It’s the weekend, finally! We made it through another week. This is a perfect time to reflect on the past the week. How did we do with our budget? Did we budget? If our evaluation results are a little less than what we had anticipated, now is a great opportunity to try again.
Here are 3 steps to get on track for the week and conquer that grocery bill:
Step 1: Plan the Week
This is where you have to be careful. A grocery shop can go one way or another. You can stock pile for the apocalypse or you can go back there after work on Tuesday. You either buy too much, or not enough. You’ve got to find that happy middle position where you can financially thrive. Once you know what you’re having for dinner it is much easier to stick to that. Plan your meals and buy only what you need. The trick is rotating your choices. One week you have sandwiches for lunch the next week you have pasta. Pick one day out of your weekend that you dedicate to food for the week. Having everything planned out will help your waistline and your pocket. You won’t be inclined to go out for lunch during the work day or to pick something up on your way home. Plan, plan, plan.
Step 2: Write it down!
Make a list and check it multiple times. Consider what kind of choices you’re making both financially and healthily. Do you have lots of junk food or lots of vegetables? Either can be expensive, but only one will improve brain function and digestion. Not only that, but vegetables go a lot farther than microwave meals. You won’t be stopping for an additional costly snack with the former option. Once you realize what you have and what you need then you must follow the list you create. By writing it down and checking it off as you go, you will limit how much extra items you purchase. Thereby sticking to your budget. If you alot $200 every other week for food then you should not be spending $220 or $250 when you go to the store. The more you plan your meals and subsequently the grocery shop the more you’ll know the prices of your main go-to items.
Step 3: Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle
Do you have a pile or secret hiding spot of reusable bags? Yeah, me too. So use them! You’ll save a quarter or two every grocery shop if you don’t have to pay for plastic bags. Plus you’ll be doing some good for the environment. It is a win, win situation. It also makes lugging the food weights inside that much easier. You’ve already spent money on these dust collectors, you may as well get some kind of return. The only other kind of plastic bag you have to worry about are garbage bags. How much food are you throwing out prior to your next shop? Consider your food waste and spend less next time. The more of the food you eat at home, the less you spend on take-out and waste disposal. Throwing food out is like throwing money out. If the cans and bottles are going with the rotten cucumbers then there’s a problem. All cans and bottles can be recycled for a few cents (10-15 depending) and that’s a few cents more in your pocket. Some grocery stores will even have a recycling department or exchange for a small amount of cans. So while you’re loading the car up with the reusable bags, throw in your bag of bottles and budget happily.
A few dollars here and there add up. We notice it more when we are spending than when we are saving. We just need to change our thinking. We need to understand what motivates us and work towards that being a savings account. We still have to live and live well. I don’t like to scrimp on food because I like to eat. I like to cook and I like to eat. So I don’t want to buy no name brand every time, but the more often I do the more often I go out for steak dinner. What we do now will benefit us down the road, if we make the right choices now. We want our present pocket and our future pocket to have peace of mind.
Pocket Peace of Mind 