Save Money Groceries
Tips Tuesday – Save Money Groceries
Save Money Groceries
I am the first one to admit to regularly falling off the “budget bandwagon.” It generally happens when there is too much going on in our lives. It’s days when I feel I just can’t be bothered with checking to see if there is a coupon for an item, when I forget to bring my coupons to the store, or when I become too distracted by everything around me to even care.
Here’s an example, you go to the grocery store to pick up a gallon of milk and happen to run across half a dozen or more other items you just “must have.” You then purchase those items. The $4 trip to pick up milk has now turned into a $30+ trip which includes items we most likely didn’t really need right now. Repeat this scenario enough times and it’s enough to throw a wrench into an entire month’s grocery budget.
Here’s my Save Money Groceries tip in order to avoid this scenario. I recently started keeping a small steno pad in my purse. I generally have three lists running; one for groceries, one for non-grocery items, and one which is a “to do” list. Before I head into the store for groceries or sundries, I tear out the appropriate list and scribble big $$$ signs on it with a highlighter. Yes, I keep a highlighter in my bag of tricks! This is a reminder to me that purchasing anything more than what is on the list is wasting money out of my grocery budget.
My husband always keeps a running list of things we need on a sticky note in the kitchen. When he goes to the store, he buys what is on the list and only what is on the list. I have yet to figure out exactly how he does it but with this new system I have, I’m hoping it will become crystal clear.
How do you keep from repeating this same money wasting scenario? Let us know so we can share it with our readers!