A New Way of Thinking . . . Grocery Shopping

Welcome back!

Ok so you all can tell I’m on a grocery shopping kick.  I apologize, I get on these “kicks” often, if it is not one thing, it’s another, but hey at least I’m continually learning new things right?

So, I have discovered that I must THINK differently about the way I grocery shop.  My old way of thinking regarding grocery shopping was, “sit down, make a list of what you want and find some coupons and go shopping.” Unfortunately, it didn’t work very well, I never had coupons for what I wanted, I only used a few coupons as a result and I never saved much money, usually only between $7-$15 per trip. 

I kept wondering, “how are these other couponers saving big money and here I sit saving pennies.” The problem is in my thought process, or at least I’m “thinking” that.  It seems that the big savers shop only with sales and coupons. Then they use what they get to create meals, not the other way around.  It’s a new way of thinking for me, but I’m definitely going to give it a try, because I’m all about saving big money.

I’ll be blogging my progress, so if you’re interested come back to read more.

Photo credit: krossbow

Grocery Shopping Strategies

My few years in small business have taught me alot but one thing it has definitely taught me is to plan and to strategize.  As a result, I am beginning to develop a strategy even for those “mundane” things around the house I have to do, including grocery shopping.  I have always been a menu planner even before I knew it saved me money.  But, I could definitely stand to save more so I have been looking for more strategies to save money.

I have found help all over the blog-o-sphere.  Its exciting really.  There’s everything from just checking out the menus weekly on Monday’s at Org Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday meme to cooking once a month with LifeAsMom and MoneySavingMom here.  By the way I plan to try this out soon. Another strategy LifeAsMom outlines on her blog is 31 Meals With 31 Ingredients, hubby and I wrote out our favorite meals last night and plan to use this strategy too.

Other than that I have determined I was planning my meals backwards.  Instead of looking for what I have on hand and planning as a result I was sitting down, asking my husband what he wanted to eat and making a list off of our wishes.  Still a plan, but not a money saving plan. I’m reforming my grocery shopping strategies.  Why don’t you join me?

Photo credit: peter palander

Home Stretch Meal Planning

On days like yesterday I am sooo thankful for Twitter.  Yesterday, off and on all day I conversed on Twitter about my latest challenge, one I have often, stretching the money and the food till the end of the month.  This month, I have to say there is something a little different.  That something is my attitude.  My husband and I are communicating more about money, where we are financially and we have a plan to both do better with our budgeting, but also to pay off our debts, one by one.  This month we paid off our smallest debt, a medical bill, one of many.  Our main debts are medical bills.  Next month, the plan is to pay off the next smallest two.

Anyway, back to the area of meal planning and “stretching the groceries”. Now that my husband is getting paid twice a month I have to make the grocery budget stretch in a bit different way.  I am using the envelope system for grocery money and setting aside $250 at the beginning of the month to last till the 15th and $250 for the second half to last until the last working day of the month, in this month’s case, March 31, NEXT Wednesday. I have to make the groceries I purchased last Friday, stretch until then.  Should have thought about that BEFORE I went grocery shopping huh?

Luckily, as  I mentioned the ladies on Twitter were a huge help. I have successfully stretched the grocery items I have on hand into meal ideas, almost twice as many as I had planned for originally. Plus, I learned a ton of new ways to menu plan, grocery shop and save.  I’ll be blogging more about this over the next few days, so check back.

Here is this week’s revised menu to “stretch” us till month’s end.

1) Parmesan chicken, salad, rice (we had this last night)

2) smoked sausage pasta

3) tacos, beans, rice (trying my hand at pintos)

4) beans, sausage, rice & cornbread (this will be the pintos too, planning to cook a big pot)

5) stir fry chicken and fried rice

6) quiche

7) BBQ chicken, baked beans, potato salad

pancakes, bacon or sausage

9) biscuits & red gravy

10) pasta

11) grilled cheese tomato soup

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