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​Keep Your Grocery Spending Under Control

​FEBRUARY 2019

 Aside from your mortgage or rent, your biggest monthly expense is probably groceries. And unlike your mortgage, your car payment and most of the rest of your bills you actually have some control over how much you spend at the supermarket. In fact this is the one expense you have complete and utter control over.

You choose how much you spend, when you spend, where you spend and what you spend it on, so it makes sense to keep a tight rein on this bill.
 
Make A Grocery Budget 
If you don't have one, you need one. And you won't control your grocery spending until you have one, so pull up those big girl or big boy pants and make a grocery budget!

Start by tracking how much you’re spending on groceries for a few weeks. From there, come up with a weekly or monthly budget. Allot that money for groceries and whatever you do, don’t go over. 
 
Next, try cutting back your budget by $20 per month. Keep going and see how low you can go. My next tips will help you do that without feeling like you’re depriving yourself. 
 
Keep A Price Book  
Who doesn’t love a bargain or a good deal? They are all over the shops, but do you know if what they advertise as a good special is actually saving you money? 
 
Keep a little notebook in your purse or keep a text document on your phone with the regular prices of the items you buy most often. Not only can you see if that “special” really is a special, you can also determine what kitchen staple is cheapest where and adjust your shopping accordingly. Your price book will also come in handy when you browse through weekly grocery flyers. You can decide if a loss leader deal is worth driving to the store for long before you ever set a foot out the door. 
 
Come Up With A Few Frugal Dishes  
You don’t have to make drastic changes and eat nothing but rice and beans all week. Instead think of a few inexpensive dishes your family enjoys. It may be rice and beans (and there are some great rice and bean based recipes in the Recipe File). Or how about a big pot of soup or chili? Often meatless dishes will be your best frugal bet, or use meat in small portions on frugal dish days (French shepherd's Pie is a great dish that uses very little meat but tastes great and no one would know the meat was scarce).
 
Enjoying frugal meals even just a handful of days during the month, combined with using up any and all leftovers will make a huge difference to your grocery budget. 
 
Cut Out The Extras 
Make a list before you head to the supermarket and stick to it. All those little extras like the fancy bread from the bakery or the chocolate you grabbed at the checkout start to add up. Get in the habit of skipping those extras unless there’s a good reason to buy them. Stick to your list and you’ll cut your grocery bill by quite a bit each week. It’s amazing how all those little extras add up.  
 
Start with these four tips and see if you don’t start to see big savings on a weekly basis. What you do with all the extra money each month is up to you. Save up for a fun summer holiday, save to renovate the house, pay off those credit cards or start building your emergency fund or pay the mortgage off faster.

Just remember: money isn't saved until it is safely in the bank; until then it's just not spent. 
Related E-books
Super Shopper
Bare Bones Groceries
Cheapskates Journal's Guide to Setting Up and Using a Price Book
​$2 Dinners - Budget Recipes from the Cheapskates Club Recipe File

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  • Home
  • Join the Club!
    • Twenty Reasons to Join the Cheapskates Club
  • About Us
    • Cath's Story
    • Ask Cath
    • Glossary of Cheapskating Terms
  • Forum
    • Current Forum Discussions
    • How to Use the Member Forum
  • Inspiration
    • Getting Started
    • 31 Days of MOO Index
    • Articles
    • Housekeeping Routines
    • Budget Renovations
    • Saving Stories
    • Learning Centre
  • Recipes
    • Recipe File Index
    • Meal Plans
    • Add a Recipe
    • $300 a Month Food Challenge >
      • $300 a Month Food Challenge
      • The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
  • Newsletters
    • Newsletters 2023
    • Newsletters 2022
    • Newsletters 2021
    • Newsletters 2020
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    • Newsletters 2018
    • Newsletters 2017
  • Saving Money
    • Latest Tips 2023
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    • Cheapskates Tip Store
    • Tip Sheets
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  • Contact
    • Changing Details
    • Help Files