Food … Evidently, you need it to live. Fine, fine, fine … As frugal as I am, I still like living. But why does it take up so much of my monthly budget?!<\/p>\n
We are currently spending around $900 per month on average on our grocery bill. This includes things like toiletries, paper towel and laundry detergent. I find this number to be way too flippin' high for my liking!\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In my frustration and desperation, I threw out a question on the Investing and Personal Finance Club<\/a>\u00a0that I'm in\u00a0on Facebook. My post:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Man, did I receive some excellent feedback! 130 comments in 24 hours! \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A lot of the group agreed that doing shopping weekly is a great way to reduce food waste and stay on your\u00a0budget. In addition to shopping weekly, a few select individuals recommended planning out each of your meals throughout the week. This way you're only buying what you absolutely need.<\/span><\/p>\n Shelley: “I shop once a week. Try to avoid stopping in the store in between trips. You end up buying things you don't need.”<\/em><\/p>\n Holly: “We plan out our week. This is what I'm having for breakfast, lunch, dinner. And we buy just what we are going to eat. By the end of the week the fridge is bare… but when never throw out food.”<\/em><\/p>\n I know I'm a big offender of purchasing pre-made and packaged goods. And based on the feedback in our group, it sounds like I'm definitely paying for that convenience. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Instead, the group suggests buying in bulk. Things like rice, uncooked beans, meat and frozen veggies should be purchased in larger quantities to help you increase your savings (evidently Costco is great for this) .<\/span><\/p>\n Here are a few bulk buying tips that came out of our conversation:<\/p>\n Vanessa: \u00a0“I buy whole grain bread from Costco it is $4 for two packs and $4 a pack in the regular grocery store. I keep it in the freezer.”<\/em><\/p>\n Tabitha: “We have a bulk section at our grocery store that saves us a ton on herbs, spices, and grains like quinoa.”<\/em><\/p>\n Going into a grocery store without a list is like going to a casino without setting a spending limit. If you go list free, it can cause you to buy things you don't need\u00a0too easily.<\/span><\/p>\n My wife and I create a grocery list in the notes section of our iPhones. We link up both of our phones to the same list so we can easily edit them during the week when we run out of our favorite foods.<\/span><\/p>\n Dave: \u00a0“Making a meal list and shopping list ahead of time cut our costs in half and visits to the store from 6x a week to about 2x.”<\/em><\/p>\n 7 Tips To Spend Less So You Can Do More https:\/\/t.co\/Cz5ek6sNh3<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/qc4cWOQt8K<\/a><\/p>\n — Andy Hill (@AndyHillMKM) February 9, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n“We spend about $900 on groceries (toiletries, etc included) every month for our family of four. We don't shop at a super expensive grocery store but we do like to eat healthy. Does anyone have recommendations to help our family trim the grocery budget down? Or is $900 typical?”<\/em><\/h5>\n
Here are the top 5 tips\u00a0I received from this smart group of savers on how to lower my grocery bill:<\/span><\/h3>\n
1. Do a Weekly Meal Plan<\/span><\/h3>\n
2. Less Packaged Goods, More Bulk<\/span><\/h3>\n
3. Shop\u00a0with a List<\/span><\/h3>\n
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