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Grocery Hacks – How We Save Money on Groceries

01.20.2012 by Matt Jabs //

How we save money on groceries

This is the story of how we reduced our grocery budget from $400/month down to less than $250/month!

My wife and I have very different personality types… and what a blessing that is!

  • I am the eternal optimist – the visionary – the idea guy – the spontaneous one – the encourager – the free spirit.
  • My wife is the responsible one – the realist – the finisher – always keeping things on track – always grounded.

Our different personality types definitely combine to make us into a better whole, and we have learned that each of us is particularly strong in certain aspects of every project.

For example, when we need to go grocery shopping we sit down together and combine our gifts to come up with our best grocery shopping plan.  If it wasn’t for my wife, there would be no plan!  If it were not for me, we would not be eating nearly as healthy.  If it were not for her, we would spend more money due to not planning a menu.  If it were not for me, we would not have a specific budgeted amount of money for groceries to stick to each month.

As you can see, both of us have different gifts and we work to combine our gifts to yield the most beneficial result for our family (which is currently just her & I.)

The other night we sat down — together — and compiled a list of ways we have successfully reduced our grocery bill over the last 7 months.

Jabs Grocery Hacks

I am including this awesome list of Jabs Grocery Hacks in a printable .pdf format that you can print and keep in your purse and/or stick on your fridge. Enjoy and happy hacking!
  1. Plan a menu – 2-3 dinners for the week and eat leftovers the other nights.  Base meals on what needs to be used up in the refrigerator.
  2. Make a list – only purchase items you will need to add to the recipes you’re making from #1 Plan a Menu.
  3. Stick to the list – once at the store, DO NOT deviate from the list.
  4. Use coupons – when available use coupons… but ONLY for the items on your list!  Do not buy things just because you have a coupon. In fact, here’s a resource to teach you how to coupon properly.
  5. Stock up – on your favorite/frequently used items when they are on sale.  Clear out space in your cupboards, pantry, basement to store overflow.
  6. Grow a garden – use your own produce in all of your recipes and if it is harvest season – plan your recipes around what you are harvesting.
  7. Pick your own – when it comes to fruit and veggies, pick your own and preserve them by freezing, canning, etc.  Use these frozen goodies to make your own jam, add to muffins, ice cream, breakfasts, etc.  We picked strawberries and we picked blueberries, we saved a boat load on both.
  8. Make your own – use fruits and veggies you grew/picked to make homemade jam, tomato sauce, salsa, etc.  You can also make your own bread, crackers, cleaners, etc.  We decided to use up a lot of what we already have in our pantry, then when we run out of something we decide if it is something we can make ourselves instead of purchasing new.
  9. Preserve food – Even if it is not something you grew, buy large amounts of in-season produce then go home and preserve it.  I have already made mention of this in a few of the other tips, that’s how important it is… this tip permeates so many of the other tips.  You can freeze, can, dry, smoke, cure, etc.  The predominate methods are freezing and canning.
  10. Use more beans – this has been a HUGE change and a HUGE benefit for us.  You should definitely increase the amount you use.  Beans are cheap, healthy and delicious.  They are much healthier and less expensive than meat.
  11. Frequent local farmer’s markets – my wife and I have switched to a predominately fresh, healthy, and organic diet.  We have found a farmer at our local market who sells organic produce, honey, maple syrup, butter, cheese, meats, etc. for cheaper than the grocery stores!
  12. Check “price per unit” – despite popular belief, when at grocery stores sometimes it’s actually cheaper per unit to buy 2 smaller items than it is to buy one larger portion.
  13. Pack breakfasts and lunches – do this everyday so you are not tempted to buy these meals “on the run”.  Make this part of your nightly routine every night so it becomes habit.  My wife & I pack our healthy delicious breakfast idea every week day.
  14. Pack healthy snacks – place these in small containers early in the week.  Keep some in your car, purse, office, man bag, etc.  This will keep you from purchasing unhealthy and expensive snacks form vending machines, gas stations, or other places.
  15. Do more baking – this kind of fits in with #8, but deserves it’s own description.  Set aside a little time each month to bake bread and healthy cookies then freeze them for the consumption throughout the month.  The ingredient to bake cost much less and will go much further than purchasing pre-packaged cookies and breads.
  16. Make fruit salad – using some of your pick-your-own fruits from number #7, combine delicious, fresh, snackable fruits into a Tupperware as a “salad”.  This is a great way to keep family members from purchasing and eating unhealthy/expensive snack foods.
  17. Eat more nuts – another great snack food.  We get an organic trail mix blend from our health food store for $3.79/pound.  This is another healthy and cheap alternative to expensive snack foods.
  18. Test generic brands – persistent and clever advertising has tricked us into thinking we need certain brand name foods.  Make sure you try generic brands at least once — with an open mind — before you decide how much you dislike them!  My wife and I eat predominately generic/store brand foods.  Also, generic health and beauty items, along with medicines, are often made up of the exact same ingredients as name-brand items.
  19. Organize your pantry – this is VERY important.  Most people waste a lot of food and money because it simply gets lost in the black hole that is their pantry!  I’m lucky because my wife and I are both pretty organized when it comes to our food stuffs, so we excel in this area and it is a blessing.
  20. Work together – like my wife always says… “Teamwork makes the dream work!”  Just like any other good thing in marriage/family life — saving money on groceries is much easier if both spouses are working together to reach the common goals of physical and financial health!
I am including this awesome list of Jabs Grocery Hacks in a printable .pdf format that you can print and keep in your purse and/or stick on your fridge.  Enjoy and happy hacking!

Using these tips and principles me and my wife have been able to cut our grocery budget from $400/month down to less than $250/month on average!  We have also lost a combined 60+ pounds and have never felt better.

Categories // Expenses, Money Management, Spending, Tips Tags // food, groceries, reduce, Reduce Expenses

Understanding and Improving Cash Flow

12.05.2011 by Guest Author //

One of the more powerful concepts to understand in the matter of personal finance is cash flow. Most of us can easily tell the difference between being confident & comfortable with our finances versus struggling with our finances.  Unfortunately, many people do not truly understand cash flow, nor do they grasp the crucial role it plays in regard to their own personal finances. When you understand the concept of cash flow and can then work to improve it… you give yourself tremendous flexibility which will undoubtedly bring to light many otherwise indiscernible opportunities.

What is cash flow?

Cash flow is basically your income minus your expenses. If your income is about the same as your expenses, you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck. If your income is higher, you’re financially okay. And if your income is lower, you’re accumulating debt. Very simple isn’t it?

And here is the beautiful part. Once you understand the basic components — income and expenses — you can begin to take concrete actions to improve your finances. And you can break down the problem even further by looking at reducing individual expenses and improving your income.

How to improve your cash flow

Reduce your expenses

The quickest way to improve your cash flow is by attacking your expenses; especially the recurring month-to-month type. The biggest bang for your buck is your mortgage, if you have one. Take a look at today’s best mortgage rates and see if it makes sense for you to refinance. Refinancing alone could free up several hundred dollars that you could use for other financial endeavors.

This process of expense reduction is even easier if you are already keeping a budget. If you don’t have one, you should start tracking your expenses and start work to create one. The key to success in expense reduction is doing all the little things that add up and trying to take one small step at a time. Don’t try to reduce your expenses by 50% — it will never happen. Challenge yourself to cut $50 a month or a $100 a month. Once you accomplish that, go for another $50, and so forth.

Increase your income

The other side of the equation is improving your income. This is harder than cutting your expenses, but there are things that you could do — even little things like moving your money to a high interest savings account helps you to earn more. Again, it’s all the little things that add up.

What about a other income ideas? You can basically break them down into a few categories:

  1. Earn more from your job — i.e., ask for a raise, get a promotion, work overtime, etc.
  2. Earn more outside your job. Here are a few additional income ideas for you to mull over.
  3. Make your money work harder — i.e., investing in the stock market, real estate investing, and other alternative investments, etc.

What to do with your free cash

So you’ve improved your cash flow, what should you do with the extra cash? Here are a few ideas:

  • Pay down your debt — e.g., credit card debt reduction, car loan, student loan, etc. As you do this, you’ll free up even more cash because you no longer have to pay all the finance charges and monthly payments.
  • Invest your money. Again, make your money work for you and continue to improve your cash flow.
  • Give. If you are in a position to give, charitable donation is also a great way to use your money.

I hope you enjoyed this article, and more importantly, I hope you walk away with a few ideas you can use to improve your finances.

Pinyo is the owner and primary author of Moolanomy Personal Finance blog. Moolanomy focuses on practical money management concepts, personal finance tips, and wealth building. If you like this article, please visit his blog. Lastly, you can leave financial question on Moolanomy Answers where Pinyo and other community members participate to provide you with answers.

Categories // Expenses, Giving, Investing, Money Management Tags // interest, Money Management, reduce, Reduce Expenses

Follow Through on Financial Goals

06.29.2009 by Matt Jabs //

Follow Through On Financial GoalsHave you set financial goals?  Are you following through on them?

If you have ever been coached in most any sport, you have undoubtedly had the term “follow through” beat into your psyche at length.  Whether dealing with sports, house projects, political promises, or finances, follow through is an essential lesson to be applied in all aspects of life.

Thanks to recent article by Jeff (@stretchydollar) of Consumerism Commentary on financial goals, I was reminded of a couple tasks I had yet to complete in order to consummate a few of my goals.  I had reached most or all of the milestones, but needed to perform important money redistribution tasks to truly finish them!

Specifically, I have been cutting costs & making shoe money all over the place, but had not yet made the necessary adjustments to move my spoils out of my checking account & into a purposed savings location.

Ways you may be missing out…

Have you recently paid off a debt but have not reapportioned the income?

When I began my Debt Free Adventure Mrs Jabs & I had 4 credit cards we were working to pay off.  Since we are using a combination of the Debt Snowball method & the High Interest First method I was paying the most on the card with the lowest balance & apportioning the rest to the other 3 based on balance amounts & interest rates.  Once I paid off the first card, I reapportioned all the excess to the card with the next lowest balance! Now I’m almost down to two cards; and plan to continue redistributing the same overall payment amount accordingly.

The unwise alternative would be to let that extra amount from paying off the first card swim around purposeless in a checking account.

Have you cut an expense like TV Service lately but have yet to employ the money elsewhere?

If you are a regular DFA reader then you know that my wife & I canceled our satellite TV last month.  In short, we watch less TV, have an indoor HDTV digital antenna for local stations, & subscribe to Netflix.  The combined effort is saving us $76 every month.  Before reading Jeff’s article I had forgotten about the extra money and was just letting it pour into my checking account unaccounted for, but have since added this amount to my Capital One 360 Automatic Savings Plan (ASP).

Are you making shoe money but not really saving it?

Have you made some extra money on the side recently?  Are you being faithful to reapportion all of it correctly?

One of the reasons I started Debt Free Adventure was to make extra money.  Once the money started trickling in, I noticed that the proceeds were just being diluted in my checking account.  Instead of letting the money continue on purposeless I made the commitment to channel every dollar earned into a separate Capital One 360 savings account dubbed “Side Hustle”.  Now every time I earn money from one of the multiple income streams, 100% goes into the separate fund… not to be touched.  Soon I plan to create an LLC for my online endeavors at which time I will open a business bank account.  By separating the money now, it will make it easier on me when I go to move.

Have you recently refinanced your home to a lower rate?  Don’t forget to properly employ the monthly savings?

My friend, & fellow blogger “K” has graciously allowed me to share the story of his recent mortgage refinance story.  He just refinanced his mortgage from a 6.5% interest rate down to 5.2%.  He reduce his monthly mortgage payment by $150.  Since he is already used to that money being spent each month, instead of letting that money get lost in translation, K plans to create a new Capital One 360 savings account & fund every month.  What he stands to realize is $1,800 every year!

Here is the record of our recent IM chat discussing the matter…

K:  sorry just got back from my Refi Closing
Me:  awesome, did you get a lower rate?
K:  yes sir!  6.5 to 5.25
Me:  WOW…sweet, that’ll shave off some money each month
K:  yea.. but it doesnt translate much into monthly pymt, 150 tops.  But still, that’s money i don’t have to pay
Me:  $150 is a lot!
K:  hehe yea i guess i was being too greedy
Me:  that’s $1,800 a year buddy
K:  when i look at it that way, it’s big!
Me:  exactly.  i have some advice.  since you’re used to paying the old number, do this… set up a new fund in Capital One 360 & put the $150 directly into it each month.  call it a “Vacation Fund” or something, otherwise the money will just get lost in translation
K:  u r right, great idea man!

I told K that he should give me a finders fee of 50% since it was my advice… he just laughed at me.  Hey, at least I tried!

Other examples of people properly following through…

These fellow bloggers are beneficially employing their savings from both short and long term goals:

  • In order to have a debt free wedding (yay!) Ray started blogging & began teaching on the side.  He set all the money from his side gigs apart from his main incomeand was able to pay off his wedding along with some new household items!
    • Follow Ray @moneyhighway and check out his blog:  Financial Highway
  • In an effort to kick start his Emergency Fund & Debt Snowball (love it!) Paul & his wife inventoried their lives to find over $1,000 savings in one month!  Some of Paul’s efforts were one time money makers, while others will be paying him back for years to come.  Instead of frittering away the residual savings Paul and his wife wisely reapportioned the excesstoward debt repayment & savings!
    • Follow Paul @fiscalgeek and check out his blog:  FiscalGeek
  • Back in 1999 Matt vowed to stop buying CD’s (mp3’s in today’s economy)and save the excess.  Instead of letting the small bits of extra money each month dilute back into his checking account to be piddled away, Matt rolled some of it into a savings to be used for college expenses, and the rest into an IRA.
    • Follow Matt @Matt_SF and check out his blog:  Steadfast Finances

So what about you?

Have you recently made side money, reduced some expenses, or paid off a debt, yet failed to follow through by properly redistributing your savings accordingly?  Now’s the time to act!

DFA is passionately dedicated to helping others break the bondage of debt using biblical principles.

Categories // Debt, Expenses Tags // Money Management, reduce, Reduce Expenses, Savings

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Disclaimer

Content on Debt Free Adventure is for entertainment purposes only. Rates & offers from advertisers shown on this website may change without notice: please visit referenced sites for current information. Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. We respect your privacy. Privacy policy.

Popular Posts

  • Lending Club - My Review of Social Lending
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Disclaimer

Content on Debt Free Adventure is for entertainment purposes only. Rates & offers from advertisers shown on this website may change without notice: please visit referenced sites for current information. Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. We respect your privacy. Privacy policy.

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