store.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.