I don’t know how many times I have planned to cut grocery costs, and then spent more. Each time I walk into a store for any item without a list my savings goes into oblivion. My meal planning isn’t extensive, and sometimes not even written, but I do have an idea in my head of what we are eating. I also look at my calendar to figure out what days we will be eating at home, and out. Our busiest days, we eat out. My grocery shopping is dependent on what I need to function for the week. Fruits and veggies are my main products that we run out of.
Running in and out of the grocery store, dollar tree, convenience store or whatever never happens. Even if I know that I only need one item, if I don’t make a list then I will usually spend more. Each week plan to save and save by planning.
Consistent Weekly Meal Plan Schedule
If you have been meaning to start saving money on grocery costs grab a habit tracker. This day habit is one that will save you tons. Each day write out what you will eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Then mark it off on your habit tracker for the day. Implementing any new task requires discipline. Meal planning and saving are disciplining actions. Do this activity for the next thirty days.
At the end of thirty days you should have a good idea of what you have eaten each day. Highlight the family favorites. Cutting grocery costs doesn’t just happen, it is a planned action. Several years’ ago paper coupons were used by many families as a way to cut costs. I think nowadays they are digital, but each week moms and dads sat down to cut the coupons. That took discipline.
Each week set a day and time to do the meal plan.
Have Thirty Recipes On An Index Card
Next, grab the index card that you used to write down your full month of recipes. It’s important to go ahead and plan out the next month of meals. Mix them up a bit and plan 2 nights each week for leftovers. As you write out the meal plan for the upcoming month, write down the weekly plan somewhere in the kitchen so you are ready for grocery day.
After finishing up the meal plan, write out the ingredients needed for the meals. Each meal has a separate card that holds the ingredients. Using steps for planning makes setting the routine easier.
Inventory The Pantry and Freezer
After you have your recipes on hand, and you know what you will be fixing, then it is time to check the inventory. First check the pantry. See what ingredients you have in there that will go with any of the menu’s. Add in side dishes and vegetables. In addition to this, check the salad dressings and other sauces. My family likes A -1 sauce, so if we do not make it homemade, then I have some in the pantry.
Another place to check is the freezer. If you have frozen vegetables, beef, chicken, sauces or meals keep inventory. Add them to the meal plan to offset one of the days if possible. Also, try to include two leftover nights. This helps by everyone eating up any food so that it doesn’t go to waste. Using up all of the food has been one of my strategies forever. I do not go to the grocery store unless we are absolutely out of everything necessary such as milk, eggs, fruit and veggies. For me, that helps me to save money and shop once a month.
Shop With Cash
Now that we are armed with our grocery list and ready to shop remember to only bring cash. If you only want to spend a certain amount then only take that amount. Shopping with cash keeps you on budget. If you go over the grocery limit, then something has to be put back. Therefore, you only buy what you absolutely need and have it prioritized. No need to buy unnecessary items. Save money by buying less and focusing on the most important healthy items.
Also, as you shop with cash keep track of what you buy and how much it costs. For the next trip you will know how to better shop the sales, bulk stores, or purchase the basics weekly. I know for our family we will run out of fruit. So, I take cash and buy in bulk the fruit that is on sale. I write that down in my price book. Each week the fruit I may buy is different from a different store to get the best ales, but I almost always pay in cash.
For more tips on how to save money and live a frugal life in the suburbs sign up for my newsletter!
Great article 🙂 Very informative. I definitely agree in keeping my pantry stocked. We have a large family, so I buy a lot of bulk items to always have what I need on hand.
It does help. Thanks for commenting.
I like to keep a stocked pantry as well. I buy in bulk (10 pound bags of rice, flour, beans, and sugar, for instance) saves a lot of money over time, too. Along with a stocked pantry, we keep a full freezer, buying bulk meat when it is on sale, and freezing it, along with freezing fruit and veggies when they are in season from the garden or the store. While I may not always know what to make for dinner, I do always have whatever ingredients I need!
That is a great idea! I never thought of freezing things from the store. Thanks.
My pantries are always stocked, but it is my herbs that I always need for a recipe that I always run out of. Argh!
I always seem to need the herb that I out of and forgot to write down.
A stocked pantry is so useful! Like you, I do most of my meal planning based on what we already have on hand. Then I go to the store for the few ingredients we need to fill in, and while I’m there I stock up on anything useful that is on sale and replenish staples that are getting low. We don’t have anything like a weekly or monthly grocery budget because we are sometimes spending a lot to stock up and other times eating from the pantry for weeks–but it balances over time so that we spend very little on groceries.
You can see a lot of my staple items in my post on buying bulk food in reused containers, and here is a great recipe made from frugal pantry staples: Honey Baked Lentils.