What Can I Do Today? Groceries.

Many of us are looking at the economy and worrying. There is a lot of uncertainty right now. What can you do to give yourself some peace of mind? I don’t want to sound like a “Perky Patty” or, as I have driven some crazy with, “Happy Perky Hillary.” I am a pessimist at my inner core. This might be a good time to change some financial habits to make your life easier. I have some tips, tricks, and ideas for you, and I hope you can choose some, all, or none of them. Whatever works for you! There is enough to worry about right now, taking control of your finances could make one thing easier in your life. Now, none of these are going to make you a millionaire, but maybe, with a bit of work, the next time you want to splurge on something, take a vacation, or do something practical like fix your car, you will have a bit of a cushion to do it with.

The cost of food has gone through the roof. We all feel it. I know my grocery costs are at least $300 more a month. And I not only have one teenager and a pre-teen, but my kids have teen and pre-teen friends who come over to the house. Who knew humans could eat like this? I kid you not, I have watched them eat raw ramen noodles, Savages! That being said, they are hungry and growing, and I am not going to throw them out. The neighborhood moms didn’t throw us out when I was a kid, and I won’t either. Besides, I love these kids and enjoy having them around. So, what can be done to minimize the damage to the food budget?

• Do you need to buy the name brand, or will a store brand do? I looked at numerous sources that say that shopping store brands can save up to an average of 40%. Most store brands are as good as the national name brands, if not better. Try it! Do you need that $6-$8 jar of Rao’s pasta sauce or will a $1.99 jar of Signature brand work? (I happen to think their Tomato and Basil is pretty good!)

• Cook from scratch. This may sound hard and time consuming. However, it is going to cost you less in the long run and be healthier. Processed foods can be more expensive, and they are processed and full of unhealthy ingredients. My daughter loves Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese bites. They cost around $7 a box. For about $7, I can make homemade mac & cheese and buy panko or regular breadcrumbs. My Panera copycat mac & cheese, in my Insta-Pot, takes about 20 minutes, but only about 10 minutes of actual work. If I were to then turn it into bites, another 10 minutes of work. This means a lot less chemicals and I did it myself. Plus, whatever cheese, noodles and Panko are leftover, I can use these for another meal which has saved me money!

• Find ways to make leftovers work for you. Make a bit of extra rice, then make yourself a rice bowl for lunch. Have leftover ham? Make an omelet for breakfast. Don’t throw away what you don’t eat, find a meal to use for it.

• Meal prep and plan your grocery shopping. I have started looking at the weekly flyers from the local grocery stores that I shop at. Is ground beef on sale? Tacos or meatloaf. Are bags of potatoes buy one get one free? Shepherd’s Pie one-night, roasted potatoes another and homemade French fries another. Are roaster chickens on sale? Have a nice roast chicken dinner and make Chicken Pot Pie another night with the leftovers. I know that when I shop the sales and plan my week, I save considerable money.
  TIP: If you ever find things like potatoes, pasta, peanut butter at buy one get one and you don’t need two of them, grab it anyway. On your way home, donate them to your local food pantry!

• It may seem old-fashioned but USE COUPONS! Clip whatever e-coupons your store puts out. If it is something you might use in a few weeks but don’t need today? Clip that coupon! They are usually valid for a few weeks at minimum so put them into your e-wallet at the store.

• Join whatever savings program your local grocery stores offer. Many now let you earn $ back or points towards money off. I have saved $2,455.40 with Shaw’s free rewards program since I joined a few years ago.

• Use grocery pick-up. Going to the store and wandering through allows for impulse buying. Using the pick-up option allows you to go through the website, pick exactly what you need and get only that. You will find it easier to stick to your budget as well as you can watch the total in your cart.
  
  In the end, every bit of savings helps. Try out different ideas. See what works for you, what doesn’t. In the end, you will settle into a routine and hopefully make things easier for yourself.