The Quest for Saving Food Dollars

I’ve been trying to see how much I can cut back my grocery bill the last few weeks. I’m still not perfect at it, actually I have a long way to go to be a thrifty grocery shopper. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.

• I discovered the grocery game a few weeks ago thanks to Karen at Thrifty Mommy.  I’ve never been a coupon clipper, but I’m learning. The last couple times I’ve gone to the grocery I’ve gone armed with the sales ad, my coupons, and a good grocery list. That’s a huge improvement for me.
• Stock up on what’s on sale for the upcoming holiday, or season. Stores run extra good sales on what people are buying right now. That means with Easter coming up there are some great deals on ham and eggs for example. If you run into a great deal buy a little extra, especially if the item has a long shelf life, or can be frozen and used later.
• Learn how to cook more from scratch. It sounds hard, but if you set aside some time each week, or each month to cook and bake it can save big on your grocery budget. Almost everything is cheaper when you make it yourself from basic ingredients, versus buying the box version. Plus it tastes better, and it’s usually healthier for you. It’s a great investment of your time.
• Eat out less. We try to only eat out on special occasions, and lately I’ve been trying to find and save discount coupons for our favorite restaurants.
• Use those leftovers. If you have left over vegetables or meat, throw them in with your eggs the next morning for a quick omelet. I usually put our leftovers in small containers for lunches the next day. There are some things I intentionally make extra of, just so I have leftovers to use in another meal later. Mashed potatoes can become potato pancakes fro breakfast, baked potatoes can be fried up with eggs, or thrown in a potato and cheese casserole.

I’m still working on my grocery spending habits, so I’d love to hear your money saving food tips.

Image via sxc.hu