Tag Archives: groceries

Track Your Grocery Spending

Do you know how much your are spending on groceries each week or each month? Spend some time tracking exactly what you spend on food for your family. You may be surprised by the amount. I’m a big advocate for having a budget that includes, of course, a set amount spent on groceries. Even if you haven’t made the step to establish a whole household budget, you can still benefit greatly from tracking your spending in certain areas. Tracking grocery spending is a good place to start, since for most of us, it is one of the larger household expenses. … Continue reading →

End of Month Spending Check

Tomorrow is the last day of the month, and it is time to do an end-of-month spending check. In January, I have been focusing on groceries and food, keeping track of our spending in those areas and saving as much as I can. Writing down what I spend on each trip to the grocery store has helped. While I still don’t have a lot of coupon use, I’m paying more attention to the sales and not buying things that we don’t need, purchasing more fruit and less snacks for example. This has made a difference. I’ve also been more conscious … Continue reading →

Saving Money At The Grocery Store

I am forever pinching pennies as a single Mom, sometimes I feel sorry for those poor little pennies! In our house it seems like the only thing we really have any control over is what we spend on food. I’m not good at clipping coupons, wait, I’m good at clipping them, just not remembering to use them. I used to be really organized when it came to couponing, not so much anymore, but I do have lots of hints on how to make it easier for those of us who are not professional couponers. 1. Look for coupon websites in … Continue reading →

Toilet Paper Sticker Shock

The other day I ran into Target to pick up some toilet paper. My forays into buying toilet paper are few and far between because I usually buy it in bulk, either at a warehouse store or at the grocery store. After all, toilet paper is something that we will need in steady supply, so I figure I might as well pick up a bunch of it at a time. Plus, I try to match coupons and sales so I can get the best prices. Because of changes in our budget and some life events, we don’t have much of … Continue reading →

The Joy of Food Shopping

Last Saturday we visited one of our favorite places- a food warehouse. From the moment you walk in the door the smell of Indian and Asian spices wafts around you. It’s great. We bought our share of gluten free products, shedded coconut, dried lentil and beans, a kilogram (which is over two pounds) of chili flakes and a large number of dried cranberries imported from the USA. The guy on the checkout as he rang our items up had a chuckle about the number of bulk packets of dried cranberries we bought. What can I say? Mick and I love … Continue reading →

Inexpensive Protein Sources

When the groceries are bare and you are doing what you can to stretch that last paycheck to cover meals, it becomes a matter of not getting what groceries you want, but what groceries your family needs. In general, starches (carbohydrates) are easy enough to get for little money. There is brown rice, enriched pasta, potatoes, corn meal and flour to be had for very little money, especially if you buy generics or in bulk. Protein sources, on the other hand, can be a little more difficult to get inexpensively. Your food dollar won’t stretch as far with protein sources … Continue reading →

More Ways to Cut Your Grocery Food Bill

In my previous post, listed four top ways to cut your grocery food bill. But did you know that there are even more ways to do this. Practice all of the strategies, and you will really slash your bill. here are some more ways to save money on groceries. 5. Practice meal planning. I have to admit that I am not the greatest meal planner in the world, but I do make some meal planning concession. By planning out your meals, you can take advantage of groceries that cost less for that particular week. I’ll give you a recent example. … Continue reading →

Five Ways to Reduce Your Packaging

Excess packaging is everywhere, and it has a hug impact. Just for one day, keep track of the amount of packaging you generate. Weekends are probably worse than weekdays. If you can fill a box in a couple of days of regular living, with all of your packaging, I wouldn’t be surprised. Reducing that packaging takes a little forethought, but it isn’t as hard to do as it might first seem to be. 1. Go for non-processed. Non-processed foods generally have little to no packaging. Think about produce, for example. Stay away from “bagged apples” for example and bring your … Continue reading →

5 Things You Won’t Find in My Grocery Cart

Why pay for overpriced groceries that don’t add to your quality of life? You’ll save significant money by eliminating these common items from your grocery cart. 1. Soda Look at food and drink in terms of how much money you spend for nutrition. Soda contains no nutrition at all, so why pay for it? Even some candy is better in nutrition than soda. 2. Paper products Why buy something to throw it away? Paper products can easily be replaced with regular products to save money (and be better for the environment). Use dish cloths and wash cloths for spills and … Continue reading →

Tips from the Grocery Discount Rack

Buying groceries from the grocery discount rack or the food salvage store can really save your money. But unlike buying regular foods, you can sometimes run into a few surprises. Here are some tips for shopping from the grocery discount rack or the food salvage store, including what to do in certain situations. Food items are broken or in crumbs We got a great deal on taco shells from the grocery discount rack. As my husband predicted (although I had more hope), many of the shells were broken, rendering them useless for tacos. Well, when life gives you broken taco … Continue reading →