Everyone who is responsible for feeding other people (whether kids, spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc.) probably hates this task. I know it is the worst possible thing that I have to do.
Every two weeks I pack up my wallet, calculator and coupons and head to the grocery store, aka. Wal-mart. I make sure that I know how much I am going to spend and I won't spend more.
But I haven't always been like this... When I first started out I was spending 150+ dollars on each trip to Wal-mart for two weeks.. and for my boyfriend and I.. It was getting ridiculous. I spent hours and hours reading blogs and looking on pinterest (yeah, it really is good for something other than relaxation and procrastination) for ways to save money on groceries. I just couldn't fathom that every family in the United States was spending this kind of money for just a few things. I know that 300 dollars a month for a family isn't too bad, but for just my boyfriend and I.. It seemed like someone out there would have a guide to lower that awful grocery bill.
Here are my 8 favorite tips for saving hundreds a month on groceries.
1. Plan out your meals
I have recently placed a marker board on the fridge with a list of the MEALS that are in the cabinets/fridges. My goal on shopping day is to have two weeks worth of meals planned out. I try to use the ones with perishable items first or if possible, I stick it in the freezer. I only buy things for set meals when I go to the grocery store, plus some snack food for the afternoons. For snacks, I buy lots of the Yoplait yogurt that is 58 cents at Walmart. I also buy fresh fruit, which many people argue that it is too expensive, but actually it cost roughly the same as a bag of potato chips as it does for a 3lb bag of apples. I would rather see a ton of fruit on my counter than chips and junk food.
2. Make a List
I've been there. I remember wondering around Wal-mart with my mom when I was younger. We would be looking for something for supper. I remember buying a lot of food that we didn't really need but we thought we might eat it. My mom would have a list that mostly consisted of bread, milk, cheese, and "something for supper." It works for some people... but not for me.
3. Buy in Bulk
Now, I am not talking about going to SAM's club and buying a months worth of fruit. It will probably spoil before you get to eat it. I am talking about simple things that you use often. This changes for every person. Sean and I look for really good sales at Sunmart or Supermarket for the 10lb rolls of hamburger. We bring it home, cut it into approx. 1lb bags, and freeze it. If you are going to do this, make sure you write the date on the bag to ensure that you use the oldest stuff first. We also go through quite a bit of cream cheese. There was a sale a while back for 4/$5 dollars on cream cheese. We bought 12 of them and 5 are in the freezer for cooking. Little things like that, when food is on sale is a great time to buy it, but only if you can freeze it or use it right away.
4. Look for store brands
This is kind of an obvious one, but the Great Value brand is probably my best friend when it comes to grocery shopping. It is normally 10 to 15 cents cheaper that a brand name depending on the product.
5. Don't be fooled by coupons
I know couponing takes so much time and it is so much extra work. But I have to say, if it is already on your list, take the coupons with you. If it isn't on your list, don't think it is a good idea to buy it.. You aren't saving money, you are spending it on that product that you didn't need for your home. Also, if there is a brand cheaper than the price- coupon.. get the cheaper one. Just because you have a coupon, doesn't mean it has to be used. Many times they aren't worth it and there are some better deals, but sometimes, if you also have a sales price match - coupon. It can cost you under a dollar for something that is priced 2.00+ in the store. Which brings me to my next tip... (These can all be found in the Saturday Beatrice Daily Sun.)
6. Price matching can be your friend
After making your list for the grocery store. Skim the competitors ads to see if any of those things are on sale. Quite a few times you can find most of you're stuff cheaper. When I do this I look through the sales ads with my phone out. I take pictures of the ads (instead of lugging the ads with me to the store) and write it on my list. I make sure to add up everything I can to make sure I am not going over on my budgeted pricing. On the iPhone, there is an app called "Weekly Ads" It searches for your location and gives you the updated ads based on stores. It has Walgreens, Target, CVS, Wal-Mart, and Shop-ko, which makes it great for having all of the ads in one place. All I have to do is look through the app and screenshot the great sales.
Wednesday daily sun has all of the sales ads for the weeks.
7. Keep a list of Wal-mart (or your grocery stores) prices
This I didn't find on pinterest, but Sean and I decided to do after a couple trips. It saves time at the store because you know if the sale on the brand name product is actually cheaper than the store brand. I keep my list in an excel document on my computer. When I come home from the grocery store I make sure to add some of the things I didn't have before. My list is mostly Great Value prices, but I have some other stuff like Kraft Cheese Singles, which are on sale frequently, Eggs, Bread, and that kind of stuff that we buy frequently. This helps me add up all of the items that I will be getting at the store.
Last little tip.. Sometimes price matches and coupons don't work out. Sometimes it's because the store doesn't carry that size or that brand of that product. Walmart can't have everything. I keep a running total of how much everything is going to cost me because most of the time I take cash to the grocery store to ensure I don't overspend. Keeping a running total is important because I don't want to get up to the register and not have enough. HOW EMBARRASSING!
Now I am not an expert. Every person has their own way of saving money. But last month I lowered our grocery costs from almost $300 down to almost $150 for the entire month. I also make two separate transactions so the household items are not in there (just for accurate budgeting) Total, a month, I probably spend around $175-$185 at Wal-mart a month. While that's still a lot and I would love to bring it down more. I am really glad that it is no longer in the $300 range.
Like I said, everyone has their own way that works for them, but for all of the kids that are going to college and don't live in the dorms/don't have the meal plan. I would suggest starting out this way instead of finding that you need to save money after months of spending A LOT just to eat.
Below is my grocery receipt from the last time I went to the grocery store. I bought 60 items for $79.63. That was for a two week time span. I'm starting to rock this! (:
Also. A side note. Never think that eating out is cheaper. I also found that out after a ton of number crunching (thankfully, I am pretty good at Math- Thanks Ms. Mick). Once and a while it is ok, but it definitely adds up quickly so make sure you are watching the cost for each meal. (Not that I am complaining about people eating fast food. Those people pay my paychecks (: )
<script type="text/javascript"
No comments:
Post a Comment