Shop alone and stock up on bargains to save on grocery expenses.
Food prices are rising faster than most families' incomes. If your family of four is spending $600 in groceries every month, and you need to cut your grocery bill to $300 a month, planning and smart choices are the keys to success.
Instructions
1. Pull $300 cash from your checking account and put it in an envelope marked "Food Money" at the beginning of the month. This serves as a visual reminder of how much you can spend on food during the month. Don't use this money for anything other than groceries.
2. Go through the grocery circulars once a week. Identify the sale items for the week and plan all meals around them. Don't forget breakfast and lunch. Stay around $75 per week. If you go over, the money has to come out of another week's budget.
3. Look online for printable coupons for items you purchase regularly or to go with the sale items you identified. If you notice a coupon for something you will need in the future that is not on sale now, go ahead and print it out. This way it is there when you need it.
4. Shop at a grocery store that offers double coupons on a specific day. Stock up on items that are almost free after coupons are applied. This allows you to buy items when they are on a good sale, which helps you make your budget.
5. Stick it out! At first, you are going to find that $300 doesn't buy all that much. However, as you stock up on sale items, you will find that you are able to buy more and more. Keep it up, and you may even find yourself able to spend even less than $300 a month on groceries.
Tags: sale items, find that