I’m a grocery savings coach & can cut your monthly food bill by hundreds – follow my 5 rules, they’ll save you time too
A GROCERY savings coach has revealed five super simple ways you can cut the cost of you monthly food bill by HUNDREDS – and claims it’s the snack aisle that’s causing you problems.
Rachel Coons suggested people need to start by shopping on their shelves and avoid hitting the supermarket multiple times a week if wanting to cut back.
Although her most controversial point was to stop blaming inflation, and instead consider that you might be over buying.
Known online as @heyrachelcoons, she regularly shares money-saving tips with her 178,400 followers.
In a new TikTok reel, she said: “Here’s five mistakes you’re making when you buy groceries that’s causing you to overspend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars every single month.”
Her first tip – stop splashing out on snacks and instead focus on cooking full, balanced meals.
“Number one, you’re focusing on too many snacks. Snacks are a huge budget buster, and when we buy too many snacks, we’re going to overspend.
“Instead, focusing on feeding your family and yourself full, balanced meals every single meal time, and chances are your family will eat less in between meals and you’ll save a bunch of money.
“Number 2. It’s not what you’re buying that’s the problem. It’s your whole routine around shopping.
“Not shopping the shelf before you shop the store. You’re not meal planning, you’re not ordering your groceries online for pickup, and you’re over buying.
“Number 3, you’re treating the grocery store as your happy place. You should not be going to the grocery store multiple times a week because we know every single time we walk into the grocery store, we’re going to spend money.
“Go on a walk, go to the gym, watch your favourite TV show. Use that as your happy place and not the store.”
The expert’s fourth tip was to look at how much you’re throwing – then consider whether you’re buying too much or items you simply don’t use.
She continued: “Number 4, you’re throwing out too much food.
“If you find yourself throwing away food, you’re either over buying or you’re not using up what you have on hand first before you go back to the grocery store.
“We throw out food, we’re pretty much throwing away money, so really focus on using up what you have before it goes bad.
“Number 5. The hot take is that you’re blaming inflation on your overspending problem.
“In reality, food prices have only risen 12 to 15% in the past 2 years. You’re likely over spending 30, 40, maybe even 50%.
“Stop blaming inflation and start doing what you can to save money.”
Fans loved her quick tips, with the video gaining more than 7,000 likes and 363,100 views.
In the comments, parents shared their reactions, with one writing: “You are so right here.”
“Haha you must not have toddlers… dinner stomach and snack stomach are two totally different organs,” joked another.
Another suggested: “and you can make your own healthier snacks!”
However many argued that she’d underestimated how much food prices have jumped, with another adding: “We [meal] prep and buy the same things constantly and we are seeing 30+% increase on the things that we buy.”
Someone else added: “I’m an accountant and have a spreadsheet for my groceries that I update weekly. Your assessment of the inflation percentage is grossly inaccurate.”