10 Ways to Slash Your Grocery Bill Without Coupons, Sales or Discount Stores

1. Eat Less Meat and Dairy
While meat and dairy are a healthy part of most Americans diet, it's also the most expensive part! Try to eat less meat and more beans, and cut down on the amount of dairy you use. Ways to cut down on your use of dairy are: use only one slice of cheese for sandwiches, children only drink milk at 2 meals and water at all others, and use a little bit less in recipes that call for dairy if you can get away with it.

2. Ditch Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts are a very healthy cut of meat, but they are also very expensive! Instead opt for a whole chicken, chicken drumsticks, or chicken thighs. These chicken items are much cheaper, and they can still be very healthy. Before preparing a whole chicken, chicken drumsticks, or chicken thighs remove the skin and excess fat. If you want to cook these chicken items whole you can also remove the skin and excess fat before serving.

3. Opt out of Convenience Foods
Convenience foods like chips, cookies, frozen dinners, and sodas can rise your bill considerably. If you chose not to buy these items your bill will drop, and your family will be healthier to boot!

4. Cut the sweets!
Sweets are another expensive item, but most families would prefer to have at least some sweets in their diet. If you can, try to get these sweets from healthier and cheaper whole fruits. If you prefer actual desserts try Low-Fat Pudding in the Box (it's expensive to buy pre-packaged serving sizes) or making cakes or cookies from scratch (which is always cheaper in the long run than buying pre-made.)

5. Cook From Scratch
Cooking most of your meals from scratch can save you tons of money on your grocery bill! Instead of opting for pop-tarts for breakfast, try bacon and whole wheat toast. Instead of buying lunch out or having the kids buy lunch at school, prepare their lunches for them. For dinner prepare whole foods and ditch pre-packaged frozen meals and boxed side dishes. This also has the added bonus of being healthier for your family.