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5 Tips to Save on Groceries This Year

March 21, 2022 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

Tips to Save on Groceries

The price of groceries recently! Ouch. In the last few months, I’ve been shopping the same way I typically do, and yet, my grocery bill for my family of five has increased several hundred dollars, and my freezer and pantry are emptier. Enough is enough. The food prices are rising rapidly, but I’m utilizing these tips to save on groceries this year.

Prices Will Be High for Awhile

Prices will be high for a while because of supply chain issues due to the pandemic and the current war in Ukraine. However, if you’re willing to change your behavior and preferences, you can save on groceries this year, even with the market instability.

5 Tips to Save on Groceries This Year

Change Your Menu

Our family makes every meal at home, and we don’t eat extravagantly. However, I’m looking at changing our menu. We’re gluten-free and dairy-free. That means staples for most people, like bread, cost us significantly more to buy gluten-free. During this time, I’m limiting how much bread we use and instead am switching to naturally gluten-free carbs that are cheaper such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rice.

I’ve also searched the Internet for low-cost meals. Many bean-based recipes appear, but my family doesn’t want to eat beans several times a week.

Instead, I look two different places.

Depression-Era Recipes

For Depression-era recipes, I love the YouTube channel, Great Depression Cooking. Clara, the host, shares stories about her life and frugal recipes her family ate during the Great Depression.

Frugal Recipes Around the World

Tips to Save on Groceries

To make meals more interesting, I’ve prepared frugal meals from different countries. Some of our favorites include Colcannon (Irish mashed potatoes with cabbage), Okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancake), and Tortilla de Patatas (Spanish omelet with potatoes and onions).

Use Less Meat & Fish

Part of our strategy to change the menu involves using less meat. Sometimes we have meat-based meals, but I’m currently trying to avoid having those regularly.

Find Meals with Reduced Meat

Instead of meat-based meals, I’m trying to make meals that center around vegetables and starches with some meat. When I do that, I can use less meat. For instance, when I make spaghetti, I add about six ounces of cooked ground beef. That half pound of meat is cheaper than using an entire pound for our family of five. I also look for soups and chilis that require a half-pound of meat or less.

Buy Cheaper Cuts

We enjoy roasts and steaks when we buy ¼ side of beef, but we haven’t purchased beef that way in over two years, so we’re only eating ground beef, which is the cheapest form of beef we can find.

Likewise, I still want to have fish in our diet, but I have found cheaper ways to buy it. I can buy cod pieces at Trader Joe’s for $4.49 per pound. Whole fillets cost approximately $10 a pound, so I buy cod pieces and make fish cakes instead of serving fillets to my family. We’re getting the benefits of eating fish at a much lower price.

Allocate Some Money to Stocking Up

One of the best ways to lower your grocery budget is to save some money each week to stock up on sales. Let’s say you have $150 a week to spend on groceries. You might use $120 to buy your weekly groceries and reserve the additional $30 to stock up on items that are on sale.

Maybe you find a clearance sale on ground beef marked down to $2.99 a pound instead of the regular price of $6.99 per pound. If there are ten packages available, you might buy all 10 for $29.99 total. (This is a deal I found two weeks ago, and I snatched up all ten. I promptly went home and made ten meals. Most of the meals are in the freezer now, so we can eat them in the next few months, saving us money on our upcoming grocery trips.)

Some weeks you may not find any good sales. That is okay. Let that $30 rollover, so the next week you have $60 to use for stock-up buys. Then, when you find a good sale, you can take advantage of it without wrecking your grocery budget.

Try Reverse Meal Planning

Some people carry this idea further by reverse meal planning. Instead of going to the grocery store with a list of items you need to buy, you go to the grocery store and look for food on sale or clearance and try to buy only those items.

Then, when you get home, you make a meal plan based on the items you already have. If you bought cheese at a discounted price, and you have ham from a sale two weeks ago, you might combine the two together with potatoes and milk to make scalloped potatoes for your family.

If you’re creative and can think of ways to use different foods, reverse meal planning can help you keep your budget low even when food prices are high.

I use this strategy, but only for a few meals a week. I’m not creative enough to plan all our meals this way, especially with our dietary restrictions.

Order Online

5 Tips to Save on Groceries

Another option is to order your groceries online. Some people love ordering this way because they limit their impulse buys. You only order what you need, so you can stick to your grocery budget.

I do sometimes place online orders, but our local grocery store is often out of the items that I order. Therefore, I only place online orders about twice a month. I like to go into the store to find discounted and clearance items, which I can’t do when I shop online.

However, by using both online shopping and going to the store on alternate weeks, I can save money.

Final Thoughts

The cost of groceries is high, but I’m hoping by regularly using these five tips to save on groceries this year, I can avoid going over budget.

How are you fighting the high price of groceries?

Read More

Save on Groceries by Limiting Junk Food

Living on a Tight Budget: Should Groceries Be the First Place You Cut?

Even More Ways to Save on Groceries

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: budget, Frugality, Saving Tagged With: food, frugal groceries, groceries, grocery budget, recipes

Save Money with Buy Nothing Groups

December 20, 2021 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

Save Money with Buy Nothing Groups

Have you joined a Buy Nothing group? You can find these groups on Facebook. Simply enter the name of your town or area and “Buy Nothing.” You likely find a group or two near you. Then, get ready to discover the joy of all the ways you can save money with buy nothing groups!

Save Money with Buy Nothing Groups

You save money in two ways:

Getting Rid of Your Stuff

You can easily get rid of stuff you no longer use with a buy nothing group. Take a picture and list your item in the group. You’ll likely have several takers. All you have to do is place said items outside your home, and the person will come to take them.

Using a buy nothing group to get rid of your stuff saves you gas because you don’t have to drop the items off at a donation center. You can also save on the cost of disposal if you want to get rid of a larger item.

Gaining New Stuff

The true beauty of these groups is when you are in need of items. Buy nothing groups never charge people for the items they’re getting rid of, so if you get an item from the group, you will pay nothing.

Some of the Best Items Our Family Has Received

When my son was in elementary school, he was obsessed with magic. Our local buy nothing group had a magic kit listed, and I got first dibs on it. My son was thrilled with his new-to-him magic kit, which was in excellent condition. About five years later, my daughters needed bicycles. Although it took me a few months, I was able to get both girls bicycles for free from our Buy Nothing group.

How to Make the Most of These Groups

How to Save Money with Buy Nothing Groups
Photo by Anna Kumpan on Unsplash

To make the most of these groups, you need to be flexible. You may want something, but you need to be patient. Sometimes you have to wait weeks or months for someone to list something you need. Also, be flexible with what you need. If you let go of rigidity, you may find what you need. For instance, let’s say you want blue plates. If someone offers up white plates, be flexible enough to take those instead, knowing that your need was met, even if it wasn’t in the exact way you had planned.

Another Bonus

Besides saving money with buy nothing groups, you also reap another benefit. You help keep unused items—either yours or someone else’s—out of landfills! You cut down on consumerism and live the motto of reduce, reuse, and recycle.

One Caveat

If you search for buy nothing groups in your area and don’t find anything, try searching under “freecycle” or “Neighbors helping neighbors.” Another option is to search “Free.” I found several groups in our area under these different terms. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find one.

Final Thoughts

If you haven’t heard of buy nothing groups or you haven’t utilized one before, what are you waiting for? Now is the perfect time to join. You’ll likely be pleased with the items that you need that you can get for free and that you can save money when giving your own items away.

Read More

What Christmas Expectations Are You Setting for Your Children?

6 Items You Should Never Pay Full Price For

How to Deal With a Person Who Keeps on Asking for Money

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Consumerism, Frugality, Saving Tagged With: buy nothing, Consumerism, freecycle, frugal

6 Items You Should Never Pay Full Price For

December 6, 2021 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

Items You Should Never Pay Full Price For

When I graduated from college and came back to live at home for a few years, I went with my mom to the furniture store to buy a bed, dresser, and desk set. We found one that I loved. However, I was embarrassed when my mom started haggling with the salesperson. She haggled for about 10 minutes, and in the end, she got 15% off the set. Turns out my mom knew something I, as a young person in my 20s, didn’t—there are certain items you should never pay full price for.

New Furniture

As per my experience, you should never pay full price for furniture. To save money on furniture, use these tactics:

Shop in Winter or the End of Summer

Furniture stores get their inventory in the spring and fall, so they will be looking to get rid of older pieces and be more willing to negotiate. (I bought my furniture in January.)

Go to Smaller Furniture Stores

You won’t be able to negotiate at a big store like Ikea. However, if you visit a small, local furniture store or chain, the salesperson will likely negotiate with you.

Shop Clearance Items

Most furniture stores have a clearance section. They want to get rid of those items, so you may have even more negotiating power if you shop clearance.

Buy Used Furniture

Of course, buying new furniture isn’t the only way to go. You can save much more if you’re open to buying used furniture. For instance, I was driving through a neighborhood one day when I saw a dining room table as part of a garage sale. That table was only $50 and included the table, leaves, and four chairs. It has lasted us for 10 years, though we’re due to replace it sometime soon.

In addition to garage sales, you can find good used furniture advertised on Craigslist and at second-hand shops. You’ll pay only a fraction of the new price.

Hotel Rooms

You can save on hotel rooms in a variety of ways.

Use Online Tools

Many online tools can help you pay less for a hotel room. Consider using Kayak, Expedia, or Priceline.

Use Your Membership

Do you belong to AARP, AAA, or the military? If so, mention that when you check in, and you will likely get a discount.

Avoid Hotel Rooms

Another option is to bypass hotel rooms altogether. You may find that vacation rentals are cheaper than hotel rooms, especially if you have a large family.

Rental Cars

Rental cars are a necessity, but the price can add up quickly, especially when you add optional insurance coverage. Luckily, you can use these strategies to save.

Book in Advance

The earlier you can reserve your rental car, the less you’ll pay. Our family had to rent a minivan for a trip, and we booked three months in advance. As the day got closer to our day to pick up the van, I was astonished to see how much the price went up. We easily saved 20% by booking in advance. Most reservations are non-binding, so booking in advance is a low-risk proposition.

Use Your Costco Membership

If you have a Costco membership, use their travel tab online and make your reservation through Costco’s website. You’ll pay the least amount of money with your Costco card. That’s the only way we book rental cars now.

Don’t Rent at the Airport

Most people get off the plane and go right to the airport rental car desk. Sure, doing so is convenient, but you’re paying extra for that perk. You’ll likely save more if you take an Uber or Lyft to a rental car location a few miles from the airport.

Use Your Credit Card for Insurance

One of the costly fees when renting a car is to pay for the daily insurance. Before you rent the car, call your credit card company and see if they offer primary insurance on rental cars when you use their card to pay for the rental. If so, you could save a bundle by opting out of insurance.

Vehicles

In the market for a new car? Get ready to haggle because you don’t want to pay full price for a vehicle. The car will likely be listed with the MSRP (Manufacturer’s Retail Sales Price). However, to negotiate successfully, you’ll also need to know roughly how much the dealer paid for the vehicle. Then, you’re ready to negotiate. Consumer Reports has an excellent tutorial on how to negotiate with a car dealership.

One caveat: the used and new car markets are strained due to the pandemic, so we’re in a seller’s market. You may not be able to negotiate as successfully as if there wasn’t a supply chain shortage and an increase in demand.

School Supplies

Items You Should Never Pay Full Price For
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Our family never pays full price for school supplies. Instead, we buy an excess of school supplies in July and August when they’re dirt cheap. Then, when we need glue, or scissors, or paper, or a notebook some other time in the year, we just reach into our stockpile. By shopping like this, you can easily get school supplies for 90% off the retail price.

Mattresses

Look to buy a mattress during the major holidays and Black Friday. They will often be offered for 10 to 20% off. Also, just like furniture, you can save a bundle if you buy right as the new season’s mattresses arrive. That means if you buy last season’s model in April, you should save a significant percentage because the store wants to make room for the new models. You can also try to negotiate with the salesperson to save a bit more.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in the market for these items you should never pay full price for, I hope you can use these tactics to save money. Many of these items are big-ticket items, so the more you can save, the better.

Read More

Does Your Insurance Pay for These Items?

How to Pay Down Your Credit Card Faster Even If You Don’t Have Extra Money

Three Ways to Unload Unwanted Gift Cards

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Cars, credit cards, Frugality, Saving Tagged With: buying a car, Frugality, saving money, secondhand

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