Have you ever wondered how your grocery bill got so high? You innocently grabbed your list, your shopping bags, your purse and headed out the door with a budget in mind and then bam! You go waaay over at the checkout line! I’ve been there too many times to count. But what I realized over time, is that I wasn’t sticking to hard and fast rules and was allowing for too much margin. If my kiddos wanted a snack or treat, in the basket it would go. If I noticed something we loved to eat was on sale, in the basket it would go. Or, if I suddenly had inspiration for a meal idea, the ingredients would make their way into the basket, on sale or not.
After spending WAY too much money for WAY too long, I finally decided something had to give. My hubby and I have dreams of a bigger house with a bigger yard and that ain’t gonna happen if Mama keeps flushing money down the drain. So we decided to talk budget. We sat down and realistically set a budget for all the main categories of spending...household (haircuts, dry cleaning, home repairs), fast food and groceries. We decided that for our family, $500 for groceries, $100 for fast food, and $300 for household per month would be sufficient.
It has worked! Check out your grocery store online coupons, digital ads and yes, even the old-school paper ad that comes in the mail is worth checking out! If you base your shopping solely on the ads and what’s on sale, you will always save! Get creative and figure out new ways to use affordable staples such as rice and potatoes, buy on sale and freeze for later and turn those leftovers into tasty lunches for the week or as additions to salads or soups. Check out my video for more info!
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