The Brilliantly Simple Way To Avoid Overspending At The Grocery Store

It's way too easy to overspend at the grocery store. Whether you tend to shop while hungry or you're easily swayed by new snack items, there are almost always temptations that lead to you spending more than you want. You may already know that it helps to make a list of the things that you want to buy, but there's also a second list that you can make to help with the overspending problem: what not to buy.

This list should include all those things that you definitely don't need. That way, you'll save yourself from doubling up, or splashing cash on items you shouldn't be buying, such as sweets. Sometimes, while you're at the grocery store, it can be difficult to remember if you already have, say, the right amount of bell peppers for the dishes that you want to make that week. Or, maybe you always buy green beans thinking that you're going to make an easy green bean casserole, but never do — only for those green beans to go to waste. In those cases, add bell peppers and green beans to your "Do Not Buy" list so you know in advance to avoid them.

Along with the "Do Not Buy" list, there are plenty of tips to keep in mind to help save money at the supermarket. Of course, as mentioned above, there's the tactic of making a list of what you need to buy. This goes hand in hand with meal planning, which is another common tip for avoiding overspending. However, if you find meal planning a bit stressful, there's no need to fret — there's actually an easy way to take the stress out of meal planning: only planning for three days of the week, instead of all five.

There are also plenty of grocery store items that you should stop buying and simply make yourself instead. For example, if you eat a lot of granola, then the cost of buying premade granola bags can add up quickly. But homemade granola is actually very easy to make, and you can save money by making big batches yourself.

There's also always the option of buying generic brands, which are cheaper than name brands — we even have a list of the best items to buy from a generic brand. You can also try to eat more vegetarian-based meals, as meat tends to be one of the pricier grocery options — even just cutting out one meat-based meal can make a difference. To get you started, you can check out our list of 50 vegetarian dinner ideas for when you don't know what to cook, which includes dishes like queso fresco enchiladas and three bean vegetarian chili.