Spending Less 101

An easy way to cut your grocery bill week after week is to purchase generic or store brand items. Generic brands are better than they were years ago. If you haven’t bought generic recently, try a few items, you will probably be pleasantly surprised.

Another way to save is to cut coupons, but make sure the final price is less than the generic brand price. Some stores have double coupon days where they will double the value of your coupons up to a certain limit. Check out the policies of your favorite stores.

Convenience foods sometimes cost more than making things from scratch, but not always. For example: a batch chocolate chip cookies made from scratch (which only takes a few minutes) is 1/3 the cost of prepared cookie dough. But, you may to able to buy generic brand prepared cookies for less than the cost of making cookies from scratch.

There are several types of grocery stores and you should figure out the most cost effective way to use them - traditional grocery stores, discount stores, and wholesale stores. Traditional stores usually have a good variety and frequently offer special sale prices. Pay close attention to the specials and stock up. The discount stores often have less variety but offer everyday low prices that are often substantially less than a traditional store. Even if you don’t buy all your food at a discount store, you should shop there and buy as much as you can. The wholesale stores offer items in bulk quantities. If there are items that you use frequently and they won’t go bad before you use it all, this may be a good option. You could also shop with a friend and split the items.

It helps to plan your meals ahead of time. You can make index cards that list one menu per card and all the items needed to make that meal. It will take a few hours to get the index cards written out, but then each week you can easily flip through them and pull out the ones you want to use that week. If the menu includes something that you need a recipe for, the ingredients can be listed on the bottom of the index card. The cards can then be used to write out your shopping list.

When you have to run to the store several times because you forgot something, you often leave the store spending $35 even though you only needed one $3 item. Here is a trick that can help. Make up a list of the items you purchase most frequently. Group the items by department - produce, frozen, dairy, canned goods, dry goods, household, etc. Then save the list on your computer or make copies. When you are ready to make out your shopping list just put a check by the items you need that week. You can leave a few blank spaces in each group to write in items that were not on your master list.

Once you get the food home you need to eliminate any waste. Items that can spoil should be used early in the week. If you frequently throw out fresh vegetables before you have a chance to cook them, purchase frozen vegetables instead. They taste fresh and will last for months in the freezer. Along the same line, canned fruit will not spoil like fresh fruit does, so consider replacing some of the fresh fruit you buy with canned fruit. There is a good variety of canned fruit to choose from - things like single serving fruit cocktail and individual strawberry applesauce. Even if the cost per ounce is a little more, if less is wasted it could save you in the long run.

Try to use all of your leftovers. You would never throw a $5 bill in the trash, but it is no different than throwing half a pan of lasagna in the trash. Remember - The freezer is your friend. Divide leftovers into single serving microwavable containers and freeze. You can take the containers to work and enjoy a free lunch. If you have a recipe that calls for a small onion and all you have is a large onion, chop the large onion up, use half in your recipe and freeze the other half. Next time you need a small chopped onion for a recipe it will be there for you. Many foods are freezable, so get them frozen before they go bad.

Some families eat out frequently because of the convenience. If you find this is the case, simply having food available for a couple of easy dinners could help - things like grilled cheese sandwiches and canned soup, or frozen pizza and a salad. Don’t let your pantry get too low or you will be more tempted to eat out.

Bringing your lunch to work at least four days per week is a good habit. Breakfast should be eaten at home and the coffee stop should be an occasional treat instead of a daily event.