Hey Guys!
Today we are going to talk about saving time and money while grocery shopping!
Having a family of 9 now (long story, sorry can't really go into it, but we now have a Mr3 and a Mr1!), I have had to really cut down my grocery budget and be a little more wise with every cent. After reading through a bunch of great books, I have managed to cut my weekly grocery budget down to around $100 for our large family, but still eat healthy food with the occasional sweet treat.
My number one tip would be to... Meal plan!
Meal planning may take some time, however if done consistently, you end up with an organised system that you can pull meals from when you don't have a lot of time. I keep my menu plan in my Kikki K planner so I always have access to my calendar so I know what I have on that week. Even when we do have planned nights out, I always plan and shop for a meal for that night anyway just in case. Some nights we have had a plan to go out for a meal with friends and they have had to cancel at the last minute so this way, I always have a back up whether I need it or not. I love when we don't need the back up meal for that night because then it can be turned into a hot lunch or an extra meal I no longer have to plan for the following week. Also, our kiddos love plain pasta with cheese and it is something they can make themselves. So on Friday nights when they have their Rangers nights, they come home and get started on making that for themselves. I also have 2 minute noodles and Weetbix at the ready for those that don't want pasta that night. Really, I could go on and on about the importance of meal planning because it really does save money and time, however I am trying to keep this short so I will move on...
My next tip is to shop according to the sales. My family loves the Ingham's chicken tenders, however they are around $8 a box and for a our family we need two boxes. So if I was to buy them at the normal price, that is $16 just for the meat in one meal. However, if I wait until they are on sale, I get them for $8 for a meal. It is still pretty pricey however we don't always get them and if I have a little extra room in the budget when they are on for half price, I stock up and get a few more boxes. I also like to stock up on things like rice crackers, spaghetti sauce and packet pastas when they are on special for half price (and they regularly do come on special for half or more than half price) so that I have extra food for those times when we can't get to the shop or a friend is in need.
Tip number three is to always, always, always keep your fridge and pantry clean and organised. If you can't see at a glance exactly what you have in your pantry or refrigerator, you can't see the potential savings you can make in grocery shopping. I cleaned out my pantry one week and discovered I had the basics for almost a whole weeks worth of dinners. I think my total grocery bill came to around $50 that week because of the fresh fruit and vegetables I had to buy. Consistently cleaning out the fridge will also help keep it running properly and end up saving in electricity bills as well.
The 4th tip is to shop at night. There are so many benefits to shopping at night! I love that it is time I get to myself (even though it is not the best thing to do) and I am able to think more clearly and stick to what I have on my list. Grocery stores also tend to mark down their bakery items at night so when I get there, there are so many more options for simple school lunches that I can freeze and pull out when I need to. It is also a lot less busy so it eliminates the long wait at the checkouts.
I have learnt this next tip the hard way and that is to never shop when you are hungry! If I do, I end up with quite a few bags of chips that I hide in my baking cupboard where the kids can't get to them... after I eat a whole bag as soon as I get home (FYI, the best chips ever are Red Rock Deli Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar). Here is the proof of the last time this happened...
Did I only just get this packet of deliciousness? Yes. Did I eat the whole packet in one sitting? Yes...#notevensorry #bestchipsever #redrockdeli#favourites #lovethem
Seriously, big mistake...
My next tip is to keep to what your family likes. Don't go making too many changes too quickly or you will end up with a whole lot of waste at the end of the week. My family I know for sure does not appreciate when I get new snacks I think they might like but instead they really don't taste good. As for new recipes, I only commit to making one new recipe a week. We all have to try it and give genuine feedback about it, make notes on the recipe if we need to change something up on it or for future reference, put a sad face on it so I know next time not to make it. Only making new recipes once a week ensures that we are still mainly getting meals that we mostly enjoy.
Turns out there are 6 more tips I would love to share with you, but as this post is huge already, I have decided to split it up into 2 posts!
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and please come back and look out for the next one!
Thanks for reading!
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