{"id":14565,"date":"2025-05-04T06:35:32","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T06:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/?p=14565"},"modified":"2025-05-04T06:35:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T06:35:32","slug":"how-to-recession-proof-your-grocery-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/?p=14565","title":{"rendered":"How to Recession-Proof Your Grocery Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Grocery bills are straining wallets across the country \u2014 and it\u2019s no wonder. Food costs are predicted to rise 3.2% in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If you\u2019re concerned, you\u2019re not alone. Tariffs and rising prices were among the concerns referenced in the Conference Board\u2019s latest Consumer Confidence Index report, which aims to measure how U.S. consumers feel about the economy. The index fell 7.9 points in April to 86 \u2014 the lowest it\u2019s been since the onset of the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Separately, the Conference Board, a nonprofit economic research group, said that the number of consumers expecting a recession in the next 12 months has hit a two-year high.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You can\u2019t control the economy, but you can control <\/span>how much you spend on groceries<\/span>. A few changes can help you ride out price fluctuations and keep meals interesting and healthy.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Do: Be deliberate when you buy in bulk <\/span><\/h2>\n
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You might be tempted to start stocking up, but buying in bulk can backfire if you end up with more than you need. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe best way to save money is not to waste food,\u201d says Phil Lempert, a food marketing expert and the face behind Supermarketguru.com. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Lempert recommends taking inventory and making a list. \u201cLook at what\u2019s in your cupboards, in your freezer and your refrigerator,” he says. \u201cDon\u2019t overbuy.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If you want to make the most of your membership to a store that sells in bulk, purchase things that won\u2019t expire, such as cleaning products and personal care items.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As for food, shelf-stable items can also be a good bet. Rice, beans, pasta, oats and flour are filling and the foundation for many meals. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Consider how you store food, too. Reusing glass jars from pasta sauce or jam and investing in a vacuum sealer can help you keep food longer. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Don\u2019t: Skip farmers markets and farm stands <\/span><\/h2>\n
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Where you live, how many people are in your home, and your dietary restrictions can shape your grocery bill. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This is where local farmers markets and farm stands can be helpful. It might be tempting to write them off as too expensive or artisanal, but that\u2019s not always the case.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Buying local produce at farmers markets and farm stands offers the chance to eat seasonally, which will be important in the coming months. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Lempert predicts grocery chains might start carrying a smaller assortment of products in response to <\/span>tariffs<\/span> \u2014 but he doesn\u2019t see that as a bad thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re just going to be buying things that are in season,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re going to be tastier, they\u2019re going to be less expensive, and they\u2019re going to have more nutrients.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Those foods are also likely to last longer than what you would buy at the grocery store. At the farmers market, there\u2019s no middleman, and the transportation time from the farm to your table is shorter. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If buying organic is important to you, farmers markets may help make those purchases more affordable, says Kamila Elliott, an Atlanta-based certified financial planner. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tapping into your community can lead to personal relationships and the ability to negotiate. Many markets also accept <\/span>EBT and SNAP benefits<\/span> that can provide more value than grocery chains. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Do: Store-hop to find the best deals <\/span><\/h2>\n
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Making one extra stop can save you more than you think. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cPeople are shopping around,\u201d Lempert says. \u201cPeople are now willing to go to Aldi, Grocery Outlet, to Smart and Final and other stores in order to save money.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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These discounted grocers pass on savings to consumers through generic brands and lower overhead costs. But there can be downsides: limited stock, and some don\u2019t accept manufacturer\u2019s coupons. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To stretch your grocery budget, make multiple stops at a mix of discount and traditional retailers to take advantage of deals and discounts. Check out weekly flyers and <\/span>coupons<\/span> you can use. Plan your route to shop strategically and save gas money. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Don\u2019t: Assume fresh is always better <\/span><\/h2>\n
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The idea that fresh food is always healthier than frozen food can lead to overspending. The reality is that frozen food, which is typically less expensive, can be just as nutritious. Frozen produce is picked at its peak and flash-frozen to retain the nutrients. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Cost savings also apply to some frozen meats. For example, Lempert says that buying frozen fish can cost about 40% less than fresh. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Replacing out-of-season fresh produce and some meats with their frozen counterparts is an easy way to <\/span>save money<\/span>, and you\u2019re not racing against an expiration date. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

More ways to save on groceries in any economy <\/span><\/h2>\n
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Take inventory and plan your meals: <\/span><\/span>Taking stock of what\u2019s already in your pantry and freezer can save you big and prevent unnecessary purchases.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Make a list and stick to it: <\/span><\/span>Shopping without a sense of purpose can lead to overspending, impulse purchases and lots of ingredients but no coherent meals. Use a <\/span>grocery list app<\/span> so you\u2019ll have the list at your fingertips.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Leave your emotions at the door: <\/span><\/span>Check in with yourself before you shop. \u201cIf you\u2019re already tight on your budget and you go hungry, stressed or rushed, then most likely it\u2019s a given you\u2019re going to go over your budget,\u201d says Elaine King, a Miami-based CFP.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Budget for treats:<\/span><\/span> When times get tough, it\u2019s hard to cut out all the fun. King\u00a0suggests using the 80\/20 rule: 80% of our grocery budget should go toward nutritious foods, leaving 20% to spend on treats or things you look forward to eating.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Don\u2019t downplay leftovers: <\/span><\/span>Saving your leftovers or doubling a recipe and storing the second batch in the freezer for later are great ways to save time and money. You’ll have a meal ready for a day when schedules are tight or you\u2019re tempted to spend money on takeout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Grocery bills are straining wallets across the country \u2014 and it\u2019s no wonder. Food costs are predicted to rise 3.2% in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If you\u2019re concerned, you\u2019re not alone. Tariffs and rising prices were among the concerns referenced in the Conference Board\u2019s latest Consumer Confidence Index report, which aims<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[195],"tags":[459,358,5999],"class_list":{"0":"post-14565","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-budget","9":"tag-grocery","10":"tag-recessionproof"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14565\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/finderica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}