Five tips that helped our family lower our grocery budget.

I'm in the process of creating my shopping list so this was the perfect article to read right now. This has really given me something to think about, including going to Aldi's.

Great hub! I look forward to the day we are debt free....but it is gonna be a ways down the road with all our student loans. Managing groceries is one of the ways I help to live within our means. I used to shop once a week but this past year tried once every 2 weeks....and it worked! Since I price-match ads at Walmart and search for coupons online, doing it every week is a bit much for me. By doing it every 2 weeks I feel like it is less of a task and more of a challenge. I have never thought of eliminating cereal. Hmmm...I think I could do that, but not so sure about my husband! Perhaps we can give it a try. Congrats on HOTD!

This is a great hub, and congrats on HOTD! Some of these might be doable for us, but I don't know about giving up paper towels - that would be tough. We don't buy napkins, just the Select A Size paper towels when they are on sale.

We often eat rolled oats with brown sugar instead of cereal- it's better than you would think if you haven't tried it. Congrats on HOTD and good luck on the Rising Star!

I came back to congratulate you for your Rising Star nomination!

Congratulations on the HOTD! I am always shopping in Aldi when I´m in Germany because they are affordable and the quality is also good. I am already using some of your advices so I say, I´m on the right path on saving money. Thanks for sharing. Voted up and useful.

Up, Useful, and Interesting. Good tips, but the details are less significant than the big tip -- to get and stay debt free (and then to save / invest), however that is best done in particular circumstances. I know from negative experience that getting compound interest is lots better than paying compound interest.

My wife and I are glad that an Aldi store is opening soon a short drive away.

Great tips! Well done! :)

These are great tips - I do find when I plan my meals that I spend a lot less. I like to cook big batches and freeze the rest in single serving containers. My own ready-made frozen dinner, and lots of variety. Congratulations on your well deserved Hub of the Day!

Useful! And congrats on gardening! We do too and I love it!

I've been guilty of putting things in my freezer and then forgetting to eat them...oops. Guess I'm gonna keep a list now. :D

Great Hub prestonandkate, it really pays to save rather than spend. My husband also shop at Aldi and Iceland because they are much cheaper than the other supermarkets. We do our shopping monthly on the internet as we got rid of our car to save some money. It saves us a lot by doing this. I also grow our own vegetables and flowers. We use public transport like the buses for commuting or going to work. Like you, we like to save money on anything we use. I think it is great idea. Well done on your HOTD. Voted up.

I already do much of your tips but this is a wonderful lay-out and well-written hub. I would add that we used to buy things in bulk from Costco...which we realized was just wasting money more so than saving it. I have just recently started doing the meal planning and it is so much more efficient too than having to decide every night what to cook. Loved this!

Some very useful money-saving tips.

Buying in bulk and exchanging as barter with neighbours would sure help save more money, longer term, in response to your question.

Thank you and congratulations on your accolade. Pinning.

Best Wishes,

R.Q.

Congratulations on your Hub of the Day! I love your suggestions here, as I also follow many of them. I too plan our meals in advance. We cannot afford to eat out except on rare occasions, so it's imperative that I purchase what we need for the week.

We eat a lot of rice. That cuts down on the expense of other starches such as pasta. But, we also buy potatoes on sale when they are buy 1 get 2 free at the grocery store. Then I store them in our basement so they don't go bad.

My husband takes leftovers for lunch every day. His coworkers eat out, but they spend a fortune on lunch. It would cost about $9 a day for my husband to buy lunch out. That's just not in our budget to do that.

I also look for deals at the supermarket. Last week I found a 6 pack of romaine lettuce for $2 on the gone-by produce cart. It was perfectly fine with the exception of the outer leaves that had started to wilt. I made 2 whole dinners with salad and 2 lunches out of that $2 pack of romaine! I love finding deals like that.

We do have an Aldis but they are over an hour from here, so I check all the local sale flyers before shopping. I too try to keep it to once a week, but sometimes I end up running back out a second time to pick up something.

Nice article. In an era where many families push their credit cards to the max, making it a point to live without debt is a great idea, and probably a pretty smart one. However, using credit is how a lot of people make a lot of money and if you know what you're doing, can be very beneficial. For instance, if instead of paying down your mortgage, you take that money and invest it and make a better return on it than the 3.5% you might be making on your mortgage, that's smart. Certainly a better general strategy would be avoiding having any credit card debt. There's little doubt that credit card debt is a bad thing.

Great tips. Congratulations! We follow all your tips while living in Cape Town plus we eat a lot of raw veggies. Your aim to have no debt is commendable. We have the same intent.

Great tips!

Congrats on your Hub of the Day award! You offer some great tips here. One of my friends marvels that I don't use many coupons. The problem I have with them is that I don't use most of the "couponed"products. Good for you guys for looking debt in the face for the bondage it is and attacking it head on!

Hi prestonandkate - I too shop at Aldi's. It makes a huge difference. They aren't fancy but they are very clean. And shopping there is so fast! Most of the prices are half of what they would be in the other grocery stores. Making meals from scratch can make a huge difference in the food budget. Not only that, but homemade is just delicious and so much better for you. (voted up and tweeted)

I love your idea about meal planning. I've heard of people doing it just to make life easier but I love how you talk about how it can help save money. A dinner item in place of a cold-cut sandwich oftentimes would be more delicious!

Great hub! Congratulations on HOTD! I already plan meals. I also use online shopping, as it makes me less likely to buy offers that I see, but often don't need. I also plan for leftovers- often buying bigger packs is cheaper, and the extras can be frozen.

I think that if we realized how much debt actually costs, we would do everything that we could to get out of it. My husband and I have been living within our means for several years now and it is amazing how little we are able to live on and still live like kings since we don't pay interest out every month.

I love the idea that you are eating healthy while still eating frugally.

Hey there prestonandkate, I too am on a mission to be totally debt free. I love your tips. I will be using them. I haven't bought cereal in a long time, and there are moments I do miss it. Thank you so much for this great tips.....

I think it's great that you want to have zero debt. It pushes you to really think before spending and also what you can do yourself to lower the expenses. At the end, you are a winner and your children lean big values.

My husband and I never bought clothes with brand names attache to it. My kids never complained or asked for specific brands either. So it seems our message went through.

All your tips and suggestions are great!

Have a great day!

That's a great tip about using the cloth napkins and dish towels, I should give it a try.

I'm having trouble finding the exact recipe for the granola but this one is really close to what I use with one key addition- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Also my recipe doesn't call for the coconut.

http://www.jugglingactmama.com/2013/10/homemade-gr...

I am planning on looking for more recipes to change up the flavor profile because I have made this one several times and feel like I need to change it up.