How to Cut Your Grocery Budget in Half

Your grocery budget is one living expense that you can cut in half with some careful planning.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Coupon organizer
• Internet
• Menu
• Plan

1. First off, how often do you go grocery shopping? Most of us go about once a week on average. If you are going more often than one time a week you really should try to cut that down, you may be over spending needlessly. If you go shopping only once a month you probably are already an excellent shopper (and planner)but you still may be able to use a few of these tips to reduce spending.

2. Careful planning=big savings! Clip coupons! I know this sounds clique, but even if you just clip the ones in the Sunday paper ads, the savings can add up! Just make sure that a coupon doesn't entice you to buy something you won't use or it's not worth the savings. Clip ones for items you normally use. You can also go to ...
   
   http://www.ecoupons.com/category/Printable-Coupons
   
   to print out coupons on name brand products.
   
   Another good tip is to double up on coupons. For example, if you have a manufacturers coupon as well as a store coupon on an item you can sometimes get the item free or for pennies. I once had 10 coupons for $1.49 on Maybelline eye shadow. There was no limit on the coupons and the sale price of the eye shadow was $1.59 (this was about 10 years ago) I ended up getting each one for 10 cents. This is just a example of how careful planning and a little know-how pays off big time!

3. Many stores these days are offering excellent savings! Plan your meals around the weekly specials at the store you frequent. Safeway for example, has a section in their weekly ad lately that's a called a budget stretcher sale. This week they have a buy 2 get 3 free sale on Quaker granola bars. This is a savings of nearly $11.00 on 5 boxes (@ $3.49 a box). When you see deals like this buy as many as your family will use and stock your pantry.
   Also, if you go to safeway.com you can see all the weekly specials click on the ones you would like to ad to your shopping list and then add these special savings to your club card. This is perfect for those of your that don't like to mess with fumbling around for coupons- they are all right there on your Safeway club card!

4. The best tip I have on this subject is to get the book America's Cheapest Family gets you right on the money. You cheapest place to buy this is half.com (best place to buy books online)! Or even better check it out at your local library- free. Also, check out the website... www.homeeconomiser.com/
   tons of money saving ideas!
   
   You can also go to you tube and search for the Economides family. This family spends only $350 on groceries a month for 7 people. Check out this article from Good Morning America...
   http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AmericanFamily/story?id=127871&page=1

Tips & Warnings

• Leave the kids at home with a babysitter and save $
• Stick to your list
• Map out a menu based on how often you shop, if you go once a week, plan a weeks worth of meals around sales, coupons and what you already have.
• Plan your list from your menu
• Plan ahead, freeze meals if you have to avoid fast food and eating out.
• Put items you would like to purchase that are not on your list in the front part of your cart, this way you can see what your impulse buys are and if you can eliminate some of these before you get to the check stand.

[tundranut]

on 3/4/2009 Great tips for saving on food, and you're so right, it's a 'living' expense!! 5*

[mommyhen42]

on 2/9/2009 Very helpful tips. some I knew and some new to me. Thanks for sharing them

[SarahRobinson]

on 2/4/2009 Great tips! 5*

[ala003]

on 2/1/2009 Awesome tips!! I still need to get used to the coupon clipping thing lol...

[triciagoss]

on 1/30/2009 Great advice!