Hi all! If anyone is still reading, it's definitely been a long time. I took a little break from blogging, but have been thinking about coming back to it. Probably just a few times a month and we will see how it goes. In terms of topics, I'm not going to be reviewing many books, although I may share some book round up posts. I hope to do more posts about frugal living, thrifting, and intentional living.
To start, I thought I'd share about some changes we've made in the last several months to help keep us on budget at the grocery store. The grocery budget is an area we were consistently going over on every month. Not a lot, but enough and we also increased the category a few times, so it was something I wanted to get back under control. Here's what we've been doing:
1. Shop once a week. We only go to the grocery store once a week. We occasionally need to pick up milk, bread, or produce, but it's rare.
2. Shop the sales and use coupons. I'll be honest. I had stopped using coupons and looking for deals. It just felt like too much work! I've eased back into using some coupons and pairing those with sales when I can. I don't go crazy going from store to store. We do almost all our shopping at Meijer, but occasionally if there's a great deal at Kroger, Target, or CVS, we will go and stock up. I like Krazy Coupon Lady as my main source for deals. It keeps things simple for us, which is necessary for us to keep doing it!
3. Make a list, set a budget, and use the calculator. We spend quite a bit of time making a grocery list. We check the cabinets and check the ad. I set a dollar amount and use my calculator at the store! If I'm over the amount I'd like to spend, I put things back. We have been trying hard to use cash more often, so I only have what I need in my wallet.
4. Plan menus. We meal plan for dinners primarily. It helps me to keep on track when I know what we will be eating for the next week.
5. Be creative and cook from scratch. I'm doing more baking and sometimes we have to be creative with what we make. If we have odds and ends in the freezer or refrigerator, we might each eat something a little different that night to use up what's left.
6. Allocate a small amount of money to purchase great deals. If there's a deal on something we use often, we allocate a small portion of our monthly grocery budget to purchase these items. It's awesome to have a small stockpile on frequently used item.
7. Use store brands. We use lots of store brands and the quality is great!
So far, these strategies have been working to keep us on track. Do you have any other grocery shopping tips? I'd love to hear. Leave me a comment!
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