We’ve all had one very epic grocery shopping trip. Mine happened right after I got married. I went to the store and bought our weekly groceries. As I recounted the details of my shopping trip to my husband, I was mortified to find out that I had spent the grocery budget for the entire month on one trip! Oh, I cried and panicked about how we were going to eat for the rest of the month. In my mind, I had only bought enough for the week. With the food I’d bought plus some creativity, we made it through the month. It’s a funny story now, but it took me a long time to find it funny.
Learning how to grocery shop for our family was an area that I struggled with. No one had ever shown me how to make and keep a budget for groceries. Working alongside my husband, I finally learned the skills that I needed to be successful at braving the budget.
Weekly meal planning
Meal planning is one of the most important steps to ensure your success. You must have a plan prior to shopping. Otherwise, how else do you know what you need to buy? This was the first skill that I learned to help keep me on budget. Even to this day I still sit down once a week and make a meal plan. Our plan is specific making sure to account for breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner. I check my pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to see what’s available and incorporate that into the weekly plan. Planning ensures that all meals are accounted for, and nothing is a surprise.
Make a list
After creating a meal plan, check your stock to see what you need from the store. It’s so important to make a list and stick to it. You want to make sure to keep a good inventory of what’s available in your home and rotate out food.
I check the weekly sales ads for my local stores against my list to see where I can get the best deal. This also gives me a chance to see what’s on sale and adjust my menu if needed. For instance, I was going to serve potatoes last week, but with digital coupons from the store, I was able to serve fresh corn as our side instead for only $1.20. It was enough corn for dinner one night and lunch the next day which only cost $0.60 per meal. That was more cost-effective than the potato side I was planning to serve.
Avoid impulse shopping
Oh man, stores are notorious for encouraging impulse shopping. Putting all the things we “need” on the endcap to grab our attention. Offering the buy one get one free deals on something that we don’t need for the week or didn’t plan to purchase. Stick to your list! Impulse shopping blows the budget so fast. At first, it’s hard to keep yourself from deviating from the list. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that it’s much easier and your shopping trip is quicker if you stick to your list.
Coupons and rewards
I recently started using the Ibotta app to collect rewards on items I buy. I’ve accumulated around $30 in just two months. If you’ve never tried it, it’s an easy app to use and another way to earn some extra money back. If you are interested, you can click on my referral code link to sign up.
I like that it is free money for just a little bit of time and effort on my part. I’ve already bought the items, so anything I can earn is lagniappe. It’s important to note that not everything is eligible for rewards. However, you can check the app before going to the store to see what rewards are available and adjust your list accordingly.
Check your local store’s circulars and sign up for their rewards program. At one store I captured a digital coupon for $5 off my basket if I spent $50. It’s just another way I can stay on budget and earn additional rewards for my purchases.
Make it a game
Once I mastered the above steps, grocery shopping became a game. If I came in under budget, then I won! I do this by planning ahead, using what’s in my pantry/freezer, and maximizing available coupons and rewards. I feel so triumphant when I can grocery shop and stay under budget!
I use an envelope system for my groceries and keep the money I save in there. This allows me to restock my freezer when stores run sales. In the months that have five weeks, having the additional money makes shopping for that week a breeze. Any extra money I accumulate over time helps when I prepare holiday meals or make special treats.
Success takes practice
I’ll be honest, this process didn’t happen overnight and has been an area that I’ve had to constantly work on. I acquired these skills in stages and each week that I shop is a chance to practice what I’ve learned. I still make a weekly meal plan and grocery list. I will ask myself if I really need something in order to avoid impulse shopping. I take the time to check the sales paper, clip coupons, and enter my receipts into the Ibotta app.
This process is learning a skill. It takes time and you will make mistakes. Each week is a chance to try again and learn from the previous week. You, too, can be successful in braving the budget!
For more reflections from my heart, check out Make Memories.
