I don’t know about you but there’s one place that a lot of my money is spent: the grocery store. Rich and I spend about $125.00 per week, (that’s about $500.00/month) sometimes a little more and sometimes a little less. I do like to keep extra items in our pantry and we usually purchase half a cow for beef at least once per year and sometimes a hog so this $125.00 includes very little meat but this does include some non-edible’s like paper products and laundry items. Because we have had a lot of time at home, we are not eating out as often as we usually do so maybe that’s why it seems that the grocery is the only place I am spending money but after some reflection, I think we could do better. I’ve been doing some research and have come up with 4 steps that I intend to try to see if I can get my monthly grocery budget down to $400.00
The first step I’m going to try is something new: I’m going to look in my refrigerator and pantry and see what items I have on hand that I can use to make some or all of a meal. This will help me use up items before they expire. I see that I have a carton of sour cream that is about half full and I find that I actually have an envelope of Taco seasoning and some chips in the pantry. Viola! – Taco night at the Keller’s. I also have some frozen chicken breast that I could use and might convince Rich to grill, and during my pantry raid I found an envelope of Italian salad dressing mix that I could use as a marinade. Simple idea that only takes time but will result in less waste and more saving money.
Looking at what I have on hand will help with the next step of creating a meal plan and a shopping list. I rarely shop without a grocery list and usually keep it as a running note on my phone so that’s not a huge change but I will admit that I don’t plan out all of my meals. I find that we end up eating the same things and, especially during this quarantine, that is BORING! There are some subscription apps available that could help with meal planning and if this is something you are interested in, check out eMeals. eMeals allows you to choose what type of meal (Kid-Friendly, Cooking for 2, Low Carb, etc.) and will also help you with your shopping list. Using a meal planning app might help me to use less prepackaged items and cook more from “scratch” saving not only money but also helping us eat healthier!
Now for step 3. I know many people are successful at using coupons but that’s just not me so what I do is look at the sale ad that comes from the grocery store. The front and back of the ad is where I am focusing because in our ad this is where the meat, cheese and produce sales are listed. Depending on what items are on sale, I might swap a meal or decide that the sale is good enough that I want to stock up on some of the items. I shop at our local IGA and have found that this works well for me. I can drive to the store, purchase my groceries, get home and have them put away in the time that it would take me to drive to Terre Haute and back. The prices might be a bit higher but if I factor in my time and the expense of driving, I think I actually save some money by shopping locally.
My final step: shop only 1 time per week! I don’t know about you but I’m not successful at running in to the store for 1 or 2 items – I always see something that I think I might like! If I have looked in my refrigerator and pantry, planned out my meals and made a list, shopping only once per week will eliminate the need to run to the store and keep me from impulse buying!
Well, that’s it! 4 steps that I hope will help me reduce my monthly grocery budget by $100.00. Maybe you’re already doing all of these or maybe you have some other tricks that you use to help keep your grocery budget in line. Please share those ideas and I’ll keep you posted on how this works out for us. As always, let Rich or I know if you have any questions! Take care and don’t forget to wash your hands!
Kathy