15 Comments

  1. The fridge thing alone probably saved me $50 this week! I actually took the time to look at what we had at home before going out and mindlessly doing the same grocery shop I do when we’re nearly out of everything. Instead, I realized we already had at least two dinners’ worth of leftovers, so I didn’t buy any extra dinner stuff, and a quick check in the pantry let me pick up a paltry head of cauliflower and two spices, and still end up with a hearty veggie stew, thanks to what we already had.

    And also – soooo many congrats on hitting the under $200 grocery budget! Very, very, very impressive. Well done!

    • Saving $50 in a week is huge. That stew sounds amazing. I am going to have to remember that now that it’s officially fall fall here 🙁 Brrrr!

  2. Erin

    Congrats on reaching reaching your grocery budget goal! That’s awesome.

    I really need to start implementing using store fliers to determine where to buy certain items but I’m becoming a master at shopping from my fridge.

  3. I just decluttered my pantry, fridge and freezer, and made a list of pantry and freezer items. I definitely see some of the same trends (Really, 4 types of Oatmeal???) But the list is also helping me think of good ways of using what I have, and when I finish my No Spend month I think it will help my grocery list stay more focused on what I need.

  4. Decluttering is magical in the kitchen, though I have to be careful to be instock on baking ingredients- I hate running out of those.

    My biggest frugal grocery tip is to shop with your week in mind. If its going to be a busy week, there’s no shame in having hummus and dippers or frozen pizza for dinner.

  5. Brianna

    I shop Safeway and use their app on my phone. I get the “just for u” deals and keep our budget at 200 a month. I shop weekly but if the chicken in on sale I stock up because that’s the most expensive item I buy! I’m a vegitarian so I eat pasta mostly. Pasta is only a dollar a box and sometimes cheaper! Thanks for your tips!

  6. I love this! Not only do your methods cut back on $, but they reduce food waste, as well. We’re trying to get back on the bandwagon with planning our trips. Right now we have an app that helps us not forget any needs, but at did a lot better with money when we did meal planning centered around sales ads.

    • Yes, food waste is a major pet peeve of mine. It entertains my mother to no end now, since I was such a terror when it came to refusing leftovers as a kid.

  7. Congrats on hitting the mark! Unfortunately, with our health problems, it’s novel that we make it to the store, so I’ve about given up on hitting different stores for better deals.

    Then again, these days I stick to a very limited grocery bill. I’ve given up on ever figuring out what Tim wants ahead of time. So we stock up a few munchies for him around the house — cereal, muffins, whatever — and keep frozen meals, protein bars and bread (for peanut butter toast) for me.

    But lists are still vital. You don’t want to get to the store and not know whether you need more milk. Or, in your case, organic diced tomatoes.

    • I think the key is finding what works for your family, which is exactly what you’ve done. I always appreciate your comments. They’re great reminders that there is no “one size fits all” in personal finance. That’s what makes it personal, right? 🙂

  8. I agree that working with the sale ads and your current stock in mind is really important when building your list. I also look at some nearby competitors for prices, and if they’re available, I look at next week’s flyers so I don’t buy something that’s going on sale a few days later. I’m a traditional coupon clipper, but my wife likes to search online after we’ve built the list to see if there are any digital coupons or printable coupons that match up. Overall we do pretty well, but I’m impressed with your sub-$200/month bill!

  9. These are great tips. We also use the Google Docs app on our phones so my husband and I can both access the shopping list and so it’s harder to forget the list at home. Another time saver is to list items in the order they’re located around the store. It eliminates a lot of backtracking and wandering, but learning where items are located requires shopping consistently in one store.

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