Chronicles: Working That Grocery Budget

So, in my last post I explained how our family budgets its expenses. I also went into detail about how I budget the grocery budget. In this post I'll show you how I obligate myself to stick to the budget regardless of how hungry I might be at the store (never go grocery shopping hungry or sad...it could explode your budget) At any rate, I use reusable bags. Not only is it better for the environment, but it's a great way to ensure your budget stays in tact. Do the upfront work at home by planning your meals using the sales paper and any coupons you may have. Take your list with you and then once you get to the grocery store, follow these steps:

The first step is to set up 3 -4 large reusable bags in the cart. See the picture below:

 You will notice that I set them up and keep them open so that I can fill them as I walk through the store. As I find the items I need I put them in the bag that corresponds to the meal I'm buying it for. For instance, I get two loaves of bread. This is because we usually eat it at several different meals, but I log it onto lunch and breakfast. Each time I add an item, I add it up on a post-it note on the side of the bag.

Yes, I stop right there in the store and add it up as I go. I don't think anyone really notices and if they did, I'd just give them the technique, maybe it would be helpful to them too.

Check Out Time

Once I've filled each bag and added everything, I make sure I have the essentials. Milk, eggs, bread, and cheese are a must have. I can whip anything up if I have at least that much so they must be in the bag. If I get to the end of my budget and haven't added them yet, I put some things back until I have enough room in the budget to add them. Otherwise, I just ensure there's a well-rounded selection of meats, diary, vegetables, and fruit to keep everyone full and happy for the week. One successful week when I had a good combination of sales and coupons I ended up going well under budget but still getting a good haul. I always do self-checkout because I like to spend time making sure each item rings up correctly and also that the coupons I use bring the total down to where it's supposed to be. Cashiers go too fast for me to do this with them.

I don't actually put the bread or meat in the reusable bags while shopping. The bread could get crushed and the meat could contaminate the other food. I keep them separate. At checkout I put the bread and eggs in their own bag. I use the store's plastic bag for the meat. I try to stuff all of it in one bag so I don't have to take too many.

Ways To Save More

If you have time to save and get more on your budget, try visiting more than one store. Get the sales circular from all the stores and find who has the biggest sales on the items you really need. Every penny counts. A super sale matched up with a great coupon equals more savings and more food for your family. Also, don't forget to stock up on things your family eats a lot while it's on sale. For instance, when things like sugar and flour are on sale I use some of the budget to get extra of that. This is because sugar and flour can make many meals on their own with a little butter and milk. Just be cognizant of what your family always eats and try to stock up on it when it's on sale, especially if you have coupons for it. Be careful of limits though.

I hope this series helps you save tons on your grocery bill and gives you a chance to do other stuff with your money too!

Chronicles: The Budget

Since our family moved from two of us bringing in an income to one, we have had to be more conscientious of our spending habits. Of course, one aspect of this is our grocery budget. With two growing boys and a husband with a robust and healthy appetite, I have had no choice but to shore up my budget skills and work to ensure there's always enough to eat and that we stay within certain parameters for meals.

One way to do this is to come up with a number. First, I take the amount of bills we have on an average month and calculate that total. Second, I calculate all repeated income. I don't include any extras or non-recurring income that we may not be able to count on. Next, I take the extra money after bills and divide it by four. That's the amount over bills that we have to spend each week. I then separate that into categories by importance. Groceries, gas, donations to ministries, savings, and entertainment last. Since there are many ways to entertain ourselves with no money at all, this is the best way to set up the priorities. Of course, gas is one of those things that's set in stone, as we really can't decide how much we'll pay for gas. We may be able to save a few cents per gallon, but the price is the price for the most part. 

That being said, I get an approximation for each of these categories. So, with the grocery budget I begin to work specifically. It's really not that difficult to stay within budget if you use the sales papers and coupons each week. *I don't watch "Extreme Couponing", it gives me a headache to think about it that way. I just want to make sure we stay in budget and have what we need and some of what we want.  

So, I take the total...let's say it's $80. Then I divide it by 7. This is because I generally go to the grocery store every 6 - 7 days. I don't go in between because I have a tendency to overspend that way. Once I get that number: $11.43, it would seem that's the amount of money we need to use for our daily meals for each day of the week. But, we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We typically eat at home, or make something from home to take with us where we go. This means I have more work to do. So, I divide the $11.43 number by three, representing B, L, & D. That gives me about $3.81 per meal each day. Can four (5) of us get a meal for that cost? Is that possible? Yes! Because my next step is to multiply that number by 7. Why am I doing that? Because if we eat B, L, & D every day...then $3.81 needs to be multiplied by 7 for each day of the week. That brings me to about $26.67. That means that when I go to the store I am on a mission to buy up to that specific amount, or less, of food for each of those meals.

It really works! I either am right on budget, or under it every time. In my next post I'll show you how I stay within the budget at the grocery store.