Save Money at the Grocery Store!

It's never easy to cut back on spending, especially at the grocery store!

My husband and I have lived on commission for most of our married life, so I have found over the years it is easier to have a system in place for sensible shopping, rather than cut corners severely when the income wasn't there. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Shop with a plan. I always try to have a list along when I shop and stick to that list! I make a weekly menu and make sure I have the items I need for the meals I will be serving. If the budget is lean, I choose recipes that are economical.

2. I found a 'planned menu' keeps variety on the table.

3. Emilie Barnes taught me to shop within a half hour. A study suggested that customers spent at least 75 cents a minute after a half-hour in the store! This is another reason to shop with a list!

4. I try to avoid rush hour and busy weekends...and try never to shop when I am hungry!

5. I buy the fruits and vegetables that are in season...lots of corn on the cob in the summer, and then I buy squash in the fall. In-season foods are tastier and cheaper.

6. I try to shop alone. Even my husband will throw in 'extras' that we don't need when I am trying to keep my spending down. Kids will slow your shopping down and will plead for everything they've seen advertised on TV!

7. I will stock up when the money comes in, and then I live 'out of the pantry' when the money is tight. Creativity and 'presentation of the food' can be fun challenge to master as you serve your family and still maintain a budget.

Join us and share your money-saving tips. Help us all be better stewards of our money.