I have been married for nearly three months. The first couple of weeks we were back from out honeymoon, I did a terrible job with the grocery budget. However, I quickly realized that would not do and have kept our grocery bill to an average of $65/week or less since mid-June. I knew plenty of good ways to cut down on the grocery bill and just lacked diligence in putting them into practice. Here are some of the tips I’ve learned.
1) Plan your menu. Having a menu plan will cut down your grocery spending immediately. Knowing what you are going to prepare and having the ingredients on hand prevents extra trips to the store, which inevitably results in buying more than just the single item you headed out for. Having a menu plan will also prevent those last minute take out orders and runs through the drive-thru. They seem insignificant, but surely add up!
2) Shop once a week (or less), and use cash. The less frequently you go to the store, the less money you will spend. If you only bring the budgeted amount of money with you into the store, you will be forced to stay within your budget. Using a calculator as you shop is particularly helpful!
3) Have a plan, and stick to it. Make a list, and don’t buy anything impulsively. Include on your list all the items you need for your week’s menu plan, and don’t forget any of them. If you do, substitute something rather than returning to the store. Set a realistic budget. It can be discouraging to repeatedly go over the budget, so start with a higher one, and slowly work your way down.
Once you have those tips down, consider these as well:
4) Plan your menu around what is on sale, and stock up. If chicken is on sale for .79/lb at your local grocery store, incorporate chicken into your menu that week, and buy some extra. By planning your menu around what is on sale, you save more. Stock up when items are on sale. When an item you frequently use in on sale, buy enough to last you until the next sale. That way, you don’t have to pay full price for it again!
5) Use coupons. If an item you use is on sale, and you combine that sale with a coupon you save even more. I have not had to subscribe to the newspaper myself yet, but if I were to stop getting coupons from my mom (who does not use them), I would subscribe to the Sunday paper in a heartbeat. If you save more than $1 each week with the coupons (which is not a difficult task), it more than pays for itself!
There are many more ways to save money on groceries, but these are some basic ones to get you started.
Blessings,
Mrs. Murch
