Grocery Budgeting Repeat

I haev had A LOT of people ask me about my grocery budgeting plan and I orignially blogged about it on our family page but I am copying it here for anyone else that might be interested.

Grocery Budgeting Plan
Several people have asked me about my money-saving grocery budgets and the steps I take to make it work. Truthfully, I’ve taken ideas from several people, national blogs, and the like and combined them into a process that works for us. The bottom line is that it takes a great deal of preparation and planning, but the end result is worth it if you are on a budget. We have reduced our grocery bills by 40-50%!!! In my experience, the more trips to the store, the more impulse buys and wasteful throwing away of expired/unused items. So how do I do it?

Step 1
The first step is to take a look at the calendar for the month (we print a blank one off Google calendars online). We immediately cross out any nights that we know we will be gone and not be eating dinner at home (traveling, meetings, etc…). We then figure up approximately how many nights are remaining and compile a “working” list of dinner ideas to cover those nights. When we originally started doing this, we assigned a specific meal to a specific night but we have since learned that it’s best for us if we just create a “master list” to put on the refrigerator and plan day-by-day once we’ve bought groceries. That way, if something comes up (like guests coming over or an unexpected late afternoon doctor’s appointment) we’re not scrambling and we don’t wind up eating out. We do budget to eat out once or twice a month also.
When thinking about what meals we want in the week, we try to create a wide variety of items (different proteins, quick meals, crockpot meals, meatless meals, make ahead meals, etc…) so we can pull items when we need them.
Once your list with dinner items is made, add in items you will need for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and household/hygiene items. For reference, we can get by with a couple of large bags of cereal and a large container of regular oats for breakfast, several loaves of bread, a big jar of peanut butter, and a couple of pounds of lunch meat for lunches, etc… Household wise, we have started trying to use reusable items (dish cloths instead of paper towels, microfiber towels instead of swiffer cloths, etc…) but for most of those non-reusable items (toilet paper, cleaners, etc…) you can usually find sales on them in bulk and also with great coupon savings.
Also, be aware that some items you cannot buy a month in advance (like lettuce) and you may not have space to store others (like the 12-14 gallons of milk we go through in a month. Be prepared to make QUICK stops during the month to pick up ONLY these few items.
Step 2
Once the master food list is made, start browsing sale ads from grocery stores. The 3 I usually check out are Meijer, Kroger, and Walmart. I check them online and only browse over them to see which places seem to have more items I’m going to need on sale. Once I’ve decided where I’m going to shop, I make an itemized grocery list. It will likely be a long list, but we try to pick items with few ingredients to help with this also. *A note about buying meat. We TYPICALLY don’t buy much meat in an average monthly trip. Instead, we buy a meat bundle at the local butcher shop and that lasts us several months. We do pick up some items in our regular trip, but less than those who don’t have this option
Step 3
Compare your itemized list to the sale ad. Mark items (I do this in Microsoft word-I use underline) that you need that are currently on sale. Now, it is possible that they will have a store brand that will be a better deal when you get there, but you know that it is worth looking at the name brand if you know ahead it’s on sale. It’s a good idea to do this because sometimes once you get to the store, items aren’t marked, signs fall down, etc. Also, remember that there are RARELY coupons for store brands, but often for name brands. Coupons+sale often mean bigger savings than a store brand. Also, feel free to exchange items on your list for an item that is on a great sale at the store or consider adding it to your list if it is something you will FOR SURE use (for example, Kroger had Townhouse crackers on sale with a coupon for $.50 a box so I bought a couple even though they were not on my list) Also, don’t be afraid to buy frozen veggies. They are often on GREAT sales, and are much less prep work than fresh.
Step 4
Find the coupons!! Now that you’ve made your list and marked your items, start looking for coupons. I do this at several places. Shortcuts.com, smartsource.com, redplum.com, and coupons.com are a great place to start. Browse through and print off what you know you will use. I also use moneysavingmom.com as she lists ideas for deals on her blog and I also use coupondivas.com for great deal ideas. You can also google search for higher priced items. For example, I need Iams cat food, I can go to Google and search for “Iams cat food coupon.” Many times, links will come up where you can print one!
Step 5
Mark your list to reflect your coupon findings. I use the highlight feature on Word to do this. That way, when I’m shopping for an item, I can know there is a coupon to go with it and find it in my stack. I can make certain I buy the right size, amount, etc. that way.
Step 6
Go shopping!! For the bulk trips, I highly recommend going in pairs (Walt and I shop together, and each carry a child and a cart). However, I have done it solo and it is certainly possible. Try when you are shopping to stick to your list as best as possible. There are exceptions-items that are on amazing sale (again-that you KNOW you will use) or items that don’t meet your standards (like really yucky bananas, although you had them on your list).


Step 7
Put away your items. It’s said that you should wash, cut, etc… your produce when you get home. If you’ve already budgeted a day of shopping, DO IT! That way, items don’t get pushed to the back of your fridge or pantry and spoil. Most fresh veggies can easily be chopped and frozen in Ziploc bags if they won’t last until the day/week you need them.

That’s the basics of the grocery plan. I’m attaching a sample grocery menu for you to see (feel free to steal anything off of it you want.  ) Oh, and for those that wonder about other savings, we also make our baby food (which is a separate trip we make ever y few months) and we use cloth diapers!

Sample Menu March 2010-26 meals needed
Catalina chicken/green beans
Lasagna/garlic bread/salad
Chicken Caesar salad/garlic bread
Crock pot pork loin (split in half)/carrots/mashed potatoes
Grilled pork chops (from other half of loin), roasted veggies
Ham/Spinach/Mozzerella pasta/salad (make-ahead)
Hamburgers/hot dogs/ baked beans
Taco soup/cheese quesadillas (crock pot)
Chicken pot pie/homemade rolls (make-ahead)
Meatloaf/mashed potatoes/peas
Homemade pizzas (x2)
French onion soup (crock pot)
BBQ chicken sandwiches (crock pot)/roasted potatoes
Breakfast casserold (make-ahead)
Chicken enchiladas/refried beans
Grilled chicken/baked potatoes
Chicken noodle casserole/mixed veggies
Stir-fry (x2)/brown rice/pineapple
3-cheese stuffed shells/salad
Pancakes/sausage
Tomato soup/grilled cheese
Potato soup/ham sandwiches (crock pot)
Beef stroganoff/egg noodles (crock pot)
Steak fajitas/rice
Homemade sloppy joes/roasted sweet potatoes
Chicken/broccoli pasta bake/garlic bread