Wondering how to jump start your grocery savings?
Here is my weekly routine:
1. Make a Meal Plan: I create a weekly meal plan using mostly items I already have in my freezer or pantry.
- Find some ideas for meals at Kraft Foods and 5 Dollar Dinners. I’m an Organizing Junkie also hosts a Menu Plan Monday where you can view hundreds of meal plans for the week.
- I include leftovers in my meal plan. I know that when I make a pan of lasagna, our family always has leftovers. Writing them down as a dinner for the week prevents me from wasting them.
- I make at least one meatless meal each week.
- Don’t underestimate how important this step is – planning your meals is the easiest way to start saving money. If you don’t have a large freezer or pantry stash, plan your meals around cuts of meat that are on sale in your weekly grocery ad and produce that are in season.
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2. Make a Shopping List: The items I am missing to make those meals becomes my weekly grocery list.
- I write down all of the ingredients I need to complete those meals.
- I also include things I will need for breakfast & lunch. I stockpile cereal & oatmeal, so I normally only have to buy milk & juice for breakfast. For Lunches, I usually need to buy bread, lunch meat, & fruit. I usually don’t put snack foods on my weekly grocery list because those are fairly easy to get when I do my “stockpile” shopping.
Some additional “rules” I like to follow when I shop:
- I try to go alone (this is a nice mini-break for me and it prevents the kids & my husband from throwing chips or other items into the cart).
- Stick to the list!
- Don’t go hungry. I’m sure you’ve heard this one, but it really is true. I have a Starbucks weakness & if I go into Fred Meyer hungry, I’ll give into that latte.
3. Shop the Stockpile Sales: I spend about $35 on those weekly items & then use any leftover funds from my budget to shop the “stockpile” sales.
- A stockpile sale is one in which items are at their rock bottom prices (sometimes even free).
- I use coupons, Catalina promos, eCoupons, and rebates to maximize my savings.
- I do have specific price targets in mind for stockpiling (for example, anything under $0.50/box is a good cereal price), but in general, I stockpile when items are 75% off or more.
- I do not limit my stockpile shopping to pantry items – sometimes I will purchase meat or cheese to freeze; sometimes I will stock-up on shampoo, toothpaste or razors.
- Sales tend to repeat themselves (about) every 12 weeks, this allows me to plan my stockpile accordingly.
- Keep Expiration Dates in mind! I am careful to make sure I am only stocking-up on items my family can reasonably use before the expiration date.
