Hey friends, hope all is well in your neck of the woods. We are just chugging along ourselves, just rocking and rollin’ into a brand new month.
The start of a new month usually has me studying up on the family budget. I’m not sure about you but I try to squeeze those pennies hard to make the most of them, I really hate to spend the dollars on gas, power, and such. Those things are just no fun! I like fun and shoes!! Haha! Ugh, and the power company has yet to send me a coupon (wouldn’t that be fabulous, an app with 40% off your power this month like our friend Hobby Lobby). BUT the grocery is a place we can curb the spending and I’ve made it my own little game, how low can I go? My grocery budget has been about $500-$600 a month depending on how many weeks there are in the given month. Some of you will be all shocked and shaken by that number, you’ll either think wow that’s nothing or whoa that’s a lot.
But here’s the skinny on my grocery trips. I shop almost exclusively at Kroger, that’s what we have in my town so its convenient and the fuel points can add up, when hubby drives for work like he does every little bit helps. Also, we purchase beef in bulk once a year and that money doesn’t factor into the grocery budget at all. However, this money does include any household items they may be needed like toilet paper, paper towels, zippy bags and the like. I’m also not really a coupon person, I tried but it just never worked for me but I do take careful advantage of in store sales.
So my new goal is to reduce this out of pocket at the grocery BY HALF, lofty I know. We shall see. A dandy little website called Fun Cheap or Free by Jordan Page suggested making an on hand inventory and then making the menu plan. Now sometimes I need someone else to tell me the simplest thing and this is one of those times. I only listed the perishables I had on hand, stuff that really needed to be used this week. Then worked from that list to make this weeks menu plan and the corresponding grocery list.
I also must add that the lack of a menu and list is just asking the grocery to take your money and the grocery is not where we want to leave our $$$. I try very hard to stick to the list and only stock up on things that the sale price really WOWs me. I did stray from my list today, cause ya’ll, butter. on. sale. BUTTER!!! Oh! The coffee was on sale too, so I bought a few of those.
The total today was $85.34 and for comparison I typically spend about $160 (if you do the math $160 times 4 or 5 does not equal $500-$600, thus the need for evaluation). Not gonna story to ya, the fact that we eat at church on Wednesday night makes a difference too.
I wish had thought to take a picture of my groceries all fancy grocery haul style but it was raining when I unloaded groceries and I just went on auto pilot. Don’t ya hate when its raining on grocery day.
So what’s your go to saving trick? Are you a store brand girl or brand loyal? I’d love to know your tips and tricks. Have a good one!
Dianna
