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My husband cut our $2,000 monthly grocery bill by $415 just by shopping differently.
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Switching from name brands to store brands saved us thousands — and my kids didn't even notice.
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His engineering mindset means no impulse buys and less food waste.
In May 2023, my husband and I sat down to look over our budget app on his laptop — one of my least favorite activities.
As a family of six living in the Chicago suburbs, our grocery bills were already sky-high and climbing with inflation. I hated budget conversations.
So 2k split six ways is like 330 give or take per person per month, being like 80 bucks a week. I usually get by spending 150-200 per month on groceries and that's usually me buying bulk one month to stretch out over a few months and the other months on treats like fresh fruits, vegetables, and maybe even some fancy bread once in a while. Are kids really that expensive to feed? Yeah probably.
Even though my husband never made me feel this way, I always felt like I was getting in trouble for overspending. So when he pointed out that our Walmart grocery bill for the month was $1,923, I felt the guilt creep in.
But then, he said something that I didn't expect: "Let me take over the grocery shopping."
I laughed. Not because I thought he'd do a bad job but because I couldn't imagine it would make any real difference. Plus, grocery shopping was my domain: I knew what we liked, and I meal planned. I didn't love the idea of him double-checking my choices. But I was exhausted from the weekly trips, so I handed him the grocery list — half expecting him to come back overwhelmed.
The next month, our grocery bill dropped to $1,511. I figured he was just cutting corners to prove he could spend less. But the following month? $1,555. Our pantry was full, our kids were happy, and we were spending around $400 less a month.
I had to admit: maybe my husband was onto something.
He started by taking his time in the store to consider all the options
I got curious about his method: "How are you doing this?" I asked.
It turns out his first grocery shopping trip took almost two hours — and not because he couldn't find anything. While I was home imagining him wandering lost in the aisles, he was carefully reading ads (the ones I would have tossed aside) and checking prices on every single item.
Ah yeah, that makes sense. Its a right sharp thing to do to save a few quid in this economy. Man back in the cupon days you could get some wild deals with what you found in the papers
Ever the engineer, my husband pulled out his phone to show me some of the side-by-side price comparisons he made. I was beyond surprised.
My husband made some big money-saving switches
My kids go through ketchup like water. I had been buying Heinz at $4.48 for years without thinking twice. The Great Value brand my husband chose is just $1.92 for the same size bottle, and it tastes exactly the same, saving us $2.56 every time.
Yeh going for the 'generic' house version instead of branded stuff genuinely makes the most sense the majority of the time.
But the ranch savings may be one of our biggest. Switching from Hidden Valley at $6.97 to Great Value at $3.54 saves us $3.43 per bottle, and no one can even tell the difference. We use it for everything from salads to dipping vegetables, so these savings add up quickly. We even did a blind taste test with our pickiest eater, and he liked the generic brand best.
Honestly know the pain of having picky eater family members. My picky eater only enjoyed cheese pizzas when they were flattened white bread covered in ketchup and American cheese microwaved to melt the cheese then lightly toasted on the frying pan and only ate makkas burgers with no onions, mustard, or pickles and no other kind of burger.
The cereal aisle turned out to have big savings, too. Name-brand Rice Krispies were costing us $3.98 per box, but Great Value Rice Crisps are only $1.97. This cut our cost in half while keeping breakfast the same.
I came in wanting to rip on some out of touch shitlibs, but hey, good on them for discovering reality. Hopefully they keep touching more grass
For the kids' school snacks, I used to buy the individually packaged Goldfish for $9.76 out of convenience. My husband started buying the bulk carton for $7.79 which saves us almost $2.00 for even more crackers. For what we are saving, I don't mind taking the extra minute to put the Goldfish into individual baggies for school snacks.
Seriously it's almost endearing they're discovering the shit a lot of our parents did for us when we were kids. Sure, they obviously got money to burn but still.
It's not just about switching to store brands or buying in bulk. Even with name-brand things we love, my husband finds a way to save money. For example, with our coffee, instead of paying $31.08 at Walmart for three pounds, he gets it directly from Dunkin on his way home for $26.21. That's saving $4.87 just by changing where we buy it. It's the exact same amount, but almost $5.00 cheaper.
We're happier and saving money
There have been unexpected benefits beyond just saving money. I no longer dread those weekly grocery trips because I'm not making them anymore. Since my husband actually sticks to the grocery list (unlike me and my impulse purchases), we're wasting less food.
I still handle meal planning, but he approaches grocery shopping with his engineering mindset.
Here's where I embrace my inner southern granny: bless her heart. She really doesn't know any better.
I wish we'd made this switch years ago. It's funny how sometimes the best solutions come from playing to each other's strengths and letting the more cost-conscious partner do the shopping. That one conversation didn't just change how we grocery shop — it's saving our family about $4,980 a year. And, all because I was willing to hand over the grocery list to my husband, who was willing to spend two hours comparing ketchup prices.
Frugality is indeed a virtue.
