Feeding your family is one of the biggest expenses these days, it’s right up there with mortgage and car payments. Food prices seem to keep sky rocketing as production prices are jacked up and businesses are fighting to stay alive and profitable. Finding new and inventive ways to cut our grocery budget is one of my biggest goals and everyday I try to find new ways to save. Our grocery budget was around $2000 a month for a very long time and that includes our toiletries and cleaning products.
So how do you take the steps needed to trim the budget and save some cash? Take a look at this great list of ideas you might not have tried yet:
Discuss Your Plan With Family Or Others Sharing Your Home
I have been attempting to discuss with my teenagers that money isn’t easy to earn and having 3 showers a day is just ridiculous due to the amount of shampoo, body wash, and water they use. Not only that but then I have to wash the laundry they create so it’s just a headache for me and so expensive. Explaining the cost and why you need them to do their part can really make a difference.
I was able to cut the showers down by explaining how wasteful and pointless it is to everyone so there is some huge savings right there. The fact that I was willing to start making them pay each time they showered really made it a reality that they don’t need 3 showers a day.
Having the family get involved with the budgeting plan can really help in all areas as they might have just been snacking all day long without even thinking about it. When they realize how much everything costs and how much they waste or binge on supplies in the house it can help them to make better decisions. If you have a certain goal in mind you can even create a goal chart for the family to observe and find ways to show them the amount you’re saving each week.
I also buy no name or knock of face care and shampoos and fill the pricey bottles for my kids because they actually believe it is so much better for their hair and bodies. It all depends on what kind it is if I know it’s not any different I will make the switch and they haven’t said a word.
You Can Still Use The Meal Kit Idea
I don’t know about you but I absolutely love Chefs Plate meal kit subscription service. The meals they send are so flipping delicious it makes me happy to try new recipes every week and have most of the ingredients come right to my door. Not only are they healthy but usually quick to make and filling for the whole family (if you use this trick). I choose my meals each week and order 3 meals for 2 people but I look at the ingredient list and go buy bulk protein, grains, and veggies that are needed for the recipes and I double it using extras from the grocery store. Now I get to eat these amazing meals without paying the premium price for meals for 5 people! Genius!
I use grouse from my hunting trips to add extra protein to the chicken meals and buy bulk ground beef and pork and freeze it to add it to the beef and pork meals for next to nothing. Add twice as many veggies listed in the list when you go shopping and bam you just doubled or tripled the meals without paying a fortune!
Grow Your Own Herbs & More
Using the simple countertop grow systems or larger tower planters is an excellent way to cut costs by growing your own herbs, small fruits, and some veggies. You can even grow potatoes in large bins if you have space. Mushrooms are also an easy to grow vegetable that you can do at home for some super savings.
You can grow lots of different stuff indoors if you do your research. I have found a few different articles that I have been reading through and I figured they could help you to:
Grow These Indoors Without Lights
Beginners Guide To Growing Indoors
Encourage Visiting Kids To Go Home For Dinner
If you have a family filled with teens or kids of any age usually they want their friends over all the time. This can cost a fortune when all they want to do is watch tv and eat. Think about which kids families are pitching in by having your kids over for meals or snacks and then you can have those ones over once in a while and exchange the meal between families. But if you find kids coming over to eat dinner and the parents don’t ever reciprocate it’s time to start sending those kids home for dinner at their own place! It’s not mean to say you only planned for your family, food is pricey and having kids leeching off your budget everyday can begin to dig you deeper into a larger budget, completely throwing your savings off track.
I am very picky about what kids I keep around because their family is willing to scratch my back when I scratch theirs, but I have had a large number of kids trying to stay for weeks at a time eating all our after school snacks and dinners. Make it stop by asking them to go home for dinner or having certain snacks laid out for sharing like popcorn or crackers (the most inexpensive snacks).
Ask Around For Discounts
In my line of work I meet a lot of different people who work at a lot of different stores in town. Some of my daycare clients work at pet stores, others work at restaurants, a small handful work at department stores, and more. By asking about their job, where they work, and what kind of discounts they can get I have saved hundreds of dollars on pet food, kids toys, and food from restaurants by asking how they can hook me up. This doesn’t have to be given for free you can always offer to do something for them in exchange for the discount but it’s amazing to me to see what you can get from others just by knowing where they work.
My kids get 50% off their food at work which is great when we want takeout. We can’t go overboard and get giant meals or anything but if we each get a small burger we can get a cheap treat. Depending on where your kids get jobs you may be able to take advantage of the discount!
Share With Friends & Neighbours
If I make anything in bulk or double a recipe I love to share it with my neighbour or my friends. Since I started doing this I have been getting containers of soup, chilli, stew, cookies, and game meat in return for my generosity. If you have a way to give to others and get something in return it’s always worth it to be able to share and exchange recipes and sweets.
These are my most unusual grocery budget cutting tips! Do you have any strange ways you save money?
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