When we made the decision that I would stay at home we knew this also meant less eating out and more home-cooking. Up to this point meal planning was unheard of in this household. So the day we sat down, jotted down some meal ideas and made an itemized grocery list... well, that was a pretty big day for us. The day I planned out our meals for a complete week I felt like a champion. :) {We won't discuss the fact it took a entire day.}
Somehow it seemed we weren't saving as much money as we had originally thought. So, we set a budget. Really I should call it a "suggested spending limit". My goal was to get everything I needed while trying to stay around that limit. Pretty soon this was easy.
However, when sitting down to discuss and reevaluate our financial goals {as well as making our money "work for us"} once again that grocery budget was revisited. So I found some other resources to help.
Grocery University - Caught this when it was on sale for $5 one day. Though I am not a "coupon-er" per say, I am a person who occasionally uses coupons. This was great information for learning how to better use coupons, but my favorite part of this was the "Rock-Bottom Price List" that you can download. For those {like me} who aren't really certain what is a good deal - this will get you started. I also appreciate her view of a monthly budget rather than splitting it into weeks and her perspective on saving in your individual situation. Good info.
This got me thinking... how do I know that I am saving if I don' know what I'm spending? And if I'm getting a good deal or over-paying if I don't know the cost?
So here is something new we are trying.
Using Money Saving Mom's printable Shopping List, I made my grocery list. Once at the store my husband would read it off, I would take us to the item and read him the price per pound/ounce {something learned from GroceryU} and then he would fill it in the empty price blank on the paper. At home we add those prices to the master Store Price sheet {also from MSM}. This will help me keep track of what our items cost and make me aware of any screaming deals.
Something else we're now considering:
Last night I used the price sheet to calculate just exactly what our dinner cost.
Tortilla Soup {Mom's Recipe}
- Chicken breasts- {amazing deal at Safeway- they we're $1.69/lb- I bought 8lbs}
- onion
- garlic
- spices {already had in pantry}
- Mexican style tomatoes
- Chicken Broth {oops.. not a great deal on these}
- Juanita's Chips
- Cilantro
- Lime
- Shredded Mozzarella
But wait, there's enough here for at least three dinners. 9/3= $3.00 for last night's dinner. Can't beat that! And because we love it so much we're having leftovers tonight. :)
We're still learning. Still working through it. Still trying to find ways to whittle down our expenses.
What are your favorite money saving ideas? What are your favorite go-to resources for coupons/budgeting/planning?
