Another goal of mine for the New Year is to cut my grocery savings even more, the meal plan has been helping. Some fellow bloggers of mine have been taking part in all sorts of challenges-from spending only $100 a month on groceries to just cooking from the pantry for the month of January. I don’t have storage here so I had no pantry to cook out of so I couldn’t take part in either of these challenges so I created my own.
I’ve been trying to keep my grocery bill to under $60 for a family of 4. So far I’ve been able to keep my weekly bill in the forties. Yes, that’s right. It is possible, but it takes planning. The above picture was my trip 2 weeks ago. I spent a total of $41.85. That was for 54 items, averaging about 85 cents per item. The next week I spent $46.83 for 51 items, averaging about $1.09 per item. It does take some work to get these numbers and believe it or not others save more than me.
1. Meal plan: Spend some time looking in your cabinets and looking at what is on sale for the week and come up with a plan.
2. Coupons, coupons,coupons: I could never have those numbers without coupons. I get alot of items for free or for just change. Find a system that works for you. I use a binder, some use folders or envelopes.
3. Always go with a list: This keeps you focused and from buying items you might not need.
4. Join Loyalty programs: Most stores have them and you can get special prices and coupons sent to you if you are a member.
5. Sign up for brand websites: Most companies have websites that offer special offers and coupons to it’s members.
Every week I’ll spend time on one of these and many more ways to save money at the store. Hopefully this will help us reach our financial goals.