A Few Simple Steps to Keep Your Grocery Bill in Check

Once my son was born and our family went from two incomes to one, budgeting became a necessary evil. Weekly dinners out and frivolous trips to the grocery store became a thing of the past. I no longer dined on fine wines and cheeses, but leftover Goldfish crackers. Even so, our grocery bill was off the charts. I decided I needed to change how I shopped and examine what I was spending the majority of our money on.

Having fruits and vegetables on hand is must with a growing toddler. I try to introduce him to as many as possible to ensure that he gains a strong respect for nutrional food. Unfortunately, produce is very expensive in my area, especially if you want to buy organic. I had to find a way to cut my produce bill without cutting my produce. Here are some tips.

• Know your seasons on fruits and vegetables- Buying out of season is more expensive because it requires more labor, more chemicals , fertilizers and greenhouses according to netmums.com. Seasonal foods can grow without much extra attention or care and they taste better too! For a link on what's in season when, click here.
• Shop at a local farmers market or produce stand and GET FRIENDLY- My husband and I shop at our local flea market for produce and find the prices to be significantly less than the grocery store. Also, we took the time to get to know our produce people and that has made a big difference as well. Each time we come in we are given a discount off the total price as well as some extra free treats in our bags like fresh bread, berries or olives before we leave. They know me and my family and it helps. Another good place to visit is a you-pick farm. In order to save on labor, some farms will allow you to go out into there fields and pick the veggies yourself. I once got a 5 lb bucket of fresh, ripe tomatoes for $1 all I had to do was pick it my self!
• Start your own garden or join a local community plot- I know it may sound silly but if you have the time to take care of it and you do some research, you can produce a home garden with a yield that can be surprising. If you don't have the room for a garden at home, check with your local chamber of commerce to see if your town has a community garden with plots available. It may cost a fee to use the plot but in the long run you will see a return on your investment. For some good tips and advice on starting a garden take a look at http://www.squarefootgardening.org.

Meal planning is a really important tool when trying to stay within a budget. If you have your week planned out, then it is easier to do one shopping trip on Sunday (or whatever day you choose) to get everything you need. This reduces impulse buying and sale item buying that you jump on just because you have no idea what you are making for dinner.

• Know your prices, plan your meals based on the sales flyer- Sit down with your flyer's for the week and see what is the best deal. Compare prices and look for coupons. Try to plan around what is on sale or is normally a low cost item.
• Write out each meal for each day of the week- By writing out the entire meal, you can formulate a straightforward shopping list for the ingredients needed. Tell yourself to stick to the list and try not to be pulled into any unnecessary items, sale or otherwise, that you had not planned on.
• Always have an extra backup meal- This is a good idea if you have kids (and husbands) that can be picky about what they feel like eating 10 minutes before you are ready to make it. If you plan for one extra meal, say homemade pizza (usually always a crowd pleaser), you won't panic and head to the store to grab something and then pick up extra items along the way.
• Post your meal plan- I post my plan on the fridge so that everyone knows what we are having on what night. It is a way for me to reaffirm the fact that I am sticking to my plan, and so is everyone else!

I believe in this and have seen a change in our grocery bill because of it. Every unnecessary trip to the grocery store for meals I just dreamed up that day ended up costing me another $20 or $30 more than I intended. Even though I was just going to pick up two or three items, I would find myself walking out with ten. When I started planning, I eliminated those extra trips to the store and the extra impulse treats that mysteriously where finding their way into my cart.

One thing I have found is that in order to save money,you have to cut some things out. Small changes here and there can make a bigger difference then you think. Here are some ideas.

• Buy a reusable water bottle- Although seemingly a small chunk of change, that $5 or $6 that you spend on a case of bottled water could go to better use. I bought a steel water bottle for $5 at a store like TJ Maxx and have more than got my moneys worth. How much easier can it get! (Oh and P.S. helps the environment out as well).
• Meat- Go Vegetarian! Not permanently, but try one meal a week as a vegetarian meal. Meat can get pricey so try some dishes without it.
• Brand names- Store brands have improved over the past few years, many rivaling name brands in quality. Also, a lot are now offering organic foods and at significant price differences! Give store brands a chance, it might surprise you and improve your bill at checkout as well.
• Prepared meals- Buying Lean Cuisine and Stouffers meals every once in a while is ok but try to limit how often you purchase them. You are paying mostly for the convience of a quick meal, not the food itself. Think ahead and make a big dish of something like lasagna, and freeze small portions. These are great for fast meals or to take for lunch.

These are only a few of the things you can cut out to help you stay on track. Take a look at what is in your fridge to see what really needs to be there!

There are many other ways a family can save on their groceries. Couponing, shopping in bulk, eating Ramen noodles every night, whatever. I have found the above techniques to be effective for keeping my family on track. I saw a big difference in what we spent every month as soon as we started. In this economy, and especially in my household, saving money matters (every dime) so give it a shot. Thanks for reading.

Information obtained from:

• http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/average-american-grocery-bill.htm
• http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/02/18/biggest-grocery-store-markups/
• http://www.netmums.com/family-food/meal-planning/local-food/buying-seasonal-produce
• http://www.netmums.com/family-food/meal-planning/local-food/buying-seasonal-produce