Money Saving Grocery Tips

Happy weekend to all! I apologize for my lack of posting, but I haven’t been feeling very well lately.  So lately, the hubby and I have really been trying to save money with Christmas right around the corner. I previously had a post about saving money while grocery shopping but I have a few more tips that we follow that may help you and your family.

Another reason why I’ve gotten back into couponing big time is because my cousin made me a nerdy coupon binder! I love organizing and using it

Here some other things that I’ve been doing to save money:

• Use less meat – I don’t just mean cutting meat out of an entire meal, such as Meatless Mondays. But use less meat when you normally would. For example, when I cooked spaghetti I would always use 1 lb. of ground beef. When we were really in a pinch, I figured I would buy 1 lb. of ground beef and separate it into two parts. I used 1/2 lb. on the spaghetti and 1/2 lb. on tacos. I thought hubby might notice, but not at all!

• Take inventory -  Before you work on your list, take an inventory of what you have. Sometimes, planned meals don’t quite work out the way I planned. Maybe there was an impromptu dinner, or I had family in town at the last minute. Once I ended up with a pack of whole wheat angel hair pasta in the cabinet. Whenever I planned a meal with pasta, I ended up going out and buying more. Now I take inventory and see what I can work with. This includes condiments and other specialty items that you may end up throwing away if not using.

• Have an open mind – I always make a list before shopping. But sometimes I go to the store, and I find something that I wasn’t planning on cooking for a really good price. At that point, I may change meals. My handy dandy iphone especially helps with that. I also use this tip when cutting coupons. Sometimes I cut coupons for items that I haven’t tried before but am willing to try. This tends to really help with variety as well .

• Use your freezer – This is a great way to reduce waste like I mentioned in my last post on this topic. Especially for leftovers such as chili, beans, and soups. But frozen fruits and vegetables are also an inexpensive alternative to fresh. And they are just as healthy. They’ve been picked and frozen at the peak of ripeness.

I hope these are tips that your family can use…they’ve certainly helped us numerous times without saving money by buying junk foods.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Thanks for reading.

Oh yeah, and…Geaux Tigers!! Go Saints!

Selene