13 Bad Grocery Shopping Habits That Are Costing You

Grocery shopping is one of those mundane yet unavoidable duties that we all must take on. Making lists, clipping coupons, standing in line, and lifting heavy groceries are all part of the experience, making it a less-than-pleasant task to have to perform throughout the week. Though common pitfalls like overspending, underbuying, and neglecting healthful meal options plague us all, grocery shopping doesn't have to be as stressful as it tends to be. Several strategies exist that can help get you out of a rut and change your poor shopping habits — for good.

In this piece, we're detailing some of the best tried-and-true methods for more efficient shopping derived from personal experience. By identifying the common shopping blunders that most of us are guilty of, we hope to help you make small changes to your existing routine to make your grocery shopping experience that much better. Grab a cart and prepare to indulge in a bit of "retail therapy," as we uncover bad grocery shopping habits that are costing you.

If you've been skipping membership-based retailers like Sam's Club and Costco because of the fees involved, it might be time to reassess. Though wholesale retailers like these often charge members annually to shop their stores, doing so is usually worth the investment, especially if you have multiple mouths to feed.

As you may already know, wholesale retailers often sell goods at a lower price point than traditional markets. This means that though purchasing a membership from Costco or a similar market might cost you upfront, the membership will likely pay for itself several times over given the savings you'll incur. The downside? You'll need to purchase almost everything you buy in bulk. But don't worry — we'll reveal a way to avoid an excessively high grocery bill when bulk-buying later in the post.

It's worth mentioning that savings like this aren't restricted to wholesale retailers alone; traditional shops like Walmart sometimes feature their own version of membership-based programs as well. Will subscribing to Walmart+ save you as much money as a wholesale market like Sam's Club? That'll depend on your shopping habits. Either way, membership-based shopping is usually worth it — we'd recommend exploring your options to see which program fits your needs best.

We've already discussed how shopping membership-based retailers might prove useful, but you can take advantage of lower costs by purchasing larger-sized items in traditional markets, as well. Though wholesale retailers tend to feature lower prices overall, you can still rack up savings by purchasing items in bigger sizes than you normally do.

Take your standard box of Lucky Charms, for example. At Walmart, you'll find a 10.5-ounce box of this nostalgically delicious gluten-free cereal for $3.48. Though seemingly inexpensive, you're still paying around $0.33 per ounce of cereal. A mega-sized 26.1-ounce box of Lucky Charms, on the other hand, proves even cheaper — you'll pay $5.98 per box, which equates to around $0.23 per ounce, making it a much smarter purchase, especially if you'll be consuming this cereal on a frequent basis.

The same concept applies to most food and drinks you purchase at the grocery store, though you'll need to do price comparisons yourself to make sure the bigger buy is actually worth a purchase. Don't forget to use common sense in the process – if buying a grocery item in bulk is technically cheaper but it isn't something you eat or drink much of during the week, then buying the smaller quantity may still prove the more feasible option in the long run.

Though buying in bulk is usually a good idea, let's be real: It isn't always easy. The upfront cost can be jarring, especially when making multiple bulk purchases at once. Thankfully, there's a way around this — but you'll need to plan strategically to make this kind of shopping work.

To stock your home with larger-sized and comparatively cheaper groceries without overspending, start by spacing out your purchases. Buy items in bulk that you use most frequently before purchasing the rest of your groceries the way you normally would. Prior to your next shopping trip, make a list of a few more important items you want to stock up on, and make it a point to get them. Follow the same pattern on a weekly basis, slowly stocking your groceries until your fridge, freezer, and pantry are filled with items you use on a regular basis. At this point, you'll only need to replenish certain goods like produce, once-in-a-while snacks, and treats.

Need to restock some of your previous bulk-buy purchases? If you stocked well enough the first time, you'll probably have room in your budget to repurchase these bulk items once again. Remember that making your purchases at wholesale markets can make the process of stocking up even easier — as mentioned before, many of these membership-based shops offer delightfully low prices compared to traditional retailers.

Though chopping store-bought fruits and veggies by hand can be time-consuming, it often leads to less spending. Pre-cut produce usually features a steeper price tag, meaning you're usually only paying for added convenience.

Take carrots, for example. A single 1-pound bag of whole carrots at Walmart costs $1.26, approximately $0.8 per ounce at the time of publication. A bag of pre-cut carrot chips, on the other hand, costs $1.87, around $0.11 per ounce. While this might not seem like much of a price difference, the truth is that by purchasing most of your produce this way, you'll spend more and, at times, may even walk away with less.

If you truly hate chopping produce, why not make it easier on yourself by purchasing a few tools to make the process easier? Special devices like this OXO Good Grips Handheld Mandoline Slicer are perfect for thinly slicing potatoes and other veggies in record-breaking time. Need to cut fruit? Try this classic Kitchen Aid Fruit Slicer. Yes, buying tools like this will cost extra in the beginning, but they'll save you money, time, and energy, making the investment well worth it in the long run.

Not only do frozen fruits and veggies tend to be cheaper, but they're usually similar to fresh in terms of nutrition. Frozen fruits and veggies often feature a single type of produce or may offer a medley of ingredients, making it easier to get in a wider range of flavors and nutrients with little to no effort. To prove our point about pricing, we compared fresh Walmart blueberries to frozen ones to see how prices compared. Interestingly, a 16-ounce pack of fresh blueberries costs $4.67, while a 16-ounce pack of Great Value frozen blueberries runs $2.68, making the frozen option the better buy.

One thing we'd like to note about purchasing frozen fruit and vegetables is that not all frozen produce is created equal. You may notice that specific types of produce taste better fresh than frozen (and vice versa) or that certain brands fare better than others. As always, we suggest making purchases based on your preferences; be sure to try a couple of different options and brands to see which works best for you.

There's no doubt about it — prepackaged foods are quick, easy, and convenient. Even so, it can cost you in the long run, especially when you could essentially make the same thing at home. We realize that it may not be fair to ask you to make every snack in your own kitchen, but there are some common food items that people often buy prepackaged that are fairly easy to master on your own.

French fries are a great example of this concept – Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Fast Food Fries cost $4.47 at Walmart, while a 10-pound bag of russet potatoes from Walmart costs $4.78. Remember how we mentioned using devices to help make vegetable cutting faster? You can use this Cuisinart PrepExpress French Fry Cutter (or a similar device) to quickly chop fresh potatoes without having to rely on expensive prepackaged food to get your French fry fix.

Fries aren't the only prepackaged food that can cost you more than making it fresh — granola bars and hard-boiled eggs are other great examples of groceries that are usually more expensive when bought prepackaged. Does this mean you should never splurge on your favorite packaged foods? Of course not — certain items, especially chips, pretzels, crackers, and more, aren't as easily replicated at home, making their purchase even more plausible.

We realize that common food items like rice, beans, potatoes, and flour often may seem less interesting than, say, a delicious store-bought frozen pizza, but learning to cook using inexpensive yet nutritious kitchen staples can help you save money. Food items like these not only stretch your meals (more on that later) but also tend to be versatile and quite affordable.

Flour, for instance, is a classic kitchen essential because it opens the door to so many possibilities. When combined with other pantry staples, comforting home-cooked meals like pizza, waffles, pancakes, biscuits, cookies, and more suddenly become possible.

Buying other pantry goods, like mayo, oil, mustard, vinegar, and honey, can prove beneficial as well. Each of these items can be used to make at-home culinary creations you'd normally buy separately at the store, including salad dressings and dips. The key here is keeping everything in stock so that when cravings strike, you already have what you need on hand; buying staples like these in bulk can help.

Not planning ahead for multiple meals throughout the week can sometimes leave you feeling as though there's "nothing to eat" despite a stocked fridge. The real issue? You failed to account for the various ingredients needed to prepare the meals you planned to enjoy. Sounds basic, right? Yet many of us have a habit of forgetting this crucial step, leaving us scrambling to come up with meals or, even worse, resorting to takeout, driving up costs even more.

Let's say you want to purchase a whole chicken to split over multiple entrees to lower costs. You'll need to remember to plan ahead of time for the side dishes, garnishes, and drinks needed to stretch your meals. Grab a head of lettuce to make a salad out of chicken breasts, potatoes to make a creamy side dish for chicken drumsticks, and a few extra veggies to throw in a chicken soup along with your thighs. Stew meat is another budget-friendly option that tends to pair easily with a variety of cheap and easy sides. Try a pack of tortillas for steak tacos, frozen vegetables for stew, and a pack of rice for stir fry. Quick tip: Though stew meat is traditionally tough, marinating it using the right steak marinade ingredients can make the pieces more tender and enjoyable to eat.

Grocery shopping can be a thrilling task when you're hungry, but doing so might leave you with an empty wallet in the end. Going to the store hungry often increases the likelihood that you'll purchase food items outside of your grocery list, which can inadvertently increase the price of your overall bill.

What can be done? The obvious answer is to eat before you shop. Whether it be a quick granola bar or a high-protein snack, noshing on something beforehand can help you avoid ravenous cravings. If you aren't able to grab a snack and are still in need of groceries, try giving curbside pickup or delivery a try. By allowing the staff to shop for you, you're more likely to purchase only what you need without being tempted by enticing packages lurking nearby. Just be sure to stick to the script concerning your grocery list — though shopping online might not be as tempting as shopping in person, it's still possible to give in to unnecessary purchases.

Aside from planning ahead for your meals, it's important to think about how you can use food for more than one purpose before you even make a purchase. Planning to buy chicken for a casserole? Why not opt to cook the chicken in a pot of boiling water, along with lots of yummy spices, veggies, and aromatics, beforehand? Doing so will not only prepare the chicken for your casserole recipe but will also leave you with leftover chicken broth to use in other recipes.

The same idea applies to other edibles, including food scraps like old bread. Rather than buying a loaf of bread only to pitch the stale slices later, try planning to utilize them another way, like homemade breadcrumbs. Simply place your stale bread slices in a food processor and allow it to shred the bread into tiny crumb-like pieces. Use the breadcrumbs immediately or store them in the freezer for later use. By purposefully using the foods you buy for more than one purpose, you eliminate the need for other food purchases (like broth and breadcrumbs), thereby lowering your grocery bill.

Buying certain groceries simply because they are "on sale" won't always save you money, especially if those lower-priced items weren't on your grocery list to begin with. Slashed prices are almost always tempting, but whether or not you should give in to those temptations will depend on several factors.

First and foremost, consider just how steep the "sale" prices are.  After all, 10% off of a $5 item, for example, will only save you $0.50 in the end. Additionally, you'll want to consider how often you'll make use of the item — is this simply an impulse purchase, or will it truly add value to your home kitchen?

Of course, there are times when buying marked-down goods makes sense. If the item was something you already planned to buy, either now or in the future, then taking advantage of the sale isn't only feasible but recommended. The key here is sticking to your grocery list and making sure that you aren't purchasing based on impulse rather than need, as doing so, especially on a frequent basis, may leave you with a grocery bill that's higher than expected.

Choosing generic food items over brand-name items is one of the easiest choices you can make to save money on groceries, although we realize this tip has pros and cons. We've seen some generic brands go to great lengths to replicate the quality and flavor of name-brand food items while simultaneously offering shockingly low prices. Of course, this isn't to say that every store-branded item is a worthy dupe for your favorite grocery store grab; many store-branded groceries can be downright disgusting, if we're honest.

Our advice? When choosing a store-branded or generic food item at the grocery store, first consider its price — as always, you'll want to compare the size and cost of each item, including price per ounce when applicable, to determine if the generic option is worth buying. If ingredients matter to you, make sure to do a thorough scan of both the generic and brand-name goods to ensure that the cheaper option doesn't contain unwanted ingredients that consequently make it cheaper. Lastly, try the generic option and determine for yourself if it's a worthy replacement for the original. It's trial and error, but hey, finding a cheaper alternative to the brands you love will save you money in the long run.

Grocery shopping can feel like an event in and of itself; the last thing most of us want to do is add more steps to the process. Even so, by taking time to cash in on rewards offered by various retailers and third-party apps, you could stand to save more money on groceries than you realize.

Starting with retailers, most, though not all, grocery stores offer rewards of some sort. Walmart has its cash back rewards program that applies to certain items, while other stores, like Kroger, allow customers to utilize a member ID number at the register or online to cash in on exclusive coupons and slashed prices. Moreover, many of these stores feature traditional paper or online coupons, making the process of saving money even more attainable.

In addition to retailer apps, rewards, and coupons, other third-party reward apps like Fetch can help you reel in even more cash. Simply follow the directions as detailed by each rewards program to earn cash back or gift cards to your favorite shops and marts. Yes, it takes extra time to set up accounts, load coupons, and scan receipts, but when it comes to saving money, putting in the extra effort often pays off in the end.