{"product_id":"2940014117685","title":"10 Surefire Ways To Cut Down On Your Grocery Bill","description":"1) Planning A Practical Weekly\/Monthly Menu\u003cbr\u003eYou might have read a lot about how important it is to make\u003cbr\u003ea list. I'd say that it's more important to learn how to do\u003cbr\u003emake a list the right way, otherwise you will not be able to\u003cbr\u003emake it a consistent habit. With a little practice you can put\u003cbr\u003etogether a menu plan for an entire month in less than 10\u003cbr\u003eminutes. Let's take a look at what you need to do.\u003cbr\u003eIf you shop at a number of stores, make sure that you've\u003cbr\u003egot each store's weekly sales ad flier ready with you before\u003cbr\u003eyou start planning. Also go through all your cabinets, the\u003cbr\u003esupplies you have in your fridge and freezer, to find out\u003cbr\u003ewhat you have in stock and what you need to buy more of.\u003cbr\u003e(Tip: This gets much easier to do if you have some kind of\u003cbr\u003eorder to stocking your cabinets and fridge) Now that you are\u003cbr\u003eaware of what supplies you have at home and what will be\u003cbr\u003eon sale for the coming week, plan your menus for the rest of\u003cbr\u003ethe week based on these two factors. Get creative!\u003cbr\u003eBegin making your shopping list by listing out all the staple\u003cbr\u003eitems you need such as milk, sugar, flour, bread etc. and\u003cbr\u003eany other products you will need that are on sale, to cook\u003cbr\u003ethe items on your weekly menu.\u003cbr\u003eYour list should consist of all the items and ingredients you\u003cbr\u003eneed along with the quantities needed. Check off all the\u003cbr\u003eitems you already have in stock!\u003cbr\u003ePlanning ahead this way will allow you to save a ton of\u003cbr\u003emoney on groceries simply because you won't be making a\u003cbr\u003emad dash your nearby store to pick up items you don't have\u003cbr\u003eat the last minute. It'll also save you hurried trips to the\u003cbr\u003elocal McDonalds because you ran out of options.\u003cbr\u003eYou'll also avoid 'impulse buying' this way. Save the menu\u003cbr\u003efor the week in a separate file along with the grocery list,\u003cbr\u003ejust for the record.\u003cbr\u003eOnce you get more used to planning your weekly meals, you\u003cbr\u003ecan tackle a monthly menu. This isn't as difficult as it\u003cbr\u003esounds. Once you get used to buying items in bulk you can\u003cbr\u003ecycle a number of your weekly menus into a workable\u003cbr\u003emonthly menu. (Save the file on your computer with the\u003cbr\u003emonth attached; for example, Octoberlist.doc for the month\u003cbr\u003eof October).\u003cbr\u003eYou can establish a whole new tradition of having a few\u003cbr\u003estandard meals on certain days every month, which your\u003cbr\u003efamily will look forward to or even one or two nights a week\u003cbr\u003ewith the same meal plan.\u003cbr\u003ePlanning a weekly or monthly menu will help you ensure\u003cbr\u003ethat your family eats well, with proper balanced nutrition\u003cbr\u003eand you can recycle menus or use parts of old menus to\u003cbr\u003emake new ones each month.\u003cbr\u003eIf you recycle menus this way, your grocery list is done,\u003cbr\u003esince all you have to do is print out your previous lists.\u003cbr\u003eSaves a ton of time!\u003cbr\u003e2) Start shopping smart\u003cbr\u003eAccording to current research, people who make a 'fast trip'\u003cbr\u003eto the store end up spending 54 percent more than they\u003cbr\u003eexpected to. If you spend just 10 dollars on impulse\u003cbr\u003epurchases three times a week, this is going to cost you an\u003cbr\u003eadditional 120$ per month.\u003cbr\u003eSo how do you save money? By cutting down on 'impulse\u003cbr\u003ebuying' and the number of trips you make to the store. This\u003cbr\u003estrategy can save you thousands of dollars every year.\u003cbr\u003eBegin by shopping once a week. Once you get more used to\u003cbr\u003ebulk buying you can shop once a month. The less you go to\u003cbr\u003ethe store, the less you will spend. Avoid the temptation to\u003cbr\u003ewalk up and down the aisles, choosing items that look good.\u003cbr\u003eStores are designed to make you spend more.\u003cbr\u003eThat's why they have certain food items placed near check\u003cbr\u003eout counters and higher priced items stacked at eye level on\u003cbr\u003eall their shelves.\u003cbr\u003eSince you've already made your list, stick to it! The\u003cbr\u003eadvantage of having a list is that you browse less and\u003cbr\u003eultimately spend less on impulse purchases.\u003cbr\u003eThe only time that impulse shopping is good for you is when\u003cbr\u003eyou take advantage of sales by choosing items that you use\u003cbr\u003eregularly or items that have a long shelf-life. Otherwise, if\u003cbr\u003eit's not on list, don't buy it. You can make a note of the item\u003cbr\u003eand add it to your list the next time but you'll probably\u003cbr\u003ediscover that you don't really need it by the time your next\u003cbr\u003eshopping trip comes around.\u003cbr\u003eIf you absolutely cannot resist impulse buying give yourself\u003cbr\u003ethe leeway to buy five extra items within a certain dollar\u003cbr\u003eamount.\u003cbr\u003eDon't buy non-food items at the grocery store since you can\u003cbr\u003eprobably find them for cheaper at other outlets. Buy bread\u003cbr\u003efrom your bakery and toiletries from your drugstore…Double\u003cbr\u003echeck to see that you've completed all the items on your list\u003cbr\u003ebefore you leave the store.\u003cbr\u003eAnother way you can save money on your grocery list is to\u003cbr\u003ejust take cash to the store...","brand":"99 \u0026cent; eStore, save to buy more","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47163911471344,"sku":"2940014117685","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014117685_p0.jpg?v=1763600768","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014117685","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}