10 Surefire Ways To Cut Down On Your Grocery Bill

1) Planning A Practical Weekly/Monthly Menu
You might have read a lot about how important it is to make
a list. I'd say that it's more important to learn how to do
make a list the right way, otherwise you will not be able to
make it a consistent habit. With a little practice you can put
together a menu plan for an entire month in less than 10
minutes. Let's take a look at what you need to do.
If you shop at a number of stores, make sure that you've
got each store's weekly sales ad flier ready with you before
you start planning. Also go through all your cabinets, the
supplies you have in your fridge and freezer, to find out
what you have in stock and what you need to buy more of.
(Tip: This gets much easier to do if you have some kind of
order to stocking your cabinets and fridge) Now that you are
aware of what supplies you have at home and what will be
on sale for the coming week, plan your menus for the rest of
the week based on these two factors. Get creative!
Begin making your shopping list by listing out all the staple
items you need such as milk, sugar, flour, bread etc. and
any other products you will need that are on sale, to cook
the items on your weekly menu.
Your list should consist of all the items and ingredients you
need along with the quantities needed. Check off all the
items you already have in stock!
Planning ahead this way will allow you to save a ton of
money on groceries simply because you won't be making a
mad dash your nearby store to pick up items you don't have
at the last minute. It'll also save you hurried trips to the
local McDonalds because you ran out of options.
You'll also avoid 'impulse buying' this way. Save the menu
for the week in a separate file along with the grocery list,
just for the record.
Once you get more used to planning your weekly meals, you
can tackle a monthly menu. This isn't as difficult as it
sounds. Once you get used to buying items in bulk you can
cycle a number of your weekly menus into a workable
monthly menu. (Save the file on your computer with the
month attached; for example, Octoberlist.doc for the month
of October).
You can establish a whole new tradition of having a few
standard meals on certain days every month, which your
family will look forward to or even one or two nights a week
with the same meal plan.
Planning a weekly or monthly menu will help you ensure
that your family eats well, with proper balanced nutrition
and you can recycle menus or use parts of old menus to
make new ones each month.
If you recycle menus this way, your grocery list is done,
since all you have to do is print out your previous lists.
Saves a ton of time!
2) Start shopping smart
According to current research, people who make a 'fast trip'
to the store end up spending 54 percent more than they
expected to. If you spend just 10 dollars on impulse
purchases three times a week, this is going to cost you an
additional 120$ per month.
So how do you save money? By cutting down on 'impulse
buying' and the number of trips you make to the store. This
strategy can save you thousands of dollars every year.
Begin by shopping once a week. Once you get more used to
bulk buying you can shop once a month. The less you go to
the store, the less you will spend. Avoid the temptation to
walk up and down the aisles, choosing items that look good.
Stores are designed to make you spend more.
That's why they have certain food items placed near check
out counters and higher priced items stacked at eye level on
all their shelves.
Since you've already made your list, stick to it! The
advantage of having a list is that you browse less and
ultimately spend less on impulse purchases.
The only time that impulse shopping is good for you is when
you take advantage of sales by choosing items that you use
regularly or items that have a long shelf-life. Otherwise, if
it's not on list, don't buy it. You can make a note of the item
and add it to your list the next time but you'll probably
discover that you don't really need it by the time your next
shopping trip comes around.
If you absolutely cannot resist impulse buying give yourself
the leeway to buy five extra items within a certain dollar
amount.
Don't buy non-food items at the grocery store since you can
probably find them for cheaper at other outlets. Buy bread
from your bakery and toiletries from your drugstore…Double
check to see that you've completed all the items on your list
before you leave the store.
Another way you can save money on your grocery list is to
just take cash to the store...