My One Secret To Saving Money On Groceries
Groceries are just one of those things – they have to be bought, they have to be stored, and they have to be eaten.
Wait, what?
Yes, groceries have to be eaten. You may be thinking “duh,” but just look in your cupboards. How full are they? That leads me to my ONE secret on how to save money on groceries:
EAT WHAT YOU HAVE BEFORE BUYING MORE
Trust me, that concept seems silly to read, like why wouldn’t I eat what I bought, but let me ask:
How many cans of vegetables sit unused on your shelves?
How many boxes of cereal are half gone?
How many produce items are rotting at this moment in the drawer?
How many expired items sit in your cupboards or refrigerator shelves?
I have done my own little “clear the cupboard” challenges, but I STILL find myself buying things that I do not need for that week, but when in the store, it looked good. I know you want to have options on hand for when people come over or for future use, but do they ever get used?
I used to sit down each week with the grocery ads in hand, making out my grocery list, cutting coupons, and going from store to store to find the best deals, really only to save pennies. Since having a child, the flying around to different stores isn’t as easy as it once was, and now thanks to Aldi (I know, I am OBSESSED), my grocery shopping has been cheaper and minimized.
Don’t get me wrong. I still go to the grocery store every week. But every weekend, I now spend time looking through our cupboards, thinking of recipes that I could make to use up what we have, before buying more.
I hit the guilty point when I realized our cupboards were so full of food, yet there were people who are literally dying to have what we have. I know that is taking the situation to the extreme, but that is reality for so many people in our world today, and it has made me think about how I view food. I have found items that I know I won’t use and have donated to the local food shelf. Spoiled food makes me feel so guilty.
That is why I have set out to meal plan in order to eat what we have before we buy more.
A simple concept, but a life-changing one at that. It will help you appreciate what you have, eat intentionally, and get rid of what you do not need!
