For most families, saving money on groceries is becoming more and more important. While I don’t have any children of my own, I do remember what it was like to be part of a family of five, and am tying the knot soon so who knows! My Mom was queen of frugal and somehow managed to feed our entire family on $300/month. How the heck did she do this? Looking back, it kind of makes sense. She probably didn’t think twice about it but she actively used some common sense strategies to keep the food bill at a minimum.
Matt’s note: here are more tips from me and Betsy to help save money on groceries.
My Mom had to prepare all the meals during the day. That included breakfast, lunch, dinner and any snacks. These tips kept our grocery bill low.
Plan ahead
Planning is the most important tip you need to take away from this article. Plan your route, if you’re going to more than one store, and plan what you’re going to buy. Limit yourself to your list and leave with only the items on your list. I recommend that you plan your meals ahead of time so you don’t find yourself running to the grocery store for emergency trips.
If you’re going to multiple stores, be sure to bring ads and coupons for each store and keep them in individual stacks. As you can see, it took my Mom a significant amount of planning to save on the grocery bill. Put this first tip to action and you will be well on your way to saving big on your next grocery run.
Buy in bulk
Sam’s and Costco are some of the most popular grocery stores for good reason. Buying in bulk, when done right, saves money and makes sense. Save yourself a trip to the store and buy large quantities of typical grocery items. Keep an eye out for extra discounted items and try to buy food that can be frozen.
The key to buying in bulk is to do your research and plan ahead. Think about what your family goes through the fastest. Write out your list of common, staple items and stick to the list. Knowing you have a large quantity in the kitchen will give you peace of mind.
Shop without kids or alone
Looking back, I actually never remember going grocery shopping with my Mom. I either stayed home or was told to hang out with my Dad. Either way, my Mom never brought me grocery shopping. It all makes sense now! If I had gone with her, I bet I would have begged for luxury items like cocoa puffs and donuts. As a matter of fact, I know I would have. I was a hungry little kid and any advertisement would have caught my eye. Plus, I think she knew she had a soft spot for us so taking us to the grocery store was inviting poor stewardship.
Do what my Mom did, leave your kids at home and do the grocery shopping by yourself. Don’t feel guilty either. Spending time with your kids at the grocery store isn’t necessarily quality time anyway.
In short, saving money on the grocery bill isn’t hard, it just takes patience and some thinking outside of the box. Plan ahead of time, buy in bulk, and leave your kids at home! These tips will save you money and hassle.
Most people don’t realize how important having a list really is. When something is written on paper, it is permanent (for the most part), when the information is retained in our head, it is subject to change whenever our emotions change.
We may think that we are in full control of our mind and try to rely on it when we go shopping, but most people just don’t have that ability and will end up buying things they probably don’t need, and justify it with some sort of logical reason as to why they bought it.
That’s a great way of putting it Richard, I can’t help but agree.
Tell me about it. I had to make my wife read this because had a problem with buying 300 dollars worth of groceries and going through it in 2 to 3 days, but now I
have your blog to back me up in an argument. Thanks 🙂