My Frugal Tips

Because several people have asked me to share my money saving tips on grocery shopping, I thought I would post what I do in hopes that it helps someone else save money. My logic is if I save money at the grocery store then it frees up money that can be spent on other things so this serves as my motivation every week.

Frugal living does not mean complicated. If fact it is quite the opposite. Frugal living is getting back to the basics of household management.

The following are my tips and schedule that I have implemented in my home in regards to saving money at the grocery store:

Sundays – I collect my newspaper and take out the coupon inserts. I also make meal plans on this day since I can look at the sale papers and make out my meals based on sale items

Tuesdays – I go to couponmom.com and print off the weekly list of deals for Kroger. I choose to only shop at Kroger. There are many sites that will teach you how to save at other stores all you have to do is research it. The couponmom.com site does have other stores other than Kroger but I choose the Kroger deals. The reason I choose Kroger is because I get an added benefit by shopping there since they give a 10 cents off gas for every time you spend $100 in groceries. I review the list published on couponmom.com list and circle the items I need.

Wednesdays – I make me a grocery list based on my weekly menu and the list from the site. I go through my coupon stash and collect any and all coupons that might apply to my list and make a note of the coupons on my list so that I can accurately comparison shop.

Thursdays – Shopping Day

Some detailed tips that I do that is very helpful is:

-I made a master Kroger grocery list on my computer in Excel. This list is a layout of the Kroger store by aisle. (I know I am a little OCD on this). This provides me with an organized grocery list which helps me to stay focused which helps to be save time which saves money. The longer you stay in the store the more money you will spend because you will get distracted.

-I also keep a price guideline so that I can estimate the prices of ALL items and be able to stay within my budget even before I go to the store.

-On the master list, I have set up my page to calculate my totals based on department and grand total. This allows me to see where I am spending the most money at so that I can make appropriate changes if need be.

-I plan my meals one month in advance. This allows me flexibility in case I see a certain type of meat on sale, I might opt to change it up a bit or not depending on my stockpile in the freezer and pantry. I also know when I am eating certain types of meats so this helps me when certain meats are on sale as well.

-I keep an inventory of my freezer and pantry. I was hesitate to do this at first but have found that I save time and money because I am buying things I truly need and buying things that I already had and did not know because the item got shoved to the back of the cabinet. While doing my inventory the first time, I organized everything. This did take some time but I don’t have to do it again because I maintain it weekly.

-I organize my coupons by aisle

-I use my Kroger plus card

-I starting making things from scratch like French toast. It is cheaper, healthier, and only take a few extra minutes.

-I stock pile my freezer and pantry.

-I also cook ahead my meat and preseason it so that all I have to do is pull a labeled bag out of the freezer, thaw it in the microwave, and put in my casserole or meal starter.

I have been researching frugal living for several months now and these are things that I have found to work for me. These tips are practical well they have to be in order for me to be able to implement and make them work considering that being a mom of four time is a luxury. I hope that I have helped someone with these ideas, tips, and suggestions.