Caitríona Redmond: My six steps to help keep your grocery costs down

Chaotic and impulsive supermarket runs will cost you money. Here's my advice on keeping your bills down

Caitríona recommends making a shopping list and sticking to it. 

When I first started out living on less, life was all about controlling the small things and leaving the bigger worries to the universe to sort out. I knew if I could stay on a tight grocery budget, it would free up money for other essentials.

Once a week, I’d visit the cash machine and take out my set €80, which had to cover my family’s full week of food, cleaning materials, and any other important expenses that may come up. I managed — it was incredibly difficult, but I did it and learned an awful lot about having less disposable income in the process.

In 2026, that tight €80 budget is the stuff of whimsy. If we are willing to live on home-cooked meals with some processed food to keep costs down, my family of two adult-sized teenage boys, along with my husband and me, can manage about €170 a week. 

Recently, we’ve been on a health kick and buying more whole foods, and my goodness, the cost of eating well from scratch has become much more challenging.

There are other differences now to 2011. I’m heading to the supermarket without an envelope of cash, but I do have my weekly budget fixed firmly in my mind. I’m paying with my card now, although I’m just as frugal with my purchases and what I cook.

Let’s backtrack a little, because doing the grocery shop on less requires a certain amount of planning, which doesn’t start with the amount of money I spend. The budget is the ultimate goal, because if I spend less, then that’s more money for another pot.

Living on a tight grocery budget has six steps to success:

1. Meal plan

The week of eating starts with a meal plan. That’s where I decide what we’re eating every day. It’s not that complicated — one of the boys loves cereal, so I know I need to have enough for his breakfasts. I’m mainly concerned with dinner, as that takes up the biggest amount of my time to cook, and in the recent warm weather, I’m seeking meals that are easy to assemble with less time spent in the kitchen.

2. Check what you’ve got first

Before I even open the door to head to the shops or the digital wallet, I’m checking what I have in the house. I don’t want to get caught out and buy something I already have — it’s all about using up what I’ve got first.

What ingredients do I need to make those main meals and keep the breakfasts, lunches, and snacks on track? Where are they stored, and am I likely to run out in the next week?

3. Make a shopping list

After raiding the presses and the freezer to see what I’ve got, the shopping list comes next. Old habits die hard. I could put the list on my phone and keep checking it in the supermarket, but I’ve found that’s a bit of a palaver, juggling a screen that keeps locking, so instead I rely on the back of an envelope or any piece of paper that’s lying around.

4. Check for special offers

Once the shopping list is fixed, I take 10 minutes to do a quick search of all the apps to see what is on special offer and what vouchers I have.

For example, if I want to make a roast chicken dinner, I’ll check to see where the best value is. The further away a shop is, the longer it’ll take me to get there and back, and my time has a value. If I have to go 10km away to get a deal, then it may not be worth it.

5: No distractions

It’s important to leave the house with the list, shopping bags, and no distractions. For me, that means no teenagers who look like sad puppies when they pass their favourite treat. I guarantee you, my connoisseurs are spoiled rotten when it comes to treats and food, but put them in front of a chocolate aisle, and they are barely fed.

Similarly, shopping at Lidl or Aldi with my husband is a liability because we (apparently) have no tools in the house. He is also likely to make the sad puppy face. Take my advice; leave the little (and big) darlings at home.

6. Store correctly

When I get back from the supermarket, I make sure I pack away everything I’ve bought into the right locations. Items I want to use straightaway go to the front of a shelf, and fresh food for later on in the week, like bread, will go into the freezer. That way, I’m actively deciding to limit food waste.

If all the bread went into a press now, it’s likely it’d be furry and green in four days. Remember, food in the compost bin is money thrown away. The less food waste, the greater the chance of keeping your grocery bills down.

By following the six steps consistently, you will notice your grocery budget stays on track, and you waste less food. It’s all about putting in the hard work to enjoy the results.

Redmond Recommends

In great news for Irish consumers, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has secured an undertaking from JD Sports to honour unspent gift card credit. Online vouchers purchased between 2019 and November 2025 were issued with a one-year expiry date and were originally deemed invalid by the retailer.

As these vouchers were bought online, the unredeemed credit amounts and the customers can be identified and refunded. There may be quite a few customers affected, as the value of unspent credit is nearly €250,000. Remember, Irish gift cards have a five-year minimum expiry period, and always check the expiry date on any cards you have stored away.