The year 2010 has just started. Have you made any resolution to save money and elimiinate your reckless spending?
Most of us have a habit of making New Year resolutions but we hardly meet any of our targets because our discipline fail us. Especially when it comes to saving money. We give in to temptations when our neighbors upgraded their cars, bought the latest gadgets or renovated their houses.
This year, you may find it easier to economize though as we are still struggling to emerge from greatest financial crisis in decades. There is also the possibility of a double-dip recession, meaning unemployment figures will not recover for years to come.
In order to save more money in 2010, here are ten tips to improve your grocery budget.
1. Monitor prices of commonly bought items
Create a list of products which you buy most frequently and then research the unit price for each item. This is useful for comparing prices when a good sale comes along.
2. Use coupons
When you talk about coupons, it may seem troublesome at first, just to save a few cents or dollars here and there. The coupons have to be cut and kept properly (in envelopes), lest you mix them up or cannot find them.
However, a little organizing and getting used to coupons can overcome your apprehension of coupons. You will save a lot of money in the process (at least 10% of your annual grocery budget). So stop procrastinating and start clipping now.
3. Stockpile your fridge
Who can resist a sale with products being sold at wholesale prices or coupons which offer 30% discount? Keep an eye out for such sales or coupons, and stockpile your fridge with your favorite grocery products.
4. Prepare weekly menus
Check your pantry or fridge for items you already have and plan your weekly menu around them. This will save you the trouble of cooking meals and then realizing you don't have the necessary ingredients.
Rushing out to buy them will always be more expensive as you buy in single, small portions and no discounts are given.
5. Watch for regular sales
Some items go on sales on a cyclical basis, like turkey during the holidays or fruits when they are in season. Watch for these sales and buy enough to hold you over until the next sale.
6. Don’t buy pre-packaged meals
Pre-packaged meals are very convenient as we can just put them into the microwave oven, wait for a few minutes and food is on the table. But they are more expensive and less healthy due to the preservatives and processing involved.
My wife prefers to buy uncooked chicken breasts rather than pre-chopped and cooked chicken.
The convenience comes at a premium, so if you don't want to pay more, just buy as much uncooked chicken as possible and freeze what you don’t need. You can use this approach for pancakes, snacks, bread, etc. too.
7. Join a co-op
A food co-op can reduce your weekly food bill up to 50% by volunteering and buying in bulk.
8. Shop early
Hit the grocery stores before 9 a.m. and you’ll have a better chance of finding sale items, particularly produce, dairy and baked goods.
9. Cut down on meat
Meat is a good source of protein, but it’s expensive. As we get older and lower metabolism, we don't need to consume as much protein in our diets as a budding teenager.
Substitute meat for peas, beans, cheese, and peanut butter to save money at check-out.
10. Use discount gift cards
Gift cards from big-box merchants like Target and WalMart can save money before you even hit the stores.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
10 Tips To Improve Your Grocery Budget In 2010
Labels:
grocery,
saving money
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2 comments:
I think doing weekly planning menus is BIG. Not only does it save money on your grocery budget, but it decreases the associate levels of stress when you go home and you're wayyy too tired to think about what to cook.
It's pretty important to monitor our grocery budget, especially for students who are studying and living away from home...thanks for the info
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