Frugal Homemaker Tips For Weekly Grocery Deals

Right now all of us are in the same frugal homemaker boat for grocery costs. Nothing is cheap and deals are hard to come by. All of the deals are still above what we paid a few years’ ago. The budget pinch is real and no one is escaping it. Grocery staples are so expensive that almost keeping a stocked pantry is a decision between “do I eat” or “what do we give up this week” . The choice is hard because we have become accustomed to our affordable foods and eating out.

There is good news and that is there are ways to save. Cooking at home doesn’t have to break the bank, and beans and rice do not have to be a weekly meal. Even though if you ask me I love bean soup with ham in it and cornbread. But, not everybody is a fan of this meal. Here are a few ways I have found to combat high prices and find affordable food options each week.

Price Book

Creating a price book is easy. You can make it fancy or simple. A simple notebook from the dollar tree works well. You can keep your book as detailed as you want. The most important categories to maintain is the grocery store name, item and price of the item. For me, I am not very detailed and I keep only the information that is necessary.

Using a price book is important to stay on budget. It is a good tracking system of the various products you use on a day to day basis. If you are a digital person then a spreadsheet or an app is a good way for you to keep a price book. Otherwise try a trusty notebook or create an index card system with the various stores and prices listed on each card. However you want to work your price book is up to you. The index cards can be place in a book with a hole punch or added to a binder with photograph inserts. . Price books are a good way to for you to know how much cash to bring to the store.

Weekly Sales

Each week the stores hold weekly sales. One way to stay on top of the sales is to visit the stores at the same time for several weeks in a row. After games and sports practices are a prime time to stop in and “cherry-pick” sale prices. Upon leaving jot down the information in your price book. After doing this at the same time each week it will instill in your schedule this “quick” grocery session for information.

Not all grocery deals are listed on apps. Some grocery stores have deals you would never find if you don’t walk into the store. If you are serious about saving money on your bill then get ready for “in store” shopping. Plus, I have found it therapeutic to walk around the store for a few minutes researching their sales.

Perception of the Budget

This is your budget, no one else’s. No one can help you save money. That is all you. If you truly want to find ways to save money you will stop at nothing. I have found this advice to be true of myself and others. One way that I stuck to my budget was shopping with a set amount of money. Keeping positive attitude about cooking from scratch, avoiding the takeout line, or grocery deals is important. Making biscuits homemade does involve more work, but in the end it saves money. Shopping for deals on foods that will save your family $100.00 per month on the grocery budget is the silver lining.

Therefore, persistence with the grocery budget is necessary.

Practice Makes Perfect

Just like everything practice makes it easier. Practicing each week of writing down the items in a price book makes it get easier. Going to the store after baseball practice makes it easier. Making pizza at home each week isn’t so hard after the tenth time.

The first few times it gets easy to avoid it and do something else, but to save the money keep doing this to create the habit. Pretty soon, it will be part of your routine that you are used to each night after practice. To keep up with grocery deals it is a good idea to try a different store each week to have a variety of prices, store and items.

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