How did you do with getting your pantry, refrigerator, and
freezer organized? It was a real
eye-opener for me the first time I did it!
Now that you’ve made a list of what you have on hand, it’s time for step
two!
When you go shopping for clothes, shoes, items for the home,
etc., you probably don’t go into a store planning on paying full price, do
you? No, we all love those great sales
and try to find the best deals. Grocery
shopping should use the same mentality, and that is what we’re going to focus on
this week.
Step
Two
Whether you use (or don’t use) the weekly flyers for the
best sales, it’s time to look at them just a little differently. Pull out those weekly ads in paper form or
online, and think critically as you look at the ads. The point is to get stocked up on the
things you normally use in your meal preparation. Look through everything that is on sale. What has the best prices? What is your grocery budget? You might only be able to get one item at the
sale price, or your grocery budget might be enough that you can get
several. Remember, items will last just as long on your pantry shelf, refrigerator, or freezer as they will on the store shelf, waiting on you to pay full price when you are
completely out of the item!
The secret to saving the most money is to get to the point
where you are ONLY buying those
items that are on sale. The “Big Idea”
is to get stocked up by purchasing only the items that are on sale, even if it
is not something you need for this week’s menus. When money allows, buy several of those
items. (Many sales items are repeated in
a 12-week cycle.) Always check the
expiration date, and don’t purchase more than you can use in that length of
time.
Now that you’ve perused the weekly ad, make a list of the
items you want to purchase. Be sure
to include the name, size, and price of the item on sale. If money is tight and there is something you want but it is not a pressing need, don’t purchase it. Wait until the next time you see it on
sale. If money is REALLY tight, you
might only be able to stock up on a limited number of items. However, anything you can stock up on will
save you money in the long run.
Add up the total of everything on your list so that you have
an estimate of the cost.
If there are multiple stores that have items you want to
purchase, combine them into one shopping day if possible, but don’t forget to take
along a cooler for your cold items.
By staying stocked up on items, you will find that it is rare to need to purchase things at full price.
Read the next blog post in this series, which includes your next steps to save money as you begin making a monthly menu using ONLY those items you already have on hand.
Helping you save money and stretch those dollars is just…
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