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Spend Less on Groceries

September 27, 2016 by Jaimi Erickson 3 Comments

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Welcome to Homemaking Tips Tuesdays where contributing writers share helpful homemaking tips so you can feel more successful caring for your home and family.

{This week, post by: Jessica}

Maximize your grocery budget to spend less on groceries while still enjoying healthy foods.

Put your hands up if you like to go grocery shopping!

Just me?

I really do enjoy grocery shopping, even if I have the kids along.  That is unless they are having a meltdown or I’m starving.

I love to purchase fresh produce and try new sauces and condiments to spice up some of our regular dishes.  I especially love getting a good deal on the food we eat.

While some women have to keep a close eye on their clothing budget each month, I have to pay especially close attention to my grocery budget.

Our budget includes household items like paper towels and shampoo because I don’t have the time for two separate transactions at the store or to separate the amounts spent on food vs household items when I get home.  We also eat a combination of organic/non-organic items and a large majority of fresh, unprocessed food. (If I’m in the frozen food section it’s for chicken nuggets or veggies).

Whatever your budget for groceries, here are a few tips to spend less on groceries.

  1. Plan ahead.You may have read my previous post on how to destress dinner time.  Planning what you and your family will eat each week saves you from running to the grocery store more than once a week, and from buying ingredients that are not eaten because you never had a plan on how or when to use them.As I create our weekly menu, I check to see which ingredients I already have handy and what items I need to pick up. If it is nearing the end of the month, I try to get creative with what’s left in my pantry and freezer so that I do not go over budget.

I create my shopping list by grouping items needed by departments, and in order I find them in the store.  An organized list helps to not miss items and to save time in the store.  Stick to your list! I don’t wander down an aisle if I don’t need anything in it, because chances are if I do, I’ll grab something that wasn’t on my list. Plan ahead so you don’t waste your time and money.

  1. Keep a running list of items you are low on or have run out of. A small dry erase board in your kitchen works great for this.  Add the needed items to your weekly grocery list and try your best to stick to it.  You’ll be grateful you came home with much needed garlic salt, instead of another container of garlic powder.
  1. Stock up on the staples. Once a month I go to Costco and purchase bulk items such as chicken and beef, snacks for lunches, chicken nuggets, and any other items we consume in large quantities on a regular basis.  This is the most expensive shopping trip of the month.  Sometimes I can even get away with buying some of these things every other month if I plan right.  The point is to try and have the items I usually cook with available at all times.The rest of the month, I shop at whichever grocery store has the best sale on the fresh produce I need for the week.

live well with citrus graphic Jessie

  1. Watch the sale ads. Our grocery store mailers come on Tuesday, and I usually do my shopping Friday.  This gives me a few days to plan ahead for our meals and shop the store that has the best sale.

One grocery store near us has an extra day of savings every Friday (hence why that became my usual shopping day).  And I mean big savings on produce.  Think 5 lbs of apples for a $1.00 savings.  But there are some weeks that I need a few other staples which might be more expensive at said store (bread and salad dressing come to mind).  Even though I could save a boat load on apples, I will end up spending more on other necessities.

Shop the store with the best overall sale on the items you need that week.  You don’t have to shop the same store out of loyalty if another store is running a better sale. And if you are really ambitious, hit up a few different stores in one day.  Just be prepared to bribe your kids for good behavior as you haul them into another store!

  1. Don’t take the kids shopping. I am a stay at home mom and military spouse.  I don’t have family nearby to leave my kids with, or a husband with a regular schedule that I can always depend on.  Nine times out of ten I am taking at least one child with me in the store.  There have been times when I have thrown my hands up, said screw the list and coupons, and just got out of there as quick as possible.  But the times I can go shopping without my kids, I come home with even greater savings.  Offer to trade your kids with a friend so you can each shop in peace, or go after the kids have gone to bed.

When you have the kids with you, find ways to keep them occupied or involved.   My kids enjoy picking out our produce and putting it in the bag.  Think about what you can teach your kids while you are grocery shopping.  Explain to them how and why you are reading the nutritional labels, or discuss where different foods come from.  And I always bring a snack along in case they start to get bored or tired.

  1. Clip coupons. I don’t subscribe to a coupon service or spend hours on the internet looking for deals.  But I do browse our newspaper coupons each week.  I also check to see if the store has digital coupons available as well.  If you can spend a few minutes on facebook every night, you can browse for digital coupons.  Don’t forget to sign up for in store rewards cards and check other sites such as coupons.com for other great deals.

basic and premium starter kits with prices

  1. Don’t clip coupons. Wait, what?  But you just said… Many times store brands are cheaper than name brands.  Take Cheerios vs. Tastee-o’s.  My kids can’t tell the difference.  Also, don’t waste your time clipping a coupon for something you don’t really need.  Is it on your list?  Is it something you use on a regular basis?  If not, then pass on the coupon and save yourself the time and effort.
  1. Double up the savings with apps like Ibotta. I love this app like I have never loved an app before. Ibotta offer rebates at hundreds of stores (and not just grocery stores either).  The rebates can be used on top of coupons you used in store, offering a chance to double your savings.

The night before my weekly shopping trip, I check to see if any of the items already on my grocery list are also offered as a rebate.  Many of the items are brand specific, but common items such as any gallon of milk, any loaf of bread, and a rotating assortment of produce may also be available for a rebate (rebates change weekly).

Once you are home, use your phone to verify your purchases by simply scanning the barcode on the item purchased, snap a picture of your receipt, and hit send.  While most shopping trips may only save you a few dollars, the savings add up over time, allowing you to cash in via gift cards or paypal once you reach a balance of $20.00 (you receive $10.00 after verifying your first rebate).

Ibotta is also handy in the alcoholic beverage department.  My husband is somewhat of a beer snob.  I’ll let him know which of his favorite brands have a rebate which allows him to save a few dollars on something he was going to buy anyway. (He has his own beer budget for the month so every dollar counts for him too).

One grocery store near us offers 30% off if you buy at least four 6-packs.  By the time he gets his 30% off and usually $3-$7 back in rebates through Ibotta, his beer costs less than a dollar a piece.

Lastly, Ibotta allows you to create a shopping list on your phone and will show you if any items on your list are available for a rebate.

You can sign up for Ibotta here.

  1. Keep your coupons and grocery bags in your car. Coupons can’t save you money if they are left on the kitchen counter!

Happy Shopping!

homemaking tips tuesday

What are your favorite ways to spend less on groceries?

Maximize your grocery budget to spend less on groceries while still enjoying healthy foods.


Jessica Stremer of Five O'Clock JellyJessica is a stay at home mom of two lovely little girls.  She is also a military spouse and an entrepreneur.  Jessica enjoys staying active and spending time outdoors with her family, cooking, and reading.  In addition, Jessica is hard at work growing her company Five O’Clock Jelly.



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Filed Under: homemaking, motherhood, organization, quick tip Tagged With: coupons, groceries, grocery shopping, HTT contributors, save money

Comments

  1. health articles says

    May 28, 2018 at 5:50 am

    Tһis information іs ᴡorth еveryone’s attention.
    Wheгe can I find out more?

    Reply
  2. Kimberly says

    October 7, 2016 at 10:19 am

    I put my shopping list in the order that I go through the store… which is especially important if I need to make my husband stop at Sam’s Club on his way home from work! My husband makes fun of me because I carry a pocket calculator in my purse to compare prices. (I don’t have a smartphone and even if I do have a cell phone with me it’s just faster!)

    Reply
    • Jaimi says

      October 9, 2016 at 9:16 pm

      Those are smart tips!

      Reply

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Will you be spending time with family for Easter? Will you be spending time with family for Easter? 

My husband’s parents have arrived - adding one more big dog to our house and lots of crafts and fun. We have not seen them since June. Everyone is excited to spend time together.

Both of my big kids have birthdays and we will all get to spend time at the beach this month. Our school work will morph into field trips so we soak up every day we can being present with family. 

I am looking forward to making memories, soaking in time together and celebrating two milestone birthdays - one happening tomorrow. 💛 

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🌟The faces we make when a Costco run with all t 🌟The faces we make when a Costco run with all the kids actually goes well!!! 🌟 

Ice cream after helped of course. 😂

All prepped for my in-laws coming to visit us after not seeing them since our move last summer. Looking forward to some fun events ahead that will make my kids think they are on spring break but they will technically be field trip days. Check, check. 

Are you guys on spring break this week? What do you have planned?

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Some days you put on the 10 year old comfy jeans, Some days you put on the 10 year old comfy jeans, fill your mind with encouragement and just keep moving forward. 

Recovery days are not just for working out. They are for the mental state we walk around with too. Yesterday felt heavy. My God is a power lifter and takes the burden away. 

Today will be better.

Today we will rest and refocus.

Hooray for comfy jeans, motivational graphics and the Word to focus on through it all. 

(Faith fashion: @choseninchrist use code Jaimi to save.)

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🌟That Face!!🌟 That little boy is soon to t 🌟That Face!!🌟 

That little boy is soon to turn 13, guys! I mean in a few weeks. 😅

This is a throwback but brings back so many fun memories. 

—————————————

I love creating activities and crafts on the fly. Always have even before my kids were here.

I noticed that my son did not have a lot of little toy people to play with while he was pretending one day. We have a few cylinder blocks in a set. We never used them when we built. I thought we could turn them into little DIY toy people. 

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If you don’t have wooden cylindrical blocks at home, you can use pieces of wood dowel or even a few square blocks glued together. You can even make DIY toy people out of toilet paper tubes. 

🌟Full details through Blog link in bio 🌟

——————————————

I am so excited and yet in complete shock by how fast these little lives grow. I have never missed moments and I am so so grateful especially as we approach the teen years in my house. 💛 Soak up even the hard days of being a mom. TOTALLY worth it. 

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👌 There are a lot of parenting opinions out the 👌 There are a lot of parenting opinions out there. I try to ignore a lot of them. 😂 

My kids stay up later than most recommend, but so did I when I was a kid. 

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Give me my people any day. Family time this Sund Give me my people any day. 

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If you can choose any action in life, choose to help others. Side bonus when it involves fun family time together.

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💛 Friday Introductions💛 It has been a while 💛 Friday Introductions💛

It has been a while since I did a good run-down here to give ya the cliffs notes (are those still a thing) version of me. 👋 

💛 Detroit-born a few blocks from where Eminem lived. The city is still my hometown despite moving away as a kid.

💛 I am a big believer in traditional values, but with a modern woman twist. My husband drives his career and I drive this household.

💛 We live in eastern NC 30 mins from the beach. I want to stay here forever, truly, but military life will come to an end some day...still don’t know specifically when that will be.

💛Born and raised to be a planner, Type A personality, having 4 kids beat that out of me 🤣 and I am very “day at a time” now. 

💛I was a teacher turned stay at home mom turned blogger turned entrepreneur that had to set it all on the back burner a bit to focus on homeschooling my kids. I can only have so much on my plate and complete it successfully. (When we listen, God guides and is loud and clear with His direction. 💛)

💛I believe I can be humble and confident; I can be fully present with my kids and make space to rest and rejuvenate; I believe the biggest successes I will achieve in life will not have a paycheck as its valuation. 

💛I believe that true peace, value and love all come from Jesus. 

You will find me sharing the ups AND the downs of motherhood, wife life, homeschooling and being a Christian woman with the modern day pull to fight what that can mean. (There is def a force trying to convince us to push those values aside, my friends.)

👌What is the cliffs notes version of you? What do you want people to know/realize most of all?

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🌟Teaching Kids to Make Friends🌟 Often our c 🌟Teaching Kids to Make Friends🌟

Often our children learn hard lessons when they have to move to a new state or school. 

My kids have become all too familiar with this through military life. Every three years they have to make new friends.

It is not always simple.

As a child, my family moved a lot. We were not military, but in junior high I moved to a new state and had to make all new friends.

This was a challenging and even to some extent a traumatic time of life.

Being the new kid, is a humbling experience. Suddenly you are hoping that your peers will want to get to know you and like you. It creates some self-consciousness.

Reading is such a beneficial way to teach children about life lessons. It teaches much more than that. It teaches self esteem through the cuddle time. It teaches language skills, and it teaches children to use their minds to be creative.

As they have grown and navigated more friendships, books are a resource for us to discuss tough challenges. I have found a great series of books that present friendship challenges and help children learn to navigate them.

It just so happens that the author is my neighbor too! How cool is that?! Moms are amazing.

These books will be treasured by your family for their quality values. The @stingrayjelly series teach children how to make friends and navigate friendships to love others well and support them through shared similarities and recognized differences.

Author, Lauren Giannella is a military wife and my neighbor! Anna Perdue is the illustrator and also a military child. 

Read my blog post for details on each book and links to purchase through @barnesandnoble 

We love our military community and all they do to give back.

What are your favorite children’s books that teach children how to make friends or help them maneuver through tough life challenges?

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