I know that my family is not the only one that is struggling to make ends meet and save money so I thought that I would share a few ways that I do it. One of the biggest expenses in my family is groceries and I save money by meal planning and sticking to a tight budget when I go grocery shopping.
Every two weeks when my hubby gets paid I set out to make a list of meals that we can have for the next two weeks and everything that we will need to prepare them. I literally PLAN everything I will need for the next two weeks. At first it was hard to make a list of every item that I would need for the next two weeks but I started keeping track of all the ingredients that I needed for each recipe on my computer so when I made my shopping list I could refer back to it to make sure I did not miss anything.
When I am getting ready for the next two weeks I first take inventory of what we have on hand. I write it all down and then I go through the task of planning the meals that we will be having for the next two weeks. I start with the basic things that we normally have and then I try to throw in a few different recipes based on what is on sale that week. I try to go through my cook books or Pinterest for inspiration of something different that we can try as well.
I then write it all down on a piece of paper. Two weeks full of meals. Normally we won't actually eat all 14 meals that I have planned for but anything we don't I will use the following weeks. Once I have everything planned I start my list of all the ingredients that I will need when I go to the grocery store. I then go through the grocery store adds to find any coupons for things that I will need and only what I NEED. I normally shop at Costco, HyVee and Wal-mart. These stores all have the best prices, in my opinion. I try to stay away from the frozen food section as wells as the prepackaged foods and snacks. They are way to tempting and are always way more expensive than making it yourself.
Throughout the two weeks I have a notepad on my refrigerator to keep of track of things that we have run out of so that I know what needs to be replaced. These items would include toiletry items and cleaning supplies.
Also I almost never spend money on soda, chips or other items that are unnecessary because they cost too much and we really don't need them. The only time we get that is on special occasions or when we go out to eat. I try not to go out to eat but my family likes to do this as a social activity with everyone so I would so we go about twice out of the two weeks.
Once all the planning is done, I go shopping. I try to go by myself but I normally have to take my two year old daughter with me. I try to plan to go shopping when my husband is home so that I don't have to bring her with me but that is only on the weekends and it is way to busy for me on Saturday or Sunday no matter what time you go. If you can, leave the babies at home. They just prolong the process and usually add unneeded stress. If you have to bring your kids, like I normally do, I set the ground rules first - e.g. she has to ride in the cart to whole time and if she is good and we have extra money left in the budget she will get a treat.
I like to take my time and make sure that I get everything I need and the best deal possible. That way I don't have to make all those random trips to the store to just pick up a "few things." and end up spending way more than I need to.
Once the shopping is done, I put everything away. I separate the everything that I need to freeze and put it all away. Meat it always cheaper if I buy it in bigger packages so I buy the big tubes of ground beef and when I get home I separate them by pound and put them in the own bags and freeze them. I do the same with chicken and any vegetables or fruits I don't plan on using right away or that might go back quickly.
I love the feeling of accomplishment when I am done with everything plus I saved my family a lot of money as well as we will have something healthy every night to eat. If we don't have something planned my parents always try to talk us into going out to eat so this is a way to save us a lot of money plus it is less stressful because I don't have to decided that day I already know what we will be having and I know that I have everything to make it.
Lately I have been trying to get ready for the arrival of our new addition in September so I have been looking for good deals that I can use to make meals ahead of time. Things like lasagna, soup, and casseroles that I will be able to make ahead of time and then pop in the oven or on the stove and wont take a lot of time to cook. This is also good if you have a busy week and you don't have a lot of time to cook. This is way cheaper than take-out and healthier!
I know this was a long post but I think that it is important to share. I have loads of ways that I try to save money, but groceries is usually the biggest bill for most families. I used to go every week to the store plus running back and forth to pick up little things that I needed. I would guess that we used to spend an extra $200 a month on groceries before I started meal planing. My goal is to eventually go shopping only once a month but I am slowly working my way up to it. I hope that this post helps you and you are able to save money yourselves! If you have any questions let me know. Also if you have some money saving tips you would like to share, let me know I would love to share them with everyone!
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