Saving Money on Groceries

When we were raising our young family many years ago, coupons were my savings vehicle of choice when it came to groceries.  But over time, the coupon section (that was the reason I bought a Sunday newspaper) disappeared – at least in our area. 

Since then, there are three main strategies that I’ve implemented to save money on groceries.

 Meal planning

I’ve finally gotten into a regular rhythm of creating a menu on my planning calendar.  I’ve got recipes in several locations – cookbooks, bookmarks on my computer, and memorized recipes.  Each week, I plan the next menu.  Mind you, the menu is not complex, and I only plan 4-5 dinners.  But these are tried and true.  I also try to plan one healthy baked treat per week.   I know, I know…that sounds like a lot.  It definitely used to be until I learned how to enjoy cooking.  Leave a comment and let me know if you would like to know how I learned that joy of cooking!

Mealime 

For those of you (and me for many years!) who do not enjoy finding recipes, Mealime will be a wonderful addition to your apps.  It’s free, unless you want to unlock the “Pro” recipes.  You can choose as many meals as you want – there are BEAUTIFUL color photos of them – and the app will then populate a grocery list that can either be checked off as you do your shopping OR can be sent to online pick-up or delivery!  That leads me to….

Curbside Pickup

Believe it or not, this helps save so much money, not to mention time.  This was initially a side effect of the pandemic.  Now, curbside is a way of life for many.  Personally, I spend most of the week gradually adding to a curbside order and schedule my pick up time when the list is complete.  My habit is to pick up my groceries over the weekend, either after my workout on Saturday or after church on Sunday.  Because I’m not physically walking around the store to grocery shop, I miss all the temptations that I might otherwise throw into my cart.  And I save about an hour of valuable time each week.

Do you often wonder how much is too much to spend on groceries?  We can help you know!  Contact us and start saving now.