22 Ways to Fight Rising Food Prices

Fighting Food Inflation: An Overview

American consumers are paying 23.6% more for food today than they did in 2020, based on the Consumer Price Index.

It’s not a problem that is going away soon. In 2025, food prices overall are projected to rise another 3.4%. There’s no relief to be found even in egg prices. The USDA expects their cost to rise another 41.1% in 2025.

Unless your income has increased at an equally rapid rate, your budget is under stress.

Here are 22 ways to relieve the burden.

Key Takeaways

• Smart buying habits, like shopping with a list, can help you avoid expensive impulse buys.
• Knowing supermarket sales strategies can help you spot bargains.
• Browsing online coupon sources will save you money.

22 Tips to Spend Less on Food

It takes some strategic planning to save at the supermarket. It helps to make a list in advance to avoid random impulse buys. It also helps to know how supermarkets are stocked and arranged to encourage shoppers to buy more. But, keep in mind, they also offer good deals to customers who know how and when to find them.

1. Eat at Home

Dining out is an expensive proposition. Many of the meals that you pay for in a formal restaurant can be made at home for a fraction of the price. Even good coffee is cheaper to make if you do it yourself.

One study prices a home-cooked meal at an average of $4.31 per person compared to $20.37 for a restaurant meal. Those increasingly popular home meal kits cost an average of $12.53.

Fast-food restaurants were excluded from the study. While high-calorie, low-quality food can be had at bargain prices, the impact on your long-term health overrides the benefit of short-term savings.

2. Shop With a Plan

If you wheel around the grocery store and fill your cart with everything that catches your eye, you’ll spend more than if you had prepared a shopping list in advance. Plan your meals for the week ahead and make careful note of the ingredients you need to prepare those dishes.

Purchase only the items on the list and avoid impulse buys.

3. Put on Blinders

Grocery stores are designed to lead you through a maze to get to the most basic items you need. It’s intended to encourage a few impulse purchases along the way.

If you keep to your planned list of foods, you won’t be tempted when you get forced down the junk food aisle to get to the milk.

Most necessities and basic cooking items are found along the outside perimeter of the store. Start there and work your way around the edge of the store, only stepping into the maze to grab any leftover items on your list.

4. Eat Before You Shop

When you are hungry and you walk into a building full of food, there’s a high likelihood that you are going to fill your cart with unnecessary and expensive purchases that appeal more to your taste buds than your budget. To keep your costs down, eat first and shop on a full stomach.

5. Avoid Prepared Foods

Our fast-paced society encourages convenience, and the food industry has capitalized on this trend.

Ready-made meals are easy to buy but come with a premium price tag. Instead of putting that rotisserie chicken and macaroni salad in your cart, buy the ingredients and prepare the meal yourself.

The same concept applies to frozen entrees, baked goods, ready-made sandwiches, ready-to-nuke meal kits, and any other prepared food.

6. Skip the Bottled Water

If you have reservations about the water that comes out of your tap, buy a water filter. The per-gallon cost is significantly less than the cost of bottled water.

The math is compelling: Tap water costs about 2 cents per gallon, while a 16-ounce bottle of water is about $1.50. A simple faucet-mounted water filter can be bought for under $35, with much more elaborate filtration systems costing $100 and up.

7. Shop Without the Kids

Hungry, tired, and cranky kids increase the cost of grocery shopping. Every extra minute that you spend in the store increases the likelihood of you buying more—including toys and snacks meant to keep the kids quiet while you try to focus on finding some bargains.

Supermarkets target kids, too. There’s a reason the sugary cereals are displayed at a kid’s eye level.

8. Buy in Bulk

Bulk buying can save you a lot. Pay attention to the posted unit prices and pick up the family-size package, if the per-unit cost is lower and you have a place to store it.

Shopping at big-box bulk retailers like Sam’s Club and Costco can also save on your bill if you shop there enough to cover the membership dues.

However, pay attention to your spending habits. The prices at the big boxes are not necessarily a bargain compared to the regular sales and discounts at other stores. Their family-size packaging also could lead you to buy more than you need, driving up your grocery bill.

9. Use Store Reward Cards

If the store that you visit most frequently has a rewards card, sign up. Some stores raise their prices for shoppers who don’t use reward cards.

If the card offers other benefits, such as a ham for the holidays or a discount on gasoline, maximize your benefits by paying attention to the cutoff dates and cashing in your points before they expire.

10. Use Coupons

Coupons provide an easy way to save money. Whether you use the old-fashioned paper coupons or find them online, grab them and cash them in. Pay extra attention to stores that double the value of manufacturers’ coupons.

Get into the habit of checking both the major online coupon sites and apps and the sites of supermarkets where you shop. A few minutes of online browsing can make a difference.

11. Buy Locally

Locally grown or produced food is usually available for less because you’re not paying transportation or middleman costs.

Farmers’ markets, fairs, and the local aisle at your grocery store are all game for deals on high-quality fresh food.

12. Look Down

Supermarkets often place the most expensive items at eye level. To find less expensive choices, look down.

Also, looking around your brand-name food can find you a cheaper generic alternative. Generic label products are often identical to name-brand goods and are often produced in the same factory, so don’t pay extra for the name-brand packaging.

13. Avoid End Caps and Checkout Extras

The displays placed at the end of aisles and near the checkouts often feature premium brands.

Walk down the aisle. Chances are good that you’ll be rewarded with a less expensive option. Many grocery stores now offer checkout lines that don’t display candy. Use these lanes and you can save money and avoid impulse buys.

14. Compare Prices and Stores

Comparing brands and prices at your local stores is an easy way to shave a few cents off your purchases.

The store that has the lowest average prices in your area is often the best place for routine shopping, but a higher-priced competitor may run sales on specific items that undercut the cost at your usual venue.

15. Shop for Sales

Sales can be a great incentive to switch stores, but only if you need the items on sale.

Pay attention to sales on necessity items and stock up on non-perishables and freezer goods. Keep an eye on the regular prices so that you know when a sale price is a small saving or a significant discount.

16. Watch for Expiration Discounts

You are virtually guaranteed a discount on products that are close to their “sell by” or “best before” date approaches. If the “sell by” date hasn’t passed, the product is fine.

For example, grocery stores lower prices as meat gets close to its expiration date, so ask the butcher when the meats get marked down. Most stores follow a fairly regular schedule.

When you get a good deal, stock your freezer so you can avoid buying when the price is high. If you plan on freezing the food, “best before” dates aren’t a concern.

17. Substitute Recipe Items

If you have a higher-priced item that reoccurs in your favorite recipes, it may be time to shake up your taste buds. Often a lower-priced alternative can be found.

For instance, if you bake with olive oil and you see that the price has skyrocketed, a switch to applesauce is a great cheap and low-fat substitution for many recipes.

18. Keep Your Kitchen Stocked

A well-stocked kitchen means that you won’t run out of staple items and need to buy them on the spur or the moment. Knowing what you have in the cabinet means that you can wait to make your purchases until these items are on sale.

19. Shop Infrequently

Reducing the number of trips that you make to the store each week or month reduces the odds of unnecessary purchases and minimizes the amount of gasoline you use getting there.

20. Time the Sales

Weekly sales often run from mid-week to mid-week. Hold off on your shopping until after you’ve had a chance to grab the week’s coupons.

Shopping during the evening or early morning helps you avoid the rush.

21. Pay in Cash

When you put groceries on your credit card and don’t pay off the card in full each month, you’re adding heavy interest charges to your food bills. To avoid this extra cost, pay in cash when you shop and keep these regular charges off of your credit cards.

22. Check Your Bill

Electronic scanners make the shopping experience faster and more convenient, but scanners aren’t perfect. Be sure to take a look at the receipt to make sure your coupons and discounts were properly credited.

Why Have Food Prices Been Rising So Rapidly?

Food prices began climbing unusually rapidly in 2020. This was explained as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic disrupted the global food supply chain, leading to shortages in many products. Food prices rose 3.5% that year, but peak food price inflation hit in 2022. Food prices rose 9.9% that year, the worst increase since 1979.

Food prices are leveling off now, but that doesn’t mean they’re declining to pre-COVID levels. They’re just increasing at a slower pace. Another 3.5% increase is projected for 2025.

What Foods Have Been Hardest Hit by Inflation?

In 2025, consumers can expect above-average price increases on eggs, sugar and sweets, nonalcoholic beverages, and fresh fruit, according to the USDA.

Egg prices are under pressure for a reason quite separate from the Covid pandemic. More than 150 million birds have been slaughtered since early 2022 in an effort to control the avian flu epidemic.

How Much Have Food Prices Risen Lately?

Between 2020 and 2024, U.S. food prices rose by a whopping 23.6%, based on the Consumer Price Index.

Other categories were hard hit during the same period. Transportation costs were up 34.4%. Housing costs rose 23%.

The Bottom Line

It takes a little time, patience, and effort to reduce your food bill, but it will have a substantial impact on your budget every month.