Aside from rent or mortgage, the biggest expenditure for most families is food. Well, April from Pixie Dust Savings has 5 awesome (and super practical) tips to help us save money on groceries. Check out her post below. :D– Single Mommy Warrior
Money-Saving Tip #1: Set a budget and stick to it.
For one month, record all food purchases. This includes groceries, eating out, and even snacks from vending machines. Don’t forget your morning coffee. At the end of the month, your total will shock you!! You probably spent a lot more than you thought on food. The second month, take out an amount less than you spent the previous month in cash. Make this a baby step if you need to and only make it $10 less, but if you’re brave go for a bigger amount. Place that cash in an envelope. If you want to spend any money on food, take it from the envelope. When the envelope is done, so are you! Spending cash is a little harder than swiping a card—you feel the pain a little more.
Money-Saving Tip #2: Use coupons and watch sale cycles.
Luckily, many websites like Pixie Dust Savings do all the matchups for you. Buying a product you use at a rock bottom price is smart. You do not need to buy hundreds on something like that crazy Extreme Couponing show. Just buy what will get your family through that particular item’s sale cycle. For example, pasta sauce goes on sale about every 8-12 weeks. Figure out how much your family would use in that given span and buy that much.
Money-Saving Tip #3: Freeze and can produce.
Unfortunately, fresh food does not go on sale as often as unhealthy center-of-the-store items. You can still save money though on fresh produce. Each fruit and vegetable is available during a particular season. During that season, grab a good supply of that item and freeze or can it. My family picks tomatoes at a U-pick farm in May. We pay just $5 for a 3 gallon bucket filled! We can the tomatoes, make salsa, and pasta sauce.
Money-Saving Tip #4: Freezer cook.
A lot of times people eat out because they feel they do not have time to cook, or they are too tired from working all day. Running through the drive through or picking up a pizza is an easy way to end a day. There are 2 ways to prepare freezer meals. One way is to make a double portion of a meal you are already cooking and store it in the freezer. The second way is to spend a whole day cooking up a storm and then freezing those meals. Another plus to freezer cooking is that you know what is in your food. Check out two of my favorite freezer meals: Turkey Veggie Sloppy Joes and Crockpot Bourbon Chicken.
Money-Saving Tip #5: Find copycat recipes of your favorite fast food or sit down restaurant meals.
Pinterest is filled with tons of copycat recipes from Wendy’s Frosties to Red Lobster’s biscuits. Make a date night or family night and enjoy a great meal for less with the added ingredient of love.
Single Mommy Warrior Asks: Ok, readers, which of these tips are you going to try out? What is YOUR favorite money-saving tip? Please let us know in the comments below or join the conversation on Facebook.
If you enjoyed what April had to say, check her out on her social media pages below.
• Like April on Facebook
• Follow April on Twitter
• Check April out on Pinterest
