frugal living
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Set a limit and have a budget when you do grocery shopping
I know that this is obvious, but I find it necessary to mention for those people who do set a limit only to move it upwards later on.
“The limit is $100. Ooh, I need that yogurt! Okay, it’s just $0.99 cents above the limit. So the limit is now $100.99”.
It is a downward spiral that will eventually lead to your bank accounts doom. One should always know the times when your self control is at its weakest.
Set the limit and actually decide to adhere to a maximum of 75% of that limit. Yes, that’s right, set a secondary limit which is lower than the original limit.
In the end only you can decide on how to save money on groceries. The best thing to do is to prepare your mind before you even enter the door.
Don’t go to the grocery store when you’re tired and hungry
I sometimes fall into this trap. I’m tired from work and I decide to drop by the grocery to pick up a few things. That’s the perfect recipe for wanton spending.
When we’re hungry and tired, our bodies and minds are at their weakest. We are more prone to temptation specially because an urgent need must be met – namely to satisfy our cravings.
First, you’ll see the nice and bright packaging with a picture of a scrumptious treat. You’ll then think about your experience with that treat and then proceed to make a quick and subliminal calculation with the following formula:
I’m Hungry + Ooh I love this Treat = I Need to Buy This
From there it goes down.
Originally, you planned to spend $100 for a weeks supply of food. You get the essentials, the toiletry and then those thoughts come into play. Pretty soon you’ll be digging into your bank account for more or worse – use your credit card.
Redefine what you need – save money on groceries
With unemployment figures at an all time high, many people are forced to rely on their money wits to keep their families afloat. Even if you still have your job, it would be prudent if you knew how to save a dollar or two when you go to the grocery.
While it may sound obvious to most people who are reading this, the definition of the word “need” seems to have been warped by marketing and mass media. What you need to do first of all is to redefine the word itself.
What qualifies as “needs”?
A quick and somewhat brazen answer is, “it keeps you alive”. Defining the things that you don’t need could also help, “You don’t need things which you can be alive without.” I know it’s hard to change your mindset after years and years of conditioning. It takes a certain strength and a certain personal control to be able to think beyond how you normally would.
The thing is, mass media has been a very powerful source of conditioning for our minds. We’ve been fed with ideas that we need rice crispies, power bars, cereals and countless other so called nutritional supplements that we actually think that we are going to be sick if we don’t buy them.
Don’t fall into that trap.
Do a little more research. You could find a lot of the nutrition that you need in the basics like bread, rice, fruits, vegetables and meats. I’ll say it again, you don’t need a specially formulated concoction to give you Vitamin E!
Alternatives to Household Products that Can Save You Money
You use natural and less-toxic household products whenever possible. It’s a great way to save money and save the environment.
| Instead of: | Use |
|---|---|
| Air freshener | A small dish of vinegar or lemon juice set out in a warm area |
| All-purpose cleaner | One quart warm water, 1 teaspoon liquid soap, 1 teaspoon borax, and 1/4 cup vinegar |
| Bleach | Borax |
| Carpet cleaner | To neutralize odors, sprinkle the carpet with a mixture of one cup borax and 2 cups cornmeal or use baking soda. Let stand 1 hour before vacuuming. |
| Chlorine scouring powder | Baking soda |
| Detergent | Simple soap or phosphate-free detergent |
| Disinfectant | Ammonia |
| Drain cleaner | Plunger, followed by a handful of baking soda and a half cup of vinegar. Cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Pour in 2 quarts of boiling water, and the clod should disappear. |
| Floor cleaner | Mop floors with a mild soap solution or 1 cup vinegar mixed with 2 gallons of water. Linoleum floors can be polished by mopping with skim milk. (No, it doesn’t smell.) |
| Furniture polish | On unfinished surfaces, use natural oil such as almond or olive oil. On finished surfaces, dust with a damp cloth and wipe dry. |
| Glass cleaner | Two tablespoons of vinegar to 1 quart of water. |
| Grease remover | Baking soda paste |
| Mildew stain remover | Vinegar solution |
| Mothballs | Cedar chips |
| Oven cleaner | Pour salt on fresh oven spills, and scrape the residue off when the oven cools. Ammonia can be applied t tough stains. A pumice stick, available at many hardware stores, will also work. |
| Pest control | Make chili powder packets to keep ants out of your kitchen. |
| Stain remover | Cornstarch paste |
| Surface cleaner | Use a vinegar and salt mixture |
| Tile cleaner | Scrub areas with baking soda and a toothbrush |
| Toilet bowl cleaner | Baking soda or borax |
| Window cleaner | Mix 1/4 cup of white vinegar or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and a quart of warm water. |
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Save money each week when buying fresh bread
I save money each week when buying fresh bread. My kids do not like bread unless it is fresh but as you know fresh doesn’t last long. I now buy the freshest bread available, but freeze half the loaf right away, that way I can pull out a ‘fresh’ loaf without having to go to the grocery store.
Long term planning is very important to save money on groceries
Long term planning is very important to save money on grocery. First you should make a list of complete grocery needs and then divide that list into your weekly, monthly and half yearly grocery needs.
After that break that list into two kinds of purchases i.e. Bulk purchases and weekly purchases. Always try to save maximum money on bulk purchases such as oil, cream, biscuits, etc. Also you should take care of various offers available in the store. You should various permutation and combination to gain maximum benefits from those offers. After some time based upon your experience, you will come to know how to select offers to get maximum savings.
Avoid doing shopping on weekend because on weekend there can be rush and you will not able to explore all the offerings of the store. Do not buy grocery on daily basis, because it increases spontaneous purchasing. Last but not the least you should prepare a proper list of your grocery needs before going for your grocery shopping. If you do not carry a proper list of grocery needs, then you will end up buying so many unnecessary things from the store.
How to save money on grocery without cutting back
1. If your grocer offers a club card, sign up for it. You will get better discounts.
2. Subscribe to your local newspaper and clip coupons. The coupon discounts will more than pay for the subscription over a year.
3. Many stores that offer Buy 1 Get 1 free specials do not require you to buy two in order to get the discount.
4. Subscribe to different grocer’s email specials. Then you’ll know if it’s worth the trip for a store you don’t normally shop at.
5. Frozen vegetables are cheaper than fresh and are usually frozen within hours of being picked.
6. When non-perishables are on special, stock up.
7. Don’t assume that giant box-stores are cheapest on every item. They’re not.
8. When buying paper products, divide the price by the square feet of product. That will give you a per unit price to use for comparisons.
9. Don’t assume a bigger size package is cheaper per ounce. Take a calculator with you and do the math.
Opt for a healthier lifestyle and save money at the same time
One of the simplest ways to save money, and often achieve a healthier lifestyle is to cut back or eliminate personal vices. Do you really need that extra pack of cigarettes? Couldn’t you make through at least one weekend a month without buying a six pack of beer? If your personal vices tend to be illegal in nature, so much the better.
There’s plenty of money to be saved by for-going an ounce of marijuana. People tend to underestimate the amount of money they spend on their unhealthy habits. Perhaps they do not realize how much money they are spending because each outlay to indulge their vice is often relatively small.
If you are truly interested in saving money though, just take some time to do the math. For example, spending six dollars on a pack of cigarettes may not seem like much, but if you smoke a pack a day this amounts to forty two dollars. This comes to total of over two thousand dollars a year going up in smoke. By quitting your bad habits, not only will you save money directly, but you may be able to save money in other ways as well. For instance if you stop smoking, you may be eligible for cheaper health insurance rates.
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