When are you the hungriest? And I mean food not trying to get all psychological on you. I have discovered in the warmer months I don't want to eat anything until 2:30pm. I eat a protein bar for breakfast, a light lunch of maybe a salad or veggie sandwich and then come 2:30pm I am ready to eat everything in site.
I seriously think I could eat straight from 2:30pm-7pm and be a happy camper. A happy fat camper.
I get a lot of feedback, in person, in email, on Facebook and Twitter about how more of my readers want to save money but find it hard to do. They ask me to post more on saving and budgeting. So this is for those requests. I was keeping count and had 41 requests. When you have 41 you need to take note and post!
So this is all leading into a little bloggy poo about cutting food costs over the summer. When kids are home you tend to go through more food than when they are at school. When the weather is nice you tend to invite more friends over for dinner. In turn you are invited to more eating "in" events instead of going out to restaurants as well. Today's blog is all about saving you money on food this summer. (So you can buy a few more bathing suits)
I read the average family of four spends nearly $6,000 a year on food from the grocery store. To some that isn't a lot. That is around $115.00 per week. When I lay down that funky beat you are either saying - "Dang that's a lot!" or "Oh that is way below what we spend."
What could we do with $6,000? Pay off some debt? Remodel your kitchen (almost entirely)? Send a kid to college for a semester? Go on a few cruises (if that still tickles your fancy after this bad year for that vacation option)? Put it in an emergency or savings fund and forget about it?
I think we all agree that there is a lot of stuff you can do with six grand that seems more fun than spending it on food. Let's try to cut our food spending down at least 10% this summer - if not more - so we can do more of the fun and or necessary stuff.
First off you need to evaluate your food situation.
What do you already have in your freezer, fridge, and cabinets. People generally fall into either of these categories: got it all but still buying or how am I existing?
If you are a got it all but still buying person then this describes your kitchen:
Freezer stocked with enough food to open your own K&W Cafeteria (NC/SC readers know this)
Pantry stocked with enough food to feed your family for three months if not longer
Fridge looks like a community cool bar with all the fixings for fresh salads, sandwiches, beverages, etc.
These folks will continue to grocery shop to keep their stock pile growing. They love deals and do not ever want to experience food scarcity - not even for 24 hours. Many times they are couponers who get a lot of stuff for free. If we flip the coin they may have experienced a time in life when they didn't have food easily accessible. Or they just don't keep any track of what they are buying.
These are folks who you want to be your neighbors - if you run out of something you can run over and get some from them.
If this is your description you need to immediately take inventory of everything in your kitchen and sit down (with a glass of wine or a beer) and create some meal plans and skip a grocery trip or two. It won't kill you to miss out on that shopping trip for food.
Now to the how am I existing people....like me.
This is the population who have either a very random assortment of grocery items in their pantry. An extremely limited freezer (no real stock pile maybe a pack or two of something in there). The fridge consists of just the basics (think: eggs, milk, juice, mayo).
You can get really creative with your meals because you just don't have a lot in your kitchen. (Mayonnaise sandwiches anyone?)
These folks just don't pay too much attention to their food because they fit one or multiple of these bills - eating out a lot, they don't eat a lot period, they don't spend money on food for the home, they don't have the money for food. I had stockpiled but now it is all weathered down and I am in need of a good trip to the store.
A very large percentage of the population is in this boat.
Figure out what description fits you and then read forward.
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Formulating a grocery plan is key to making that dollar of yours stretch. It doesn't take too much time to do this and you can do it on your front porch while you sip your electric lemonade.
Take out a pen and paper and write down the next seven days. Include on each date: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks. Write your budget figure (i.e $50).
As you look at your days of the week write down any times you won't be eating at home. (I don't cook on Thursdays because it is dance night.) Also consider what nights you'll be in a crunch and will need easy go to meals (Red Barron night?). Remember that any time you are going to a barbecue you may not need to fix anything more than a side and dessert so write that down.
Grab your kitchen inventory list.
Get your computer and go to Pinterest or Yummly and find some good recipes that you want to try. The key is to find overlapping recipes - that means the recipes call for some of the same items. This will cut down on costs immensely.
Keep in mind this is grilling season! Find things you can fix out on the grill (if you prefer) or foods that are quick and won't heat up your house by overworking your range.
Remember this is also the growing season so be sure to include vegetables and fruits - they are the cheapest this time of the year.
Write down or print off recipes and compare them.
Mark off things you already have in stock that you don't need to purchase.
Match your coupons to these items. The average person only uses four coupons in a grocery trip so don't expect to match everything to one - unless you are a coupon genius.
Write down ballpark figures on how much each item is with/without the coupon.
Tally it up and see about how much you are spending.
(With meat you may need to ballpark the average price you are willing to spend, meat is expensive.)
Create your formal list for your trip. Throw your reusable, dust collecting bags in your passenger seat, go by the ATM and get cash for your trip put it with the coupons you are using.
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If you are a lazy planner you can use any of the great couponing websites. I love Moola Saving Mom. (This is regional, for my readers in the Midwest you may need to check into coupon sites for your area.)
Southern Savers is also a favorite.
These mamas spend time configuring savings for you at grocery stores, Walmart, and drug stores. They also link you to coupons or have databases of coupons for you to link to and print.
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When you shop here are some tips:
Look at what is in your cart.
Are you buying tons of processed foods? If so you need to put the brakes on those purchases. Look, I love Little Debbie to pieces. She is cute and delicious and makes me happy. However, she is also an agent of Satan with her empty calories, loads of gluten, over the top sugar rating, and the way she keeps my middle my middle.
Opt for smarter snacks that cost about the same as a box of Fudge Rounds. Be smart and read the labels to make sure what you think is a better nutrition choice really is. Tons of food that say "good for you" or "healthy" is anything but. It is best to buy a big bag of snacks and divvy them into smaller portions in reusable containers.
Are you loading up on sandwich meat from the sandwich meat/breakfast meat section of the store? Step away. If you knew what that stuff was, ewwww! The "meat" you buy for your sandwiches over by the meat case is normally not anything you need to eat. It is a paste made from leftover meats that they can manipulate to make it look like "fresh turkey" & "delicious ham" when really it is a pink goo that they shoot out of a cake icing decorating look a like tool.
Opt for deli meat straight from the deli!!! Novel idea. That is the real deal. You may say - but it is more expensive there and this is about saving money. Well chickadee you are correct - sometimes it is more expensive but health wise it is a better option.
If you shop at Food Lion I have found that the kiosk at the door offers me coupons on meat from the deli and in my past two visits I received seventy-five cents off at the deli counter ($4.25) and then the next trip was $1.50 off at the deli counter ($3.50). Be smart.
Do your trips consist of more food from the aisles than from the perimeter? This is a duh/heard this before question. If you are doing the bulk of your shopping from the aisles in the middle of the store then you are killing your wallet. You think you are getting great deals and good foods but you are getting crappy deals (ok unless you are a coupon god who gets everything in a box or can for free) on crappy food. What should you buy from the center of the store? Here's a good breakdown:
1. Canned fruits and veggies - just rinse them when you remove them from the can.
2. Coffee and tea
3. Baby products
4. Plastic/Paper Products
5. Cleaners
Notice we didn't say - Captain Fruit O's, Pop Farts, Chips, Cookies, Brownie mix, Soda.
So here's where I go all Brownie on you - yes it is summer and I love me some Salt n Vinegar chips when its hot out and I'm pooling it. I will totally buy a bag and a bag of Wavy Lays for my husband. The catch: I won't buy some every trip because my diet does not consist of Salt n Vinegar chips. It is a special buy for a weekend of play. Keep reading.
Everything we need is on the perimeter of the store. Fruits/Veggies are the first thing you find when you walk into a store. You need the most of those. Go pin some cool things to do with fruits and veggies on the grill.
The deli/bakery is commonly nestled in the produce section. Take advantage of this. Buy fresh bread and see all the options you have when choosing from this area. Sugar free, gluten free items abound in bakery. Go for the "Oops" cart to get better deals because they baked more than they needed. Get your buns for grilling here too.
The meat counter is next - shop wisely. Look for markdowns. Look for clearance meat, it may be nearing the date the store cannot keep it past but you can take it home and throw it in the freezer and be safe. So many people are afraid of pink label meat - it hasn't went bad folks! Stores can only keep meat a certain number of days before they have to rid it out. That is a bonus for a smart shopper. Take advantage of the deal and stock your freezer. Last year I got two thick rib eyes for $2.52, regular price was $16.00. (Food Lion) Meat is always best bought at the wholesale clubs like Sam's. I prefer to buy my meat there because you can get large quantities for the freezer - at great prices.
The dairy case - I do not spend a lot of time here. I grab yogurt and that is about it. If you have milk drinkers then you know the drill on buying milk. Harris Teeter is awesome with milk sales. They run so many specials with milk being under $2.99 (eVic members). Do not buy it at Walmart, it is never on sale. Walgreens also runs good milk sales a few times a month. I don't buy cheese (calories I don't need) but if you do use coupons, I have seen tons out there for cheese. While we're at it, get real cheese and not cheese product. Those individually wrapped squares are disgusting.
Beer and wine - grocery stores have the best beer sales. This is the drinking season (so is fall, winter, and spring) so take advantage of grocery store summer pricing on alcohol if that is your fancy. I have found better wine prices at Walmart on the wine brands I like from the stores (Barefoot, send to me).
Action Alley is a term that box stores used in the 80's and 90's for the area of the store (normally the main walk thru) that has displays in the center that offer "big savings" - grocery stores use this idea too. Food Lion is set up to have their "best buys" as you walk in and towards the produce section. Harris Teeter has theirs on one end of the store. Lowes Foods has there's spread about. Walmart still keeps theirs on main walk thru areas. Check these areas for the junk you want. If you coupon you can get extra savings.
Discontinues Rock! At Lowes Foods discontinued items are generally at the back of the store, close to bathrooms, or Employee Only doors. They also put frozen items that are discontinued in an end-cap freezer case at the bottom of the freezer. Food Lion places their discontinued items near the freezer section. Harris Teeter has their discontinued bin close to the registers. Discontinued can mean many things such as: a) change in packaging b) the store has decided to no longer carry the item c) the manufacturer has stopped making the product d) seasonal item e) the shelf life expiration date is within 3-6 months.
For extra savings remember you can use your coupons on items in the discontinued bin.
Another money saving tip for you: Lowes Foods gives you a nickle off your purchases for every reusable shopping bag you bring in and they use.
Food Lion offers MVP members coupons via email and at the kiosk at the store's entrance.
Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods do Super Double Coupon weeks where they will double coupons up to $2. (That means your $2 off coupon is a $4 off coupon for that week.) P.S. Harris Teeter is doing that promotion now.
Also HT & LF double coupons up to .99 every day. You know this, I know.
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Last - set reasonable budget goals. This is so important. If you are a family of four with a baby in that head count you know you're going to have to buy something baby - it may be formula, food, diapers, wipes, butt cream, etc. Figure that in. You really cannot fight the increase in spending when you have a tiny human in the home. However, you can shop smart with coupons for the baby purchases.
If you have a true food allergy in the home you have to accept that that may bring in an extra cost as well. There is a huge market for food allergy shoppers now and unfortunately it is a scamming market of increased ridiculous pricing. Look for coupons or just steer away from the food that has the allergen.
Say you have been spending $100 each week at the grocery store. Let this be the week you say, "I'm only spending $90." After that is successful shoot for $80 per trip.
Lastly, just be realistic. After you know what is in your kitchen and you have inventoried do not buy more of what you have ten containers of. Hoarding is a problem and you do not need thirty seven bottles of barbecue sauce or seventy-six tubes of Colcrest Tooth Polish.
And because I'm all about passing along a little happy: If you have coupons and you aren't going to use a couple you have in your hand while cruising the store, how about leaving them for the shopper who needs them (especially if they are near expiration)? I cannot tell you how cool it was when I left a diaper coupon by the Huggies and a lady found it and gave the legendary fist pump as she threw the diapers in her cart and got the coupon I left. I wasn't going to use it, she obviously could use it so in a way I did a good, simple deed.
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Your money saving mama friend -
Brownie
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