1) Know your wants and needs!
This is pretty simple.-- do you NEED those cherries at $7.99/lb. ?? Probably not! Go for grapes instead!
2) Only buy what you need.
This goes along with meal planning. After you have meal planned your week, know how many people are eating the meal, and how much left overs there will be, you can figure out exactly how much of everything that you need.
3) Save ALL leftovers.
For me, this meant even the SMALLEST portions since I have 2 year old in the house who eats like a bird! But when I did this I literally could save an entire meal for my daughter with the portions I would have normally thrown in the trash.
4) Plan out meals for the week.
What days are you going grocery shopping for? I usually go Monday and Friday and plan for the days in between. Once you know how many days you are shopping for you can plan your meals. I usually choose 2 dinner options for monday-thursday along with a few very simple lunch ideas. We almost always have the same options for breakfast at our house!
5) How much does each person eat?
This goes along with what I said earlier about my daughter "eating like a bird". I KNOW that her portions are almost always very very small so I don't have to make an entire extra plate for her. My husband on the other hand…!
6) Bargain Brands.
Not always, but sometimes there are definitely certain brands that are less costly than others. BUT make sure when you are doing this that you check the ingredients. ALWAYS ALWAYS check ingredients- the key is to still be eating as healthy as possible! Make sure that their is no artificial flavorings, corn syrup, etc, yuck!
7) Make a grocery list and STICK TO IT.
hahaha this one is important! I was TERRIBLE at this before. I literally just went into the store without a clue of what I was going to make that week, what ingredients I needed, etc. SO what was the outcome? I would leave with $60+ in groceries and get home and have no idea if I had the ingredients I needed to actually make a meal. Sound familiar?? lol
When you need something from the store, jot it down on your grocery list! STICK to that list!
8) Add up your groceries as you shop. $$
This one is important as well. If you don't add up your groceries as you shop you will have no idea what to expect when you check out! $$$
SO as you throw things in your cart, put the price next to the item on your list. If that means weighing produce- do so. Then about halfway through add them up to see where you are at! Take "unnecessary" items out as needed to keep you on track for you dollar amount!
These are a few simple things that you can start to think about as you shop! In our group we will be putting them all together and actually writing out our budgets, making meal plans and grocery lists, and GO shopping!!
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