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The Benefits of Buying Only Necessary Groceries Each Week

November 14, 2022 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

Benefits of Buying ONly the Groceries You Need

For the last few years, I have had a higher grocery budget, so I’ve stocked up on food. I do this for two reasons. First, we have food intolerances—specifically, we can’t eat gluten or dairy—so we need specific foods in the house. Second, I find having a stocked pantry makes mealtime easier. I never need to go out to eat because I have everything to make several meals, depending on what we’re hungry for. However, I recently watched a YouTube video that intrigued me. Based on this video, I’ve experimented with buying only necessary groceries each week for the last few weeks.

Steps I Took to Implement This Change

During the last few weeks, I’ve set a grocery budget of $140 per week for my family of four, which is much less than the $215 a week I typically spend.

I make a menu plan and grocery list the night before I go to the grocery store, so I know what meals I’ll cook during the week. I also try to choose recipes that will utilize ALL of an ingredient. For instance, I needed to buy green cabbage for a stir fry. But I only needed to use half the head of cabbage, so I picked another recipe that would use the other half of the cabbage later in the week, so I used ALL of the cabbage up that week.

Benefits of Buying Only Necessary Groceries Each Week

While I never thought I would enjoy shopping this way, I did realize several benefits of buying only necessary groceries each week.

I Saved Money

We saved a lot of money shopping this way. Over two weeks, we saved $150! This was in part because we were not stocking up on food. However, we also saved because I had limited food in the house, and we HAD to utilize the food we bought.

We Had Less Food Waste

Benefits of Buying Only the Groceries You Need

We typically have very little food waste, but shopping this way eliminated food waste. As I mentioned, I was mindful of finding recipes that would use up ALL of an ingredient. Previously, that other half of the green cabbage might have lingered in the refrigerator for a while. We would use it. . .eventually, but when we did, we might have to cut out some bad spots because we let it sit too long before using it.

Final Thoughts

This way of shopping enhanced how I shop and menu plan. Even better, the benefits of only buying necessary groceries each week were that we saved money and reduced food waste.

However, even though this strategy worked for me, I like to have a stock of food at home in case we can’t shop due to bad weather or limited supplies. From now on, I plan to stock up occasionally to resupply my pantry. Still, for the foreseeable future, I plan to buy only what I need and continue with this experiment to see what other benefits I realize.

Read More

Our Favorite Ways to Combat High Meat Prices

5 Tips to Save on Groceries This Year

Feed a Hungry Teenager without Breaking Your Grocery Budget

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, Shopping Tagged With: frugal groceries, frugal grocery, groceries, grocery, grocery budget, grocery shopping

Christmas Holiday Decorations for the Discerning Shopper

October 28, 2022 By Susan Paige Leave a Comment

Shopping for Christmas decoration items is not always fun for everyone. There are the long queues, similar decorations, and the headache of having to pack up all the decorations just after putting them up. For others, the fun is in the process of getting the decorations and deciding the theme for that particular holiday. If you are either of the two, then you know how much it means to have a unique Christmas décor, and this article will show you a few steps to getting your décor right.

Plan Early for Your Christmas Trees

The availability of good Christmas trees is not as assured anymore, and this only makes the mad rush for Christmas trees all the more unbearable for many shoppers. More retail stores are phasing out natural Christmas trees in favor of artificial ones, and though the artificial ones look good and won’t shed, they won’t add that timeless appeal to your decorations as you’d want. Consider planning early for your Christmas trees by visiting a local planter and getting the trees while they are still young. 

If you want to make even more savings with your Christmas trees, you could in them by yourself. This idea would work best for people with a yard where they can simply plant early and allow the tree to grow, before potting them. There are several species of Firs and Pine which can survive quite well indoors so long as you give them enough sunlight and the right amount of water. As the tree grows, you won’t need to worry about the tree looking the same every Christmas. With each height added you can change your decorations as you see fit and your neighbors will actually think it’s a new tree every time. 

Get Vintage Christmas Lights

Christmas Lighting doesn’t always mean the ones around trees. Christmas lights could be in the form of floor lamps with Christmas decorations, artificial candles, glass lights and even LED rope lights and even net lights. There is a lot of variety you can play with for both your tree and your home. What you are looking for is to make your entire home feel like one huge Christmas set and the more lights you have the better. Of course more lights doesn’t always mean the room will be too bright, instead, focus on getting warm lighting to reduce overall brightness. Surrounding them with gorgeously wrapped Christmas gift boxes is also a great idea. Also tale note that, because incandescent lights are warmer, they will work in your favor since Christmas is always cold. 

Decorate in Phases

Most people usually ask when would be the best time to put up the Christmas decorations. You will find it’s easier to do it in small phases starting with Thanksgiving. Some Thanksgiving decorations which are theme neutral can stay, as you add little bits and pieces of Christmas decorations. The Christmas tree can come in last as you arrange the Christmas lights around it and around the house. Since Christmas holidays typically last about 2 to 3 weeks, decorating in phases will help you manage your time and to usher in the Christmas spirit early. 

Filed Under: Shopping

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