These 11 Things Can Save You a Ton of Money at the Grocery Store

Taking a long, hard look at your finances can be painful (wine helps), but in this case, ignorance is not bliss. Budgeting apps like Mint and YNAB can help you unravel the tangled mess that is your bank account and credit cards so you can figure out exactly how much you have to spend on groceries (as well as other living expenses) each month. These apps also give you the ability to be flexible and move money across categories, so if you really need those Mint Milanos, you can borrow from another category to cover the purchase.

Most grocery stores have one — a shelf of bruised or just-beginning-to-wilt produce sadly pleading with you to take them home before it's too late. These fruits and veggies are usually deeply discounted, and they can save you big bucks if you know how to use them.

Browning bananas can be sliced and frozen or made into banana bread. Peppers can be chopped and frozen or roasted within a day or two. Greens can be frozen for later use in smoothies or stir-fry recipes. Next time you are at the store, take a peek and see what you can come up with.

Have you ever found a great sale on, say, ground beef or bags of frozen berries, but only bought one or two packages because you knew you wouldn't be able to use up any more than that before it went bad? When you see a great sale, snag more than you need and store it for later. Frozen fruits and veggies will keep in the freezer for up to a year, and uncooked meats can be frozen for up to four months. It'll be a bigger expenditure when you make the purchase, so just make sure you check the freezer each week so you don't forget to use up your stockpile.

Grocery pickup or delivery can be a huge money saver. When you use one of these services, now available at many major grocers across the US, you can track your spending as you add items to your online cart. You might be surprised at how quickly your total climbs, but at least it's easier to put items back onto a virtual shelf than a real one. Most pickup and delivery services carry a small fee, but the money you'll save by being a well-informed shopper makes the fee well worth it.

A grocery store where everything costs $3? Yes, it's real, and it's spectacular. Brandless claims that you can save up to 40 percent by shopping its plain-packaged items over brand name. It has everything from pasta sauce to toothpaste, and many items are gluten-free, organic, and non-GMO. It only sells nonperishables, so you can't do all of your shopping with Brandless, but you may be able to save a few bucks on staples like soap, crackers, and coffee.

Services like Boxed allow you to take advantage of wholesale pricing (similar to a Costco or Sam's Club membership) without the annual membership fee. You can save a ton of money on paper towels, hand soap, dog food, and other household items that you are always running out of. No midnight runs to the store to pick up a box of diapers may just save you a little gas money, too.

We've all done it; you buy a bundle of herbs at the grocery store that you only need for one recipe and then the rest of it is left to wilt and die in the refrigerator. Food wasted is money wasted, but when you grow your own herbs, you can pluck off just what you need. You don't even need a backyard to grow herbs; you can do it right in your own kitchen. You just need a few small containers, a windowsill, and a green(ish) thumb to grow your own fresh parsley, rosemary, mint, and even cilantro.

Meat is often the most expensive part of a meal, but dinner can still be quite filling if you know what you are doing. Plant-based proteins like whole grains, beans, and legumes can be used to make a lentil bake or vegetarian skillet meals. Starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and plantains can add staying power to any meal. Healthy fats like nuts or olives are also quite satiating and make a wonderful topping for a big dinner salad. Eggs are always a budget-friendly standby — a couple of eggs scrambled with baby spinach, topped with avocado, and served with a side of toast make for a quick and easy breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

You've probably heard this one before, but it bears repeating. You may have the best of intentions when you leave the house, but they put all those candy bars, magazines, and lip balms in the checkout line for a reason — they are hard-to-resist impulse purchases. A magazine may only cost $3, but if you throw one in your cart every week while you're waiting to check out, you'll have spent $156 by the end of the year. That could be enough to cover a whole week's groceries! Keep your eyes on the prize and stick to your list no matter what. Maybe at the end of the year you can throw one of those chocolate bars into your cart as a reward.

All joking aside, you really can save a little money by purchasing a block of cheese instead of presliced or shredded cheeses. You can slice or shred it at home and get a quick arm workout in while you're at it. The same goes for deli meats; it is often cheaper to have meat sliced at the deli counter than to purchase packaged deli meats.

Every meal that you eat doesn't have to be the best meal you've ever had. Most days, you can keep it simple by making meals with very few ingredients (think burgers, sweet potatoes, and salad) so that you don't have to buy hard-to-find vegetables or expensive garnishes for every meal. If you love to cook, save the elaborate meals for once or twice a week.