Hey all! Recently (about 2 months ago now) I had a WAKE UP CALL. Hello Briana- you are spending way to much on unnecessary groceries! Here is what I was doing- going into the story hungry, with NO budget or price target, NO list, and NO destination or meal plan. What was I thinking?! I checked out every week without knowing how much the total was going to be.. AND I was going to the store WAY to frequently- we are talking at least every other day for certain things I "needed". And you know how that goes when you step into a store planning on buying 2 items.. suddenly you spot 5 other things you "need" and your spending and extra $30 on a trip that was unplanned. No, this needed to stop.
After sitting down and going over our budget for the month with a new vehicle payment in mind, we decided on a weekly price range that we thought would work well for us. I decided that going to the store one time a week wouldn't cut it because produce goes bad to fast for that! So I would go to the story Mondays and Fridays at $30 each trip. And this is on a CLEAN eating meal plan :) Here are some of the things I had to take into consideration when I was making these changes with out grocery budget.
1) Know your WANTS and NEEDS. Simple right?
What do you NEED in your house? What are things that you want and would be nice to have around, but you could live without? Example- we need chicken breast, milk, and eggs. Wants- Buying all natural peanut butter whenever I wanted, extra frozen fruit that is costly, and buying produce that was expensive for the time of year.
Step 1: Write out things that you normally buy at the store and write next to them- want or need.
2) Only buy what will be used.
This is KEY. Go into the store with a meal plan in mind and a list. Keep in mind how much food is usually consumed in your household. Do certain meals last 2 days? Some only last one meal? Maybe you could make twice as much and have leftovers for day 2- saving yourself time cooking and probably some money! Having a toddler at home it is easy to throw away servings that she doesn't finish. I have learned to start her off with smaller portions and if she finishes that she can have more! Otherwise SO much food goes to waste. ONE serving of an adult meal could be 3 servings for your toddler.
3) PLAN meals.
At the beginning of each week decide on what you are going to make that week and stick with it. I usually go with something simple for lunch since it is just me and my daughter (something like sandwiches, eggs, egg and avocado toast with veggies) and then have something more specific planned for dinner. Make sure you stick with it when you are shopping and keep it in mind through out the week so that you don't end up short at the end of the week!
4) Decide on a budget amount $ and track it while you are shopping.
Figure out a price that you want to start with. You might end up needing to go more or being able to cut it back even more. But you have to start with something. And maybe that price is based off of your entire budget- meaning you have X amount of dollars to spend on groceries each month and that is that. No going over or you are cutting into savings, etc.
Start with that amount, meal plan, write out your grocery list, and head to the store. As you are shopping write down the price of EVERYTHING that you put in your cart on your shopping list. I mean down to the cents. If its produce, make sure you weigh it! Seems ridiculous but everything adds up fast. As you are going add everything up using a calculator on your phone etc so you know how much wiggle room you have with the rest of your shopping list. Some trips you may have to cut certain things. I know before I have put back my all natural peanut butter and opted for some PB2 (protein peanut butter) at 1/2 the cost. I have put back the asparagus at $4.99/pound and picked up a bundle of broccoli for $2.99 instead.
5) Bargain Brands and Sales
Like I said earlier, depending on what types of foods are on sale and which are expensive due to the time of year, your list might change a bit. If you are looking at buying asparagus at $4.99/pound or an entire bundle of broccoli for $2.99 than I am going for the broccoli! NOW, when asparagus goes on sale for $2/pound I am all over that! Another example would be blueberries. They are crazy expensive this time of year! I am talking about $5 in my local store. When they go on sale to $2.99 I usually pick some up! Same with strawberries. In the winter I am always buying bananas, apples, oranges, etc. Things that are less expensive. The same goes for brands! There are certain brands that are 1/2 the price and have the same ingredients. An example of this would be buying salsa. My local store has their own brand of salsa at $1.99 for a jar verses the other brand at $3.49 a jar. Same ounces. So keep those things in mind!
6) Organization.
Of course being organized is a game changer, and of course it is not the easiest thing for everyone to do! BUT going into this like anything else, with a goal to hit, and making darn sure you are not going to fail at that budget, and you will do just fine!
Remember- Pick a budget amount $, write down your meals for the week or the days you plan on shopping for, write out the groceries you need, and calculate the price of everything AS your shop- Not at the checkout when you are most likely to just throw it up on the counter!
Happy Budgeting and Happy Shopping!! I plan on making a video of my do's and do not's of shopping AS I am shopping! So be sure to check that out :)
xo
Briana
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