3 Steps to Save Money on Your Grocery Bill
Over the years I have be forced to learn how to save money on my grocery bill. When I got married I began using a budget expense sheet and looked back at old statements to see how much I was spending on groceries. I was spending about $500 and as our family grew we had to cut cost and grocery shopping was on the chopping block. I reduced our grocery expense to $400 and had to figure out how to stay within my budget. I have found that the most effective ways to reduce my grocery bill is through meal planning shopping the sales ad, and using coupons.
1. Shop the sales ad:
Everybody has their favorite grocery store(s) and every store has a sales ad, so before you head out the door you must look at the sales ads!! I shop Meijer, Kroger (Food for Less) and Aldi. Their sales ads come out Wednesday and start Thursday. I review all ads and if needed create a shopping list for each store. In order to save money you have to be flexible and know that no one store will have all the best deals and you will need to visit multiple stores. You might think this will take up even more time, but if you have a list, I guarantee it won’t. However, I understand it is more convenient to shop at one store, especially if you have children, so try to plan your shopping trips when the children are at home or at school. REMINDER: At least ½ of the items you buy should be on sale. AND if it is a great sale, clean out the shelf. You will always need paper products, meats and vegetables, so stocking up when prices are low could be cost-effective. Buy wholesale portions and store them or freeze them for later use (like chicken and corn).
2. Meal Planning:
We already don’t have enough time in the day and running to grocery store several times a week eats away at valuable time and money. The solution is the take that extra time running to store and use it for meal planning. At first it will seem to take more time than you are willing to give, but the reward is saving money and time.
To start meal planning you can use a printable menu planner or check out Meijer’s cool mealbox widget that does everything for you. You search through there collection of recipes and it will automatically generate your shopping list. You can also customize the list by adding and deleting items. I discovered this little gadget earlier this year and love it. Even if there isn’t a Meijer in your area, you can still use it to plan your meals. For more on meal planning click here.
This part is cut and dry. Check out your local newspaper or Sunday paper for coupons, then get on the computer and go to www.coupons.com and get your printable coupons. DONE!!
Once you put these 3 easy steps into action, you will start saving money on your grocery bill. Soon it will become like a game and you will do the ‘happy dance’ when you see that you just saved $35!!
Budgeting!! The #1 Money Saving Tip
Living within my means and budgeting has been crammed down my throat since high school. My Mom believed whole-heartedly in giving children allowances; and my sister and I both received $40 every 2 weeks. That money was to be used for our school lunch and when we went out on the weekends. Once it was gone, it was gone, there were no back-up credit cards…actually, we were authorized signers on our mom’s credit card, but we knew that was for emergencies ONLY!!! Anyway, this form of budgeting followed me through my college years and really went into over-drive once I got married. From the beginning of my marriage I created a budget expense sheet that was like my bible. I could not spend money w/o checking my budget sheet. I would 1st check to see how much more we had to spend in bills, then go online to check our account balance. Thank God for online banking, that has made this process so much easier. Anyway, once I did the subtracting I was ready to go to spend some money. I personally did not understand how people did not follow these same steps until one day I was watching Oprah (love her!!) and Suze Orman was on the show talking about people who spend thousands of dollars over their monthly income. I was still puzzled, thinking how is that possible. Then Suze stated that they were also thousands of dollars in debt, and I said OHHHH, DUH!!.
Now that we are in this awful and depressing recession everybody is or should be trying to lower expenses and save money. The only way I know how to do that is with a Budget Expense Sheet. Now stick with me, I know it takes a certain level of commitment….BUT desperate times cause for desperate measures. So, I am challenging everyone TODAY to commit to saving money and living on a budget.
Below are 7 painless steps to follow:
Step 1 – Follow this link to download and save your new budget spreadsheet onto your computer. I found on Microsoft templates, of course it is FREE and AWESOME!
Step 2 — Personalize the spreadsheet my adding your monthly expenses and income. Be as accurate and thorough as possible. The spreadsheet has every expense imaginable, but if it missed anything, there is room for editing.
Step 3 — Once everything is filled out properly, copy the completed spreadsheet 11 more time for each month in the year.
Step 4 — Now customize each month to account for birthdays, weddings, prom, graduation, license plate renewal, etc. Really think about this to limit surprises and plan accordingly.
Step 5 — Once you have completed the spreadsheet look at the difference, this will be in red. Hopefully, this number is positive rather than negative indicated that you should have money left over at the end of every month. If not, go to step 6.
Step 6 – Re-evaluate your monthly expenses and see where you can trim the fat. Start with entertainment, food, and personal care. I personally think that food can be the biggest money pit. If you look back at statements and see how much you spend on food every month, I think you will be amazed. For tips on reducing your grocery bill, click here.
Step 7 — The hardest part USE IT.
I would recommend saving this spreadsheet to the computer you use the most, either home, work or even cell phone; I am sure there is an ‘app for that’! My sheet is downloaded onto my home computer. Since my routine is fairly standard.
EXTRA CREDIT – instead of spending any leftover money, transfer the money to your high yield savings account. If you don’t have one, get one!! We use Capital One. The process of setting up your account to transfer money from your primary checking to your savings should take less than a week.
We have to change our mindset from spending money, to making money. Earn some extra cash by selling stuff or make money online by completing surveys. Either way, the goal is to make more money and spend less.
Keep me posted on your progress.